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  •  Wal-Mart is Smart-Jodie Allen of USNews on C-span (none / 1)

    Jodie Allen, Managing Editor of USNews and World Report,
    was on C-span Friday.  She gave an excellent overview of the dollar plunge and potential impacts.  Mentioned during the talk that Wal Mart was actually pressuring Chinese sweat shops to LOWER PRICES-which she thought was disgusting.  I could not agree more-but then aren't we naive to expect anything different from these type of people.  I don't shop there and encourage all my friends and family to avoid it also.  There are other options, and we need to aspire to a society where people can DO BETTER than shopping at Walmart.

    by bushisaliar on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 03:08:17 PM PDT

    •  Discourage family/friends from shopping at Walmart (none / 1)

      I stopped shopping there when I learned about their business practices (denying unions, denying health care, sexism with respect to management positions, and killing local small businesses). I try to explain this to the people that I'm close to, but for many of them, the promise of Walmart's low prices is too much to resist.

      Like you said, we as consumers can do better than shopping at walmart.

      We will find it very worthwhile to shop at our local small-businesses. You might pay a little bit more for that bottle of shampoo, vacuum cleaner, or plastic lawn chair....but in the end we will help our small businesses survive.

      by up2orbit on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 03:27:06 PM PDT

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      •  Tell them they outsource our jobs (none / 0)

        I tell all that I come in contact with that Walmart is a prime reason why jobs are outsourced overseas.

        It is interesting how sales grew this weekend, but they dropped at Walmart. That would be nice if it was a trend, but that is wishful thinking. The lure it too great, from the loss leader products to get you in the door and make you think that all their products are low priced to the one-stop shopping convenience for harried mothers.

        Vote with your Wallet. Buyblue.org

        by shark on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 04:02:27 PM PDT

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        •  Wal-Mart weak sales: the 2 economies (none / 0)

          Analysts say that this season, retailers of luxury goods and high-end merchandise will do fine, because the affluent are doing as well as ever. But retailers like Wal-Mart, and even the dollar stores, will do poorly, because the lower income folks are hit hard by rising energy and health care costs and the weak job market.

          So basically as poor folks aren't doing so hot, neither are the stores where they shop.

          by dirtgirl on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 05:11:05 PM PDT

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      •  Labor actions? (none / 0)

        Does anyone know what the legal situation is surrounding picketing Walmarts if you aren't a labor union?

        They seem so un-American (and yet so American, alas) in that they are for their own profit margins no matter what the overall cost to their workers or American society at large.

        Aren't they vulnerable on this?  Would it be possible to initiate civil/labor actions against them that could gain popular support?

        What are the obstacles?

        Apparently I have made the unbelievably naive error of overestimating the intelligence of the American people.

        by Citizen Clark on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 05:01:44 PM PDT

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        •  asdf (none / 1)

          If you are not an employee and picket in protest, you would either be allowed to do so by the store (if you are on its property), or it will have you arrested for unlawful trespassing.  Some states, counties may have laws protecting that right, but I would check and see what they are before venturing such action.  My feeling is the Wal-Mart manager will call the cops and have ya dragged away.

          If you get employees to picket or strike, without first being unionized and within NLRA guidelines, they will likely be fired.  No protection in Federal law, maybe in some locals or states (California has the best employment laws in the nation, so my bet is it would be there if anywhere - though unlikely).

          by GregNYC on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 05:16:49 PM PDT

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          •  I would think the sidewalks are public.... (none / 0)

            so do you think actions on sidewalks at parking lot entrances could work.  

            It just seems the workers need support from people who cannot be intimidated so directly.

            Apparently I have made the unbelievably naive error of overestimating the intelligence of the American people.

            by Citizen Clark on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 05:21:47 PM PDT

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            •  asdf (none / 0)

              It's pretty complex - especially when dealing with Wal-Mart. Plus, you'd have to make sure there was employee support for the Union within that store.  You'd be surprised, but not everyone wants to be a part of a Union (paying union dues, etc., get protrayed as burdensome and not worth it - though it's mostly employer propoganda).

              If you want to make a difference, vote pro-union Democrats into local and state governments.  Republicans in small-town USA are killing pro-labor movements.

              by GregNYC on Sun Nov 28, 2004 at 05:37:02 PM PDT

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