I work for Wal-Mart. I make $13.27 per hour plus one dollar per hour extra on Sundays. I am an hourly supervisor.
I would like to clear a few things up for you about Wal-Mart.
I'm kind of sick of all this crap people keep saying about Wal-Mart. I have been with the company for 9 years, and believe me, I know the place isn't perfect. It's huge, I believe it disrespects it's people at the store level, and its infrastructure could use some updating. It is extremely competitive cost-wise, possibly to the point that the quality of goods is diminished, and the stores take up an ungodly amount of space in towns across the world. The top dogs make way too much money, and we little peons make far too little.
Fine. Those are all valid points. I know there are others that I have missed. But since a lot of people are focused on healthcare right now, I would like to take a minute to explain my own healthcare, gotten through the evil system that is Wal-Mart.
I have no health conditions, currently. I, thankfully, am a realitively healthy individual. I am also under 30. I do not smoke, and I do not drink. I am single, and have no children.
I pay about $15 every two weeks for medical coverage. With this coverage, I get a $250 credit which I can use before I have to pay my deductible, which is $500. I have to choose a doctor from the list presrcibed to me, which is no big deal to me, since I haven't seen a doctor in ages.
I know that I am not one of those people who are facing huge medical bills, and I may not be entirely entitled to my happiness with my insurance since I have never had to use it, but I have it. And it's good for me. There are a lot of plans available, and many levels of coverage, all of which are affordable to people who work there.
I also have dental insurance which is about $8 a month.
I also have life insurance through Wal-Mart which costs me under two dollars a month. It is a $50,000 policy.
Wal-Mart also offers a range of other types of insurance. I have car insurance for my 2007 2 door Cobalt and renters insurance for my apartment which together cost me $93 a month. This is full coverage for a new vehicle. I have never been in an accident, or had a ticket.
I do not have any other source of income other than my $13.27 an hour job.
So, keep attacking Wal-Mart, but I believe they are able to help their employees.
Wal-Mart also has a bonus program, in which we can earn up to $450 each quarter if our store meets sales, profit, and inventory expectations. That is not a guarantee, and there are many stores which do not bonus. But, it is an incentive, and we work for it.
Wal-Mart also started a program called Race For a Million, in which the store with the highest sales, profit and customer satisfacttion in the fourth quarter will split $1,000,000 between it's associates, to a maximum of $2,500 per associate for the 4th quarter.
And, Wal-Mart has a program called The Associate in Critical Need program in which Wal-Mart will give an associate money, this is not a loan. They GIVE an associate money to rebuild their life after an emergency. I have never been a part of that program, but every associate can donate to it from their paycheck if they choose to do so. Many associates who have been helped by the program choose to give back to the program later by donating a small sum to that fund.
Our discount cards give us 10% off the prices of everything in the store except clearance merchandise and food. (although they did recently extend the card to work on fresh fruit and vegetables, and it has always worked on snack food.) Through Wal-Mart benefits we get discounts for everything to movies to cruises. There are many associates who do not take advantage of that.
Who was there before the federal government during Katrina? Wal-Mart was. (well, so was practically everyone else, but Wal-Mart did give away a lot of supplies and did many fundraisers)
Wal-Mart is the number one contributor to the Children's Miracle Network, if I am not mistaken. Stores do events for them all the time, and can raise some mad cash. The red cross, the salvation army, and the girl scouts are all our friends too.
As for Wal-Mart grabbing up land and resources at an insane rate, you have a right to be mad (I tend to get mad when Wal-Marts open within 5 miles of each other). But please balance your anger with some facts.
Wal-Mart purchases one acre of land for preservation for every acre it develops. Right now, they actually purchase about 3 acres for each they develop, as I understand it.
Wal-Mart has started a huge conservation campaign. Wal-Mart is the number one producer of trash in the country, but, it is also the largest recycler of cardboard. And is fast becoming a leader in plastic, aluminum and paper recycling. In our break room we have a trash can 2 aluminum recyling containers, a plastic container, and out in the hall a huge paper shredder that must eat up a billion pages a day. All sent to recycle.
They are also looking for manufacturers to reduce plastics used in shipment, and smaller container sizes. Ever wonder why games keep coming in smaller packages? And Cds don't have that annoying hard plastic crap around them any more? It's because companies like Wal-Mart are negotiating with environmentalists and production companies to reduce waste.
That is why we have skylights in our stores, the lights actually turn off during the day when the sun is out. Some stores freezers have led lights that are motion activated, using 5 watts of electricity, in comparision to regular florsecent lighting.
I will be the first to admit that Wal-Mart has some very real problems, problems which are faced by all large corporations but I think that it's finally picked up the slack in its relationship to the towns in which it thrives. I'm sure they could do more for us (like give us some free uniforms if they're going to make us wear the damned things!), but I feel they are on the right track overall.
These are small things they've done. It's by no means all they can do, but it is often overshadowed by this absolute hatred that people seem to have.
I don't mean to stay with the company forever, but I know it's been good to me.
I haven't meant to inflame you. Please don't flame me in return. I mean only to defend these issues I've stated, and not the ENTIRE everything about the company.