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Capitalism at it's worst: Walmart's labor practices are backfiring

Walmart's Labor Practices Backfire | ThinkProgress

Bottom line: wal mart's extreme abuse of its workers, ranging from low wages, overworking, and nonexistent job security, are actually backfiring and costing walmart dearly.

I don't think they abuse their workers. It is a competitive business with low tech, low skill employees. I'm not knocking those employees, just acknowledging reality,, Political activity in the USA is the reason for the lack of job security. If you give people full time, you'll become saddled with benefit packages. More expense in difficult times. It's just business.
 
Your article is from FEB 10, 2014. Seems pretty irrelevant with what Walmart has done since then


What have they done relevant since?
 
Your article is from FEB 10, 2014. Seems pretty irrelevant with what Walmart has done since then

Irrelevancy seems to be a common theme in most of this Opening Poster's threads.
 
Walmart's Labor Practices Backfire | ThinkProgress

Bottom line: wal mart's extreme abuse of its workers, ranging from low wages, overworking, and nonexistent job security, are actually backfiring and costing walmart dearly.

Unlike some other forms of government, every Walmart employee walked through the door, picked up an application, filled it out and walks through the door each day voluntarily. If after working there a few hours or a few days or years, they can walk back through the same door and fill out an application somewhere else.
 
I don't think they abuse their workers. It is a competitive business with low tech, low skill employees. I'm not knocking those employees, just acknowledging reality,, Political activity in the USA is the reason for the lack of job security. If you give people full time, you'll become saddled with benefit packages. More expense in difficult times. It's just business.


I can go online to Amazon and get a greater variety at lower prices than Walsmart. I stopped going to Walsmart when what I wanted wasn't there that I could get online delivered at a lower cost. THAT's business.
 


They lost money and market position which forced them into a no-brainer, so they came around to their better business senses. If you do not value the source of your production you will not get value out of your production. From what I've seen historically in business, that $2.7B is to make up for what they lost as I described. If their Band-Aid works, they'll have lost $2.7B. If it works.
 
Walmart's Labor Practices Backfire | ThinkProgress

Bottom line: wal mart's extreme abuse of its workers, ranging from low wages, overworking, and nonexistent job security, are actually backfiring and costing walmart dearly.

If Walmart has so many personnel problems then why is it so successful? The OP link managed to name two much smaller competitors that pay more (on average) but neither of which offer the variety or flexibility of Walmart. Can you get your car's oil changed, do your banking, pick up prescriptions, while you shop for clothing, household items, beer, sporting goods, ammo and groceries at these competitors? Walmart is not perfect but it offers the customer much more opportunity to get a bit of anything and everything..
 
I don't think they abuse their workers. It is a competitive business with low tech, low skill employees. I'm not knocking those employees, just acknowledging reality,, Political activity in the USA is the reason for the lack of job security. If you give people full time, you'll become saddled with benefit packages. More expense in difficult times. It's just business.

The article is old and Wal-Mart has improved it's practices. However, saying someone that stands on their feet all day and lifts does not deserve certain wages compared to someone that sits on their ass and stares at a computer monitor is insane. Manual labor needs more respect. Without these people, someone that sits on their ass 9 hours a day would not be able to spend the money they've easily earned. I've worked jobs...hell I work in healthcare now and stand on my feet all day and am in physical pain during my shift, yet I make less than someone who works on a computer lol.
 
While you are busy beating up on Walmart - after all, who is shopping in those stores? R2D2?

What about the city and county politicians who allow them in, often with tax benefits to "create jobs". They have some incentive to let them in. $$$$
 
They lost money and market position which forced them into a no-brainer, so they came around to their better business senses. If you do not value the source of your production you will not get value out of your production. From what I've seen historically in business, that $2.7B is to make up for what they lost as I described. If their Band-Aid works, they'll have lost $2.7B. If it works.

Walmart is the leader it's not forced into anything
 
The article is old and Wal-Mart has improved it's practices. However, saying someone that stands on their feet all day and lifts does not deserve certain wages compared to someone that sits on their ass and stares at a computer monitor is insane. Manual labor needs more respect. Without these people, someone that sits on their ass 9 hours a day would not be able to spend the money they've easily earned. I've worked jobs...hell I work in healthcare now and stand on my feet all day and am in physical pain during my shift, yet I make less than someone who works on a computer lol.

Then why not work on a computer? Because of skills, anyone can do manual labor which is why it's less valued.
 
If Walmart has so many personnel problems then why is it so successful? The OP link managed to name two much smaller competitors that pay more (on average) but neither of which offer the variety or flexibility of Walmart. Can you get your car's oil changed, do your banking, pick up prescriptions, while you shop for clothing, household items, beer, sporting goods, ammo and groceries at these competitors? Walmart is not perfect but it offers the customer much more opportunity to get a bit of anything and everything..

Walmart is definately not hurting, but I do not think the one stop shop for everything is indicative of success. Kmart was the big chain store before walmart took off, Infact in many areas kmart was the go to until the late 90's as everyone thought of walmart as the poor mans kmart, no one then thought walmart would dominate and kmart would lose most of it's stores.

The other two big ones, one which merged with kmart later, were even bigger at offering everything than walmart. Montgomery ward aka monkey ward and sears both had automotive, appliances, full tool sections, lawn equipment, and everything else inbetween. Both of them by the mid 90's were failing, monkey ward pretty much disinigrated, and sears ended up going from a supercenter than made a walmart supercenter look like a joke to small sections in malls that became glorified craftsman stores.


Of all three they were so big no one thought they could fail, while walmart then was very small. Walmart won by adapting to it's customers needs while the other three ignored the writing on the wall and thought they were too big to fail. When walmart fails, employees will not do it, it will be walmart pulling the same stunts the big three before it did, refusing to adapt to the times and assuming that being the biggest they will always be.
 
Walmart is the leader it's not forced into anything

Maybe not but it is better to act on your own than to be forced to react on someone else's terms. ;)

Not all change is progress but all progress comes from change (see signature quote below).
 
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I can go online to Amazon and get a greater variety at lower prices than Walsmart. I stopped going to Walsmart when what I wanted wasn't there that I could get online delivered at a lower cost. THAT's business.

What an idiotic thing to say. Do you buy groceries on Amazon? :roll:
 
Walmart's Labor Practices Backfire | ThinkProgress

Bottom line: wal mart's extreme abuse of its workers, ranging from low wages, overworking, and nonexistent job security, are actually backfiring and costing walmart dearly.

Did you know Walmart has one of the largest private trucking fleets in the United States? They have 6000+ power units and over 50,000 trailers. Did you know their drivers are amongst the best paid in the industry and all they do is drive? Their average starting wage is 82,000 a year to START. The industry average pay is about 73,000. The industry turnover rate is 105%+. Walmarts driver turnover is less than 1%. I would say that based on this knowledge and the knowledge of what they pay their managers and other skilled positions that Walmart does not abuse its workers as you claim but pays them what they are worth to the company.
 
Then why not work on a computer? Because of skills, anyone can do manual labor which is why it's less valued.

Most computer jobs require good grammar, and use of spreadsheets, microsoft word, etc or their equivilents for sectretary record keeping and editorial jobs. For programming, admin, security networking etc hiigh knowledge in math and codewriting is required, infact I have only done very basic programming in microsoft basic, and rewriting tiny portions of the kernel in bsd for drivers, and it is not simple and math is heavily required.

Simple answer is if it were so easy, everyone would do it. But I work as a mechanic, need to buy my own tools, and need more knowledge to fix a car than was used to engineer a nasa spaceshuttle, yet people think they should make as much as me stocking shelves.Heck what about welding, surely it must be so meaningless to weld and that is why welders can make upwards of 150k a year in union positions. What about construction, surely any idiot can do it and a walmart cashier needs as much money, you only need to use high levels of math and geometry on everything you build, just as easy as pushing a button on a cash register that does the math for you.
 
Its not capitalism at its worst its government regulations and labor unions. From your own article from the unbiased people at thinkprogress:


Derp.


The research report also points out that the labor struggles that have ignited around its poor practices have come with a cost, noting, “Today, Wal-Mart spends a good deal of time and money in hopes of easing Washington scrutiny, bolstering its corporate image and assuaging labor groups.” The company is expected to spend around $300 million this year on regulatory and compliance enhancements, including dealing with the complaint against the company from the National Labor Relations Board that it illegally retaliated against its striking employees. Workers have staged repeated walkouts and protests, hitting nine different cities in November.
 
I thought most of Walmarts products came from the Peoples Paradise of China where the workers have he greatest working conditions making less and working more than the average Walmart employee.
 
I thought most of Walmarts products came from the Peoples Paradise of China where the workers have he greatest working conditions making less and working more than the average Walmart employee.

Yeah well, you thought wrong.
 
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