I just remember being horrified that the Wal-Mart HR people would consider telling their employees applying for welfare a viable solution.

I avoid it at all costs. I will shop there if nothing else is open or if I think they'll have a better selection for something I'm buying. The only real problem I have with Walmart is that it's busy all the time.

MoniGram said:

Yeah, there's a section in the film about on how Managers are supposed to answer questions too.

Sounds like you are only getting information from one side (the Wal-Mart machine); you should watch the film and form your own opinion based on seeing a different perspective.

How is that horrifying - especially if it is a viable solution? (And by viable, I mean a solution that the employee qualifies for, that gives them the coverage they need, and leaves cash in their pocket.) If that HR person were horrible, s/he would've told the Wal-Mart employee that they just needed to suck it up and pay the premiums - and not told them about the alternatives.

Have you ever worked in retail? Nobody - no matter what company they work for - makes a living wage in retail. (Unless, of course, they are in management or work on commission.) Wal-Mart pays only slightly less than the retail sector as a whole.

This film you speak of..is a union propaganda film. It was made to bash Walmart. Denis read what you wrote..and he plans on responding to the things you said.

But for myself...I try to look at everything from both sides, and not to start anything, but I feel you should look at things from both sides as well. It sounds like to me that you are basing everything off this film. But...Walmart pays bills for my son, puts food in his stomach, a roof over his head and takes care of his needs.

DevotedPuppy said:

How is that horrifying - especially if it is a viable solution? (And by viable, I mean a solution that the employee qualifies for, that gives them the coverage they need, and leaves cash in their pocket.) If that HR person were horrible, s/he would've told the Wal-Mart employee that they just needed to suck it up and pay the premiums - and not told them about the alternatives.

Have you ever worked in retail? Nobody - no matter what company they work for - makes a living wage in retail. (Unless, of course, they are in management or work on commission.) Wal-Mart pays only slightly less than the retail sector as a whole.

this thread is getting too serious

InsatiableCream said:

I know

theodore said:

Genesia said:

It's horrifying because a company should provide adequate health care options at an affordable price to their employees. They should realize having good employee morale and healthy workers will more than likely increase productivity (and a bigger bottom line) in the long run. I think it's deplorable that people work their asses off at Wal-Mart or any number of low paying hourly jobs and can't afford to go to the doctor, or buy medicine, etc. And by telling them to go on Medicaid or the state health care system, it puts even more strain on the government to provide services. (Which I think the government should somewhat, but Wal-Mart & all these other companies are raking in money and the only people getting rich off of it are the CEOs/execs, not the "little people.")

No, I've never worked in retail, but I have worked for non-profits for nearly 10 years. I'm not going to go into my personal finances on a public forum, but suffice it to say that trying to live/survive in NYC on a governmental non-profit salary is no walk in the park, so I can definitely relate.

MoniGram said:

Wal-Mart may pay bills for your son, etc. but at what cost to all the other families whose businesses closed down because they couldn't compete with Wal-Mart? Tell "Denis" not to bother responding. Like I said, there are usually two sides to every story...and please don't assume I'm basing everything off the film or only viewing things from one side.

Honestly, I'm really not the invested in it, I only brought up the film as a point of interest. I watch a lot of documentaries and "classics" because I find them more educational and interesting than the recent Hollywood "blockbusters". Watch it, don't watch it--I don't care. Like I said, I don't shop at Wal-Mart, anyway.



Now, I'm off to watch La Dolce Vita!

.
[Edited 5/5/08 18:24pm]

Well?

theodore said:

No. After the employee who went through hell dealing with their insurance, after a disabling accident, and the company finally succumbed,due to bad press: Damage Done.
The Walton family are billionaires:
In Forbes magazine every year, on the wealthiest list in America.
Won't step foot in the place.
They can enjoy their Lear jets. Not on my nickle. The family is unkind, and cruel, not to mention out of touch with working class families.

theodore said:

No. After the employee who went through hell dealing with their insurance, after a disabling accident, and the company finally succumbed,due to bad press: Damage Done.
The Walton family are billionaires:
In Forbes magazine every year, on the wealthiest list in America.
Won't step foot in the place.
They can enjoy their Lear jets. Not on my nickle. The family is unkind, and cruel, not to mention out of touch with working class families.

Oh, yes. By all means, hate the people who gave jobs to almost 2 million Americans - and less expensive food, clothes, and other necessities to countless others.

xplnyrslf said:

Oh, yes. By all means, hate the people who gave jobs to almost 2 million Americans - and less expensive food, clothes, and other necessities to countless others.

InsatiableCream said:

I know

Yer damn right, I do. It's pretty much the only store in the podunk town I work in. It's big, it's clean, the prices are good, and they have pretty much whatever I want. It's a lot easier to zip in and buy stuff there than to try go to Target in the city I live in.

And frankly, I think all the anti-Wal-Mart flack is just yuppies trying to claim intellectual and moral superiority over the poor schlubs who find it economical to shop there.

DevotedPuppy said:

No, thank you. I have no desire to sit through a Robert Greenwald screed.

But since you brought up insurance, it might interest you to know that Wal-Mart does offer insurance to its part-time employees - something only 17% of other companies in the United States do. (Target, for example, does not offer insurance to employees who work under 20 hours a week.) 34 percent of Wal-Mart employees who are offered health insurance decline to enroll, either because they are covered by another family member, prefer to be on Medicaid than pay the premium, or choose to go without insurance. Those who go with Medicaid are opting for a higher take-home pay, rather than private insurance. That's understandable - service workers make less money. Every cent they take home is critical.

As of 2005, 5% of Wal-Mart employees were enrolled in Medicaid or S-CHIP, compared to 6% of retail workers and 4% of US workers as a whole. The reason the raw number of Wal-Mart employees enrolled in publicly-administered health care plans looks so big is that Wal-Mart is the largest employer in the United States.

Genesia said:

MoniGram said:

It's all true, and the info is readily available and not just from that site. WalMart uses strong arm tactics to force their suppliers to use over-seas labor so they can continue to supply WalMart. If your costs are too high you can't sell in WalMart anymore and because of the ENORMOUS retail power WalMart has no one wants to lose them as a client.

Support your local small business people instead, you might pay a little more but you're supporting a family or two. How do I know? I am a small business owner.

xplnyrslf said:

Oh, yes. By all means, hate the people who gave jobs to almost 2 million Americans - and less expensive food, clothes, and other necessities to countless others.

Hell no.

It's full of screaming bad ass kids, long lines, rude employees, dirty, and always full of people strait outta the projects...or a projects mind set.

I HATE Wal Mart. I shop anywhere else just for those reasons.