They present a dilemma: On one side, they sell stuff at low prices. Poor people, the common man and woman, benefit of the low prices, specially during hard times. On the other side, they destroy small businesses all over the Country because they can't compete. Also, they offer low paying jobs with very few or no significant benefits for those employees. I personally don't buy from them because the only store in this area is some 16 miles away and I can get what they offer in other stores closer to my home.

Can you be more specific? What has happened to make you feel this way?

Walmart is kind of like most state lotteries. Originally built to help the common person, but then becoming an addiction for lower income people to offer a sense of hope (quick cash for lotto and low prices and jobs for Walmart). And the bigger both industries get, the worse they become. Lottery on most states were legalized with the purpose of funding education, now they are used to fund professional sports teams. Walmart was meant to help "everyman" and now employs them without benefits.

I have done some research into the allegations against Wal Mart, and found them to be grossly exaggerated. Our renter works there and he is perfectly happy with it. I'm wondering what set you off? What alternative do you suggest for people who need low prices? How is it better?

I do shop there, mainly because it's the nearest place to get many things. But it does bother me -- Wal*Mart really represents the end-game of turning efficiency and profit into the God of business: there seems to be almost nothing they won't do to compete. As an example, employees have testified that Wal*Mart managers offered organized advice to them about how to make the most of public assistance, knowing full well that a Wal*Mart employee can't get adequate benefits and salary to make ends meet. They're quite happy with letting the taxpayer take the brunt of the impact that their weak salaries have on the employees. The also get poor marks for concern about the economic impact of their brutal purchasing decisions on sellers. It's a lot of power concentrated in one company, which seems to have little concern for the world it feeds from. But it does provide a good preview of what "unrestricted free markets" will do as a prime directive if applied to the world as a whole -- basically, the large players get larger and larger, squeezing out competition with their efficiency of scale, and becoming increasingly aggressive and arrogant as their power grows.

Most of the bad things you have read about Wal Mart have been charges by their competitors, such as Safeway. The large majority of the employees are very happy with their jobs, benefits, and working conditions. They provide grants and outright charity to a large number of agencies and individuals, and are an ideal place to shop.

I think it is a good corporation. I shop at Walmart all the time, it is the closest discount store that is in walking or public transportaion to where I live. The people there are always friendly and helpful.

I won't shop at Walmart, or any other business who's business model is based on using labor purely as a commodity. I like competition, but any person or business that seeks profit through the exploitation of labor, even if it's legal....is despicable. The free market is great, but right now there isn't enough protection for entry level jobs. if the dollar vote is all I have, then I will use it. Walmart has shown a very clear pattern of abusing labor, shows no concern for their employees well being, has a history of targeting local businesses in rural areas with questionable pricing practices that give it an unfair advantage. This doesn't mean I have a problem with others that do shop at Walmart (the prices are cheap)...since I have a lot of shopping choices in my area and money isn't the biggest concern, I have the opportunity to shop ethically. On the other hand, Costco employees make a excellent wage from the start (like $17/hr) and get full benefits. I buy everything I can there because of that, and it's twice the distance of Sams Club to my house.

Honestly I despise Wal-Mart and if there was any other compition besides two Targets that are much smaller around here I would shop somewhere else. And part of this is because I worked for them and my friend still does. The company used to be wounderfull to work for before Sam died. It really was trying to do exactly what the said they were. Keep prices down while helping the local economy. Since his death the kids have gone out of their way to make a profit at the expense of the shoppers, the communities, the suppliers and the employees. This is a company that pulls in over a billion in profits every year and yet claims that the can not afford to pay their employees a living wage or give them health care. And if they can get away with it they keep everyone at less then 40 hours a week so it looks like all of their store emplyees are part time. They also try to force employees to work off the clock to give something back to the compnay. And I'm not talking a few minutes here and there I'm talking hours at a time. They've even been sued for that little beauty. And god help you if your a woman, take all of your dreams of moving up and put them in the trash because it's not going to happen. Especially if you have a family. My friend's worked there 8 years is the best cashier they have and has gotten screwed over for promotions left and right. And when she does get promoted they find things wrong with her performance so they can demote her and give her a pay cut. They did the same thing to me when it was time for my pay raise. I was denied one because I didn't have any training in pets. I worked in Health and Beauty and Cosmetics and had worked in a pet store before I worked there. When I asked why she said it was policy. A policy she made up on the spot by the way. And we weren't the only ones. There was a whole list by the time I'd had enough and quit. All women with families or older people getting ready to retire. And what they do to their suppliers is just as bad. They tell the supplier what they will pay and that's that. And half teh time it's below the company's over head to make that item sothey have to cheap out to meet Wal-Marts demands. I worked for the company that makes the Diaper Genie for Playtex and we got wierd demands from Wal-MArt all the time. We were told that when doing a Wal-Mart order to put in videos, bottles, diaper samples and extra refills. To do this we ha dto hire more help t be able to keep up with production. Yet Wal-Mart was never charged extra for all the added demands. Keep in mind that to do a Wal-Mart order taht ment brining in at least two extra people who had to be trained in a short time. And most only worked one night and refused to come back. They did the same thing to Rubber Maid. In fact they blocked Rubber Maid from opening a store of their own by threatening not to carry their items if they did that. And since Wal-Mart made up 90% of their profits they had to scrap that idea. They do this to everyone especially clothing manufactuers. They have helped to drive the industry out of this contry and to places like India and Sri Lanka just to get the best price. And they don't care what work conditions are like or even if these people get paid at all. They have in effect helped drive American workers, their profit base, out of work. Companies have gone out of bussiness from dealing with Wal-mart. As to the communities, you would think that a company like Wal-Mart would not get tax abatements and enviromental variances since most of their stores are twenty minutes a part, but they do. And once those run out they start mass lay-offs and don't rehire to make up the diffrence. Nor they do any up keep on their stores. Most are falling apart in five years. Plus they buy up wetlands and drain them at an alarming rate. And once they're done in that area and can put up a new store somewhere else thay take off and leave a mess for the community to clean up. And once their gone so are the jobs and the competion. In the end everyone loses when Wal-Mart comes to town.

But in the UK, workers rights (as I understand) take precidence over employer rights.

You can hate Walmart all you want (I don't like it myself), but there's nothing evil about it. All Walmart is, is a successful company. It is every companies dream to be Walmart, because that's what a business wants. Everyone knows your name, and whether they like you or not, they shop at your store.

Capitalism at it's best.

I like walmart. I don't get there very often because i live in a small town and the nearest walmart is 2 hours away and i don't have time to go to walmart everyweek,so i stock up until around christmas time and then go back and stock up again. Actually i am going to walmart today and nothing that you said will ruin this day for me,.

I started at Walmart 6 years ago, when I left the store to go work at the Warehouse I was only making 8.00 a hour. That is 4 years of work. I got the job at the Warehouse making more than double that and I get treated much better, than at the store. I don't understand how the store can get aways by treating you worse.

I worked there. It was absolute hell. The company is disgusting and should not be given the time of day. Boycott Wal-Mart. I know I do.

they are the Devil incarnate!! Evil!!

Anything Hillary served on board of directors for is good enough for me.

EVIL

They have run down some of the mom and pop stores where I live. But then again, I've got to drive 25 miles for a pair of underwear. Kind of like it that way, foolishly enough. Unfortunately with manufacturing jobs disappearing across the US, more people are being forced to shop there out of necessity. If you look at certain practices this company has had in the past...(one comes to mind is the Rubbermaid fiasco. Walmart told them they'd stop carrying their product line in stores unless RMlowered prices. The only way they could do that was by laying a bunch of workers off. Hooray, new Walmart customers! They win again!!!) they seem to be as much a part of the problem as they are a solution. SUCKS BIGTIME

Not trying to be rude, but quite frankly I don't have the time or the energy to care about business politics and the like...I go to who has what I need and is most convenient!

I think it is a evil company. Mistreating employees by shorting their pay, underpaying them for the crap they are subjected to, violating labor, and safety laws, firings due to whistleblowing, poor health coverage, malicious retaliation to those who claim workers comp.,forcing employees to work overtime without pay,verbal abusive managers, poor corperate customer service. Their manufacturing plants over seas are some of the worse, plants are locked including emergency exits to keep employees from leaving(not just overseas, i had a friend that worked for a Walmart warehouse, and they DID lock all of the doors, and kept employees from leaving, including fire exits, so in the event of a major emergency incident, the doors would have to be unlocked by the building manager to escape!!! I refuse, absolutly refuse to shop at a store that treats their employees like a concentration camp!

i dont have a problem with walmart

It's business practices? They're doing what every good business does. They provide goods and services at a price that consumers want at a price they are willing to pay. Capitalism is boss!