The ULTIMATE Walmart haters site / thread.

[Tinkim]

Maybe it's not fair to single out Wal-Mart but they do make themselves an easy target. Where I live you shop at Wal-Mart or you drive 1/2 hour to go somewhere else. They claim to be family friendly and great to their employees and that is what makes them an easy target. My DH worked for them for five years. He came from Ames Dept Store. Wal-Mart played a big part in their demise. He was a manager at Ames but an assistant at Wal-Mart. If you are not willing to move all over the country most likely you will never be a store manager. The store manager is the only one making a killing at a Wal-Mart store (depending on your store's shrink figures 10K to 30K+) Assistant managers work ungodly hours . . . nights, weekends, holidays. . . and they get the same bonus, couple hundred (if there is one) as the hourly employees. All on salary of course and no over-time pay for those 70-hour work weeks. You can forget spending holidays with your kids or being there for their games, events, school functions. . . ain't happening. The medical insurance is laughable. My DH reached the top end of the salary for his position and guess what no more raises! Nope not even cost of living. I begged DH to leave Wal-Mart because he was missing a good portion of his kids' lives. He finally did and now he works for a company that actually does care about it's employees and their family and understands that spending time with them is important. They give raises and promotion based on the work that you do not if you are willing to give more to the cult. Sorry. I am rambling. Wal-Mart the store is fine to shop in but Wal-Mart the company is sadly lacking. Maybe it is hard to understand if you haven't experienced it but from where I sit they always wanted more and they wanted to give less. They are not the warm fuzzy family-friendly company that they claim to be.

 

[Kimberly]

Everyone has a good and bad union story. My point about the efforts was, they are aggressive and illegal. You don't get to break laws because you don't like unions sorry.

No one thinks WalMART is the ONLY one doing any ONE of the things listed. Walmart is one of the FEW who is doing ALL Of the things we do not like. Walmart sells "Walmart" versions of name brand products: Huffy bikes, Levi jeans - they make products JUST for Walmart. You guessed it, these Walmart-products are not the same as the others and soon you will not have a choice to buy the 'good' huffy bike or the 'real' jeans because they will not be in business.

I do not believe Wal mart is good for this country. I do not think people will stop shopping there, buying their cheap products repeatedly and filling the landfills with the junk. I do think there will be a day when this country regrets their love affair with this store, and by then it will be too late.

Aside from everything listed, I don't like hiking through a store. I want to get in and get out. If I want to go hiking I'll hit the park, not PARK in a Walmart lot!

Great post. I try to shop there as little as possible because I dislike shopping in ENORMOUS stores like the ones that they have in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Wal Mart down there is the size of some of the smaller malls in the area that I live in.

 

[C.Ann]

Everyone has a good and bad union story. My point about the efforts was, they are aggressive and illegal. You don't get to break laws because you don't like unions sorry.

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And you don't think unions do anything aggressive or illegal? I'll introduce you to my former BIL - he's the head of a VERY large union - and believe me, there's no "squeaky clean" in unions either..

My point is Walmart is no more guilty - or innocent - than the majority of the large corporations in this country today.. You may "hear" more of it - from those who have an axe to grind - but they're certainly not alone in regards to these issues..

 

[C.Ann]

If you are not willing to move all over the country most likely you will never be a store manager. The store manager is the only one making a killing at a Wal-Mart store (depending on your store's shrink figures 10K to 30K+) Assistant managers work ungodly hours . . . nights, weekends, holidays. . . and they get the same bonus, couple hundred (if there is one) as the hourly employees. All on salary of course and no over-time pay for those 70-hour work weeks. You can forget spending holidays with your kids or being there for their games, events, school functions. . . ain't happening. The medical insurance is laughable. My DH reached the top end of the salary for his position and guess what no more raises! Nope not even cost of living. .

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This has not been the case with my friends daughter at all.. Not even close..

 

[Tinkim]

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This has not been the case with my friends daughter at all.. Not even close..

Well then I would say she is lucky although being the store manager could account for the difference. Like I said earlier, the store manager is the only one who is making a killing around here. The assistants work their butts off for less money and no yearly bonus. This was not just my DH's experience by the way. Most of the people he knew in management (quite a few because they moved him all over the place) were in the same situation. My kids sometimes went days without seeing their dad. I have talked to many people who do work or have worked for Wal-Mart and the general concencus is always the same. Maybe it is worse here in New England but no one can convince me that Wal-Mart is this great family oriented company.

 

[twoksmom]

I work at walmart as a cashier and have a sil at another store who is an assistant mgr.She started out as a stocker on second shift. She decided to go to school a few years ago and they worked around her school schedule. Even now she is going to school to get her 4 yr degree and even as a mgr they work around her school schedule.I worked full time for a while but have went to part time ( Mom"s Hours..9:00 am till 2:00pm). I admit that the pay is not great but so far I can't complain. I make a little over $8.00 for a part-time job.The store I work is very pro school and works around a lot of older and younger people going to school.They also LOVE to promote within the store. I guess a lot of it has to do with the mgr. There are some good Walmarts out there.Just wanted to let everyone that they do exist. April

 

[nwdisgal]

Walmart has a monopoly where I live. I can't stand their corporate policies or their customer service policy, so I try not to shop there. I wish we would get a Target.

 

[PixieDust32]

Oh lord! I'm not even going to the link, I have an idea of the whole deal. Well all i can't say is that if people aren't happy working for Wal mart they can go. If you think wal mart is bad, try Marriott International, Crestline Hotels, Bacerlo Crestline! Oh boy.
I'll shop at wal mart bcs I want to.

 

[Planogirl]

I know of a certain huge convenience store company that treats their store managers and employees much worse than any Wal-Mart. The store managers never go home and the store clerks have a tough time getting enough hours.

Speaking of too few hours, the Disney Corporation has had its share of issues with this very problem. Let's face it, Wal-Mart is far from the only company to behave in this manner. They're just the biggest one and thus the biggest target.

 

[PixieDust32]

I know of a certain huge convenience store company that treats their store managers and employees much worse than any Wal-Mart. The store managers never go home and the store clerks have a tough time getting enough hours.

Speaking of too few hours, the Disney Corporation has had its share of issues with this very problem. Let's face it, Wal-Mart is far from the only company to behave in this manner. They're just the biggest one and thus the biggest target.

Exactly! and they're rich and big, too many envy from others!

 

[Papa Deuce]

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And you don't think unions do anything aggressive or illegal? I'll introduce you to my former BIL - he's the head of a VERY large union - and believe me, there's no "squeaky clean" in unions either..

My point is Walmart is no more guilty - or innocent - than the majority of the large corporations in this country today.. You may "hear" more of it - from those who have an axe to grind - but they're certainly not alone in regards to these issues..

But see, I have NO AXE to grind. I just see the way they treat people who work for them as bad, the way they help destory the rainforest by selling needed jungle hardwoods, the way they treat people in other country's who work for them, the way they trulu bully their suppliers.....

Sure other companies do this. But if you could convince the biggest one to stop acting like this we might get a great domino effect. Personally I have never had a bad moment with Walmart.

 

[Sleepy]

He was a manager at Ames but an assistant at Wal-Mart. If you are not willing to move all over the country most likely you will never be a store manager. The store manager is the only one making a killing at a Wal-Mart store (depending on your store's shrink figures 10K to 30K+) Assistant managers work ungodly hours . . . nights, weekends, holidays. . . and they get the same bonus, couple hundred (if there is one) as the hourly employees. All on salary of course and no over-time pay for those 70-hour work weeks. You can forget spending holidays with your kids or being there for their games, events, school functions. . . ain't happening. The medical insurance is laughable. My DH reached the top end of the salary for his position and guess what no more raises! Nope not even cost of living. I begged DH to leave Wal-Mart because he was missing a good portion of his kids' lives. He finally did and now he works for a company that actually does care about it's employees and their family and understands that spending time with them is important. They give raises and promotion based on the work that you do not if you are willing to give more to the cult.

I'm sorry, but how is this company different than most when it comes to salary employees? I mean, when you become a manageron salary pay, it does mean you work strange hours, work extra hours with no pay, miss out on family time, etc. My mother is not a store manager for Wal-Mart, but she is a dept manager who worked her way from PT cashier. Even as a cashier, she got wage increases that were more than I could have ever gotten working for comp businesses such as K-Mart, etc. As a Dept manager, she gets wonderful raises each year. She works mon-Fri during the day and has all weekends off. She gets holidays and sick days and incredible amount of vacation time. I don't know of many companies you could work for as a store manager and NOT be expected to move if they want you to. How many companies have insurance that is wonderful? Each year, benefits shrink with insurance. HMOs are becoming a pain in the rear. Don't even get me started with the military insurance! Don't get me started with the military PERIOD! Family time???? HAH! Your family was not issued to you while in bootcamp! Spend time with them when we tell you to spend time with them. All I am saying is your rant about Wal-Mart could fit the situation of most companies. Especially when you get into salary positions. Glad your husband found a job that fits your needs. My mother is quite happy with her job at Wal-Mart and I have to agree with her feelings. I have never had a job quite like that one.....pay, vacation, discounts, work hours, etc.

 

[RobinMarie]

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And you don't think unions do anything aggressive or illegal? I'll introduce you to my former BIL - he's the head of a VERY large union - and believe me, there's no "squeaky clean" in unions either..

The discussion was not about what unions do, or why you don't like unions. It's why you don't like Walmart. I do not appreciate illegal activities to union bust by Walmart or any other company, but the discussion is about Walmart. I never said unions never do anything aggressive or illegal, stop twisting my words.

 

[phorsenuf]

Personally I have never had a bad moment with Walmart.

Then why exactly did you start this thread??

 

[tandrjohn]

I shop at Wal-Mart but I don't consider myself a Wal-Mart supporter. IMO, I think some of their business tactics are brutal and they are definitely anti-union (which is a sore point for me). I shop there and the public shops there because they have the lowest prices...this is what the American consumer demands and this is what Wal-Mart delivers, plain and simple.

BTW, I did a quick internet search and as expected, Wal-Mart has a web site that counters a lot of the points of the one PD posted:

http://www.walmartfacts.com/

 

[Papa Deuce]

Then why exactly did you start this thread??

Because I do not like their business parctices. But on the few times in my life I have been in one I had no problems.

 

[DisneyBug1995]

Wal-mart isn't doing anything that any other companies aren't doing. I live in a small town (less than 10,000 people). We have 4 or 5 factories in the area that are union, have been in business for years and you can make a decent wage with good benifits. In the past 2 years each one of them have tried to bust the union (One closed, laid off all it's people and then 1 month later opened back up under a different name. They do the same type of work, are non-union and pay their employees 1/2 of what they used to make.) The others have threaten to move their production else where unless the employees agreed to a major decrease in wages and benefits. Companies all over are trying to break unions not just Walmart.

As far as the employees not being treated fairly, I agree with another poster who said that depends on local management. At our local Wal-mart most of the employees that work there feel like management treats them fairly and enjoy working there.

We have a Wal-mart distribution center in my area that has one of the better wage and benefit packages around.

I do shop at Wal-mart but do not consider myself a Wal-mart lover. I do most of my grocery shopping at Wal-mart because I do save a lot of money compared to the local grocery stores. I don't agree with everything that Wal-mart does but then again if I did my research there won't be a company out there that I would agree with 100% on how they run their business.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Wal-mart isn't doing anything that any other companies aren't doing.

Maybe or maybe not. In any case it doesn't make it right.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I've said this before and I'll say it again here: Wal-Mart was very, very good to my DH when he worked there.

A few years ago he and his brother-in-law needed to get jobs off the farm because farm prices were so low for such a long time. Wal-Mart hired them both. Wal-Mart gave them time off for planting and harvesting seasons, as much time as they needed - usually about 4 weeks in the spring and 6 in the fall. They just said "come back when you can." What other company will do something like THAT for their hourly employees??? I'm sure not many!!!

When DH worked for Wal-Mart we had our health insurance PAID for us (except for about $25 per pay period that came out of his check) for the first time in our married life. Dental insurance too!!!

When DH worked for Wal-Mart he took advantage of the stock option, and if he had not worked for Wal-Mart we would not have 200+ shares of Wal-Mart stock in our retirement portfolio.

When DH worked for Wal-Mart he had PAID vacations, and "personal days" off, and "sick days" off.

When DH worked for Wal-Mart he lost weight, good for his health.

When DH worked for Wal-Mart we had a 10% off card that gave us 10% off anything we bought there, and at Christmas they had one day of 20% off shopping for the employees.

I could go on and on, Wal-Mart was a very good experience for DH. Sadly, he did end up quitting. They wanted him to go into management (the money would have been nice) but that meant he would have to give up farming, and he wasn't willing to do that. Plus it was getting hard on his body since his job was quite physical. His back hurt, his legs hurt. So he ended up finding a different job, as a crop insurance adjuster, which was dealing with farming and less physical.

But, his 3-years with Wal-Mart was a GOOD experience for him. He was a well-liked, valued employee. He still cannot go in there without being stopped by many employees (managers too), who still work there, to talk to him. I'm sure if those other employees didn't like their jobs, they would find something else.

My DD works in the accounting office and enjoys her job very much. She tells us of many things Wal-Mart donates money to. They give a LOT, and do many things for the good of the community.

Wal-Mart is NOT the "evil" company so many people think!!!

 

[RobinMarie]

My nice little neighbor lady took a job at Walmart after her company she worked for 25 years closed. She took a job during mostly 1st shift hours, checking peoples receipts by the front door. She was perfect for it, effecient with always a kind word for anyone.

She was changed to second shift, working until 11pm. She was doing some sort of stock work. When she was hired, she was told if she worked hard she would be able to move into a full time position slot and be eligible for benefits. She was told her job performance was good, that moving her to stocking second shift was not punishment. She was kept under the full time status for a year. This woman asked many times to be transferred to another job because the stocking of merchandise was very heavy and she was very sore most of the time. They would not move her.

I know other people with personal stories that aren't so glowing either. We've established by now there is no absolute experience with Walmart. We've established they are big. We've agreed Walmart is not the ONLY company who does a few bad things, though why people would patronize a store knowing they do bad things is beyond me.

What we are saying is, do the homework. Walmart is one of the ONLY companies who does a TON of ROTTEN things. Rainforest destruction, discrimination, union busting, locking people inside the store and preventing them from leaving, deceptive hiring practices, and much much more.