| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Fabulous Farm Femmes |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 10:09:26 PM
Since you girls, seem to have a handle on these things more so than I...we all know the "W" store is bad news all the way around and I avoid it like the plague, but what about Target? |
| 24 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 10:23:54 PM
I just can't wait until I in a more financially stable position where I can buy more local products and support the smaller stores. It's hard when you only work 20-25 hrs a week and are trying to go to school full time. Not to mention all the silly financial mistakes that I am now working to pay off! Sheesh! Talk about a learning curve! I thought I was prepared to go out in the the "real world" when I left high school. Now, 4 years later I am still figuring out bugets and things. I know that sounds silly but it is really easy to slip into bad habits!
Hopefully my days of Wal-Mart shopping are limited...
Speaking of buying local- The Farmer's Market is going on tomorrow and I am going to (provided I get a space!) have a clearance sale. I am running out of room to store soaps in my house and I have some large special orders coming up so I need to have more room!
Have a great evening ladies!
Ciao
Alee |
| bramble |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 9:10:17 PM
What I hope this discussion has brought to the forefront of everyone's mind is that we should use our buying power in very thoughtful and calculated ways. Think about the places you spend your money and see if it supports not only your personal needs but your personal ethics. I recently asked at two different markets who are equal in savings whether they were unionized and one was not. If that one happens to have a great buy on organic chicken, they may get some of my money but the other store will see it more regularly. Neither will see any money for fresh fruits and veggies, that I grow or buy from local growers. I buy from privately owned concerns when it makes sense and is economical. I hope that all of us will remember our strongest power is to vote for change if you are unhappy. And being a knowledgeable consumer gives you the power.
with a happy heart |
| Whimsy_girl |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 3:38:35 PM
I spoke with my husband to get the exact facts, and the way they get around it and are still legal is that they work with an insurance company.. after some research I found out it was indeed the same company that Walmart uses, The way it works is that the company will get the employee in touch with the insurance, and they can have it taken out ouf their paycheck, but the employee has to pay all the costs outright and the company doesn't contribute, but because they are affilited, thats how they get around the legalities of it.
It's so nice that Walmart has shown everyone else how to give their employees the shaft :P
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
| Whimsy_girl |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 3:18:42 PM
They are HUGE. I'll e-mail privatly to tell you the name just because they are very well known in the tech support, billing support field.
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
| Nana Naomi |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 2:49:49 PM
Howdy!
From personal experience and from family input, unions are a two-edged sword. Some unions have become as much of a BIG BUSINESS as any Fortune 500 company. There have been union rules that have kept "firemen" on trains. That's the man whose job it was to shovel the coal!!! You should know that Teamsters will refuse to negotiate with individual compahies even when the owners explain that the new contract will put them out of business. The Teamsters strike and then picket the CLOSED company. Some companies MUST send their produce across the country because unoins refuse to ship anything else if they don't. Ever wonder why Californians eat Texas produce and vice versa? Greed lives on both sides! But WE are responsible. WE make the choices and vote with our dollars. We need to look at buying not only American, but locally whenever possible! |
| lurban |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 07:29:37 AM
And did you hear the story about Walmart on PRI's Marketplace this morning? Seems that when individual departments or Walmarts do get successful at unionizing, Walmart simply closes that store. If I was trying to support a family on Walmart wages and there were no other jobs around for miles (thanks to Walmart's dominance of the market), I'd think twice about unionizing, too. |
| greyghost |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 06:18:56 AM
And yet our government seems blind to the growing problem.
Lost your job? Go back to school (with what money? you're jobless.) and get a better job. That was the Bush campaign answer. Now look at Bobbi's husband, in management, and tell him that.
I'm a graphic designer. A good one - I have a name in the Tampa area with all the small magazines, one large newspaper and several smaller ones in that area. But I now compete with folks from India. They work all night - their daytime - so the work shows up when the corporation here in the States opens at 8am. No more 24 hour minimum turnaround, they can send the work to India at 5pm or later and have it completed at their desks in the morning.
What am I supposed to do? What is any of us supposed to do? |
| thehouseminder |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 05:10:11 AM
Hi Alee,
You need to know that labor unions are in real trouble. They have become very weak and companies across the country have gleefully set about "union busting". They are able to do this because companies are allowed to outsource large blocks of jobs overseas, so many manufacturing jobs are also now sent overseas, and there is an availability of very cheap labor in the form of illegal immigrants. I don't blame the immigrants, I blame their government and ours for creating this situation.
Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps, Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvest reaps. ---Bronson Alcott
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| thehouseminder |
Posted - Aug 19 2005 : 05:03:39 AM
Bobbi, this is horrible! I'm not even sure if it is legal. I'm going to do some research.
My sympathies to you and your husband. He certainly does not deserve this. 
Does he work for a local company or are they BIG? One of the most disturbing things about W's practices is that they ARE, as you pointed out, affecting the way that consumers live there lives, but also how other corporations view and treat their employees.
If you have time, e-mail me with the companies name. My husband is very involved in labor issues and would be interested in knowing more. Of course, do not do this unless you are comfortable telling me.
Lucinda
Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps, Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvest reaps. ---Bronson Alcott
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| Whimsy_girl |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 11:51:50 PM
Lucinda,
Many companies are taking Walmarts que in the health insurance area. My husbands company just pulled a stunt where they changed the way they set up the hiring to effect the health insurance.. each time some one gets a promotion their employee status changes, when that happens they are then written up as a "part time" employee. They are then paid overtime for any hours over 35 a week, so they get time and a half for 5 hours of their workday...they do not give health benefits to these "part time" employees.. and it goes up as high as management now.. My husband is in management and he worked his butt off to get there and then they went and implemented this new plan... so we are now buying state insurance to keep our family of 4 covered. He is looking for a new job but so far we are still with this company that doesn't care about it's people.
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 9:49:52 PM
While I understand and respect what you all are pointing out about wages and benefits, let me also point out that most "entry level" positions now a days do not provide ANY benefits at all to their workers and most places only pay minimum wage. I live on 10k or less a year and have worked in "entry level" positions for most of my years working. I have been in the work force for almost a decade and have never once been offered benefits.
To a person in college that has not yet gotten a degree, any company that will give you benefits- even if it is 2 years down the road- is MUCH better than a place that only give benefits to people that are "Full time". Most companies will schedule their workers at just under full time status so they can avoid paying benefits.
Personally I think that it is OUR fault that Wal-Mart and ANY OTHER store is allowed to get away with this. I think in this modern world we forget that WE as the CONSUMER AND WORKERS have the power. We have let the power slip to the few "big wigs" in corporate offices.
I cheer on anyone who wants to make a stand and not buy at any place they feel is unethical. However- before we bemoan the poor working conditions for the workers trapped there- let me remind you that this country has a strong history of Labor Unions for a reason. Another industry that would GREATLY benefit from some unions would be the fast food industry.
If the workers are unhappy with wages and benefits, they should form a union to speak for their rights.
Until the workers say they are unhappy- I will continue shopping in various stores that can keep me in toilet paper, deoderant, and shampoo with out completely pulverizing my check book.
I would prefer to shop at any mom&pop store that will do that but when I try to shop else where I find shampoo for $20 for about 2 weeks worth---OUCH!
Ciao
Alee |
| therusticcottage |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 11:47:36 AM
Aubrey -- W is building your town of 3,000 because they want to saturate the area. Once they get other places driven out of business then they will close some of the stores and leave the property just sitting. Then they think you will have to shop at their place because there is no place else to go. There was a fantastic documentary about this on PBS about 6 months ago.
"If you are lucky enough to have a garden, you are lucky enough!" |
| MNFarmGirl |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 10:41:31 AM
I am happy to see other people here who do not support "W". A new one is being built in our town and now we all have to sit buy and watch our town fall apart. We have a population of only 3,000, why do we need one when there's another one only 45 minutes away? My family feels that they are about to lose their business that took them 30 years to create. I am just glad to see that there actually are other people out there that know why the "W" is so bad.
What really makes me mad is that they barely donate anything and that they claim to sell only American made products when that is not true.
Aubrey |
| thehouseminder |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 09:14:31 AM
You are right about the substandard goods and it is giving people more of a "disposable world" mentality. Very bad for the environment.
As far as retail wages go, I am a retail professional and have worked at all levels of retail in my adult life. While retail salaries for entry-level workers are not usually enormous, W's workers have it especially hard. Here are some facts about their "healthcare benefits" from a recent report on "W-Watch.com"
W Covers Just 47 Percent of its Employees. According their own website, the company provides health care benefits to about 568,000 of W's 1.2 million associates in the United States. Based on W's own figures, the company covers only 47 percent of its workforce.
W Offers Substandard Coverage. W provides health-care options to their employees and families that have a deductible of $1,000. W employees must endure long waits to qualify for benefits: six months for full-time employees and two years for part-time employees. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/16/05]
W Under-Spends on Benefits. In September 2003 the Wall Street Journal reported, "Last year, average spending on health benefits for each of the company's roughly 500,000 covered employees was $3,500, almost 40% less than the average for all U.S. corporations and 30% less than the rest of the wholesale/retail industry, according to estimates by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a unit of Marsh & McLennan Co." [Wall Street Journal, 9/30/03]
Who pays for W's workers' health care? W, right? No, we all do.
Despite W's mammoth profits, the company actually burdens us -- taxpayers -- with its workers' health care costs. In a disturbing nationwide trend, more state studies are revealing that W EMPLOYEES ARE THE TOP RECIPIENTS OF TAXPAYER - PAID HEALTH CARE!!! The scope of this corporate failure is massive: W is the largest private employer in the United States, with over 1.2 million associates, yet they fail to give health insurance to 53 percent of its employees.
"So here's how it works: W offers insurance, but aggressively shifts the cost onto its employees. The low-wage workers then pass up the unaffordable coverage and turn to the states. If this isn't exactly company policy, it is at least company philosophy. CEO Lee Scott, at the company's recent ''summit'' for the media, even described it. He said some state health programs are 'so lucrative that, in fact, it's hard to be competitive with them and certainly extraordinarily expensive to be competitive with them.'"
Editorial, Miami Herald 6/11/05
In 2005, the State of Alabama shelled out $1.7-$2.4 million in Medicaid to provide healthcare to employees and families of W. Arkasas paid $4 million in public assistance for the same reason.
W is not a good "Corporate Citizen."
If you think I seem a little overly passionate about this, maybe I am. But the regular everyday working people are the heartbeat of this country. The noble people who make things work and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. I have never treated anyone who worked for me this way. They work hard for me and deserve all the respect and dignity an employer can provide.
Lucinda
Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps, Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvest reaps. ---Bronson Alcott
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| Susie Q |
Posted - Aug 18 2005 : 08:48:11 AM
One thng I've noticed about Wallmart is that it is affecting the quality of goods available everywhere.
As Wallmart negotiates for the cheapest prices to buy manufactured goods the quality of the finished product goes down because they are forced to use cheaper materials to make a profit. Wallart sells this shoddy made merchandise so cheap that other stores are also having to do the same from department stores down just to compete. The result is that poor quality goods are becoming the only ones available at reasonable prices and we are being squeezed to accept it.
Not only that, because of the bad quality, things don't last and you are forced to buy even more. Sometimes older secondhand goods are better than what you can find new in the store.
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| lurban |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 1:59:31 PM
I certainliy understand shopping on a budget, but for many of us the money saved by shopping at a place like Walmart v. an independent or even a small chain comes out to just a few bucks a week. It is worth it to me to preserve ocal businesses, to ensure that small companies have outlets for their merchandise, to keep my money working in my neighborhood, and to make sure that my neighbors get paid a living wage.
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| bramble |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 12:28:27 PM
We live in an area where there was a selection of discount type stores( Bradlees, Ames, Caldor, K-Mart, Value City, etc...). There was healthy competition, diverse merchandise and usually you could find what you were looking for. Then along came W and T. All of the other stores are gone,( yes, all) and there we have no choice but to utilize these stores. Home Depot and Lowe's have done the same thing to the family hardware stores around here. I have a strong concern for what these company's have done to american manufacturing and it is no secret that American jobs have been sold off to the lowest bidder. I try to buy American whenever possible and try to circumvent the whole consumer frenzy by purchasing many things second hand from thrift stores, yard and garage sales. I would like to know what has happened to all the anti trust laws that were meant to prevent a return to the days of the robber barons and monopolies. Can anyone tell me why the cable company is not a monopoly? I certainly don't have any other alternative for cable but not to get it! If you have any questions about human rights violations from all these countries that America now does business with , you can check out the Amnesty International website, the truth is very disturbing.
with a happy heart |
| crazymoose |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 12:13:06 PM
I shop at WalMart because its cheap or QFC. The Target stores here in my state won't allow the salvation army ppl ring their bells out front and collect money. I stopped going to Target. When compairing prices (in KING county) fred meyer and target are more expensive than walmart.
On wages: Its all retail jobs. I worked them,not the best, but good for getting like 10% off things. Old Navy gives a higher percentage off for their employees. Worked at McDonalds too, knowing how they run things, not a good place to eat at, but they give money to charity.
Maybe I missed the point that was supposed to be in this thread. Wages are different in each state. |
| MBurns |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 11:50:47 AM
I have a step daughter and son that work for W and they make barely liveable wages and work long hours. They do have benefits but not great. They need to pay people a livable wage. |
| little feather |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 11:43:10 AM
There was an article in the paper this morning about a new Wally World opening in Oakland. There are already some 11K applications placed!
My fear is that this country is moving more and more towards the "fast food" way of life. Cheap to buy- wears out fast. Stores like W- provide cheap goods (if you can call it that) that won't last so you come back to buy more! Wouldn't it make more since to spend a few dollars more on quality? But, that takes common sense which is seen less and less in the world these days.
What about the "McDonalds" of the country. I bring that up because I've heard that most of the Wally worlds have a Mc D's in them. It's the exact same concept. Except here your dealing with your body wearing out! Then of course the doctors get to line their pockets.
It's all a vicious cycle.
I see all these people like sheep- just following the evil lead into destruction. Of themselves and of our wonderful Country!
It's SO SAD to me! You just want to scream to the world "Wake Up! Don't you see what they are doing?"
Where ever you go, go with all your heart!
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| Whimsy_girl |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 10:29:52 AM
My folks run a mom and pop business and they hate W I don't support them either, we usually go to Fred Meyers if we have to go to a big store. You should here my mom once she gets going about them.
I guess they now have some sort of thing going where if they decide that they could make enough money by doing so they can force people off their private property just like the government can in order to build a new store or parking lot.
The only good thing I have to say about W. is that if you are in a moter home they will let you park in their lighted parking lots all night long and not bother you... (but parking there doesn't mean you have to buy anything form them.)
B.
you can be oh so smart, or you can be oh so positive. I wasted a lot of time being smart I prefer being positive. |
| lurban |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 08:29:23 AM
Just want to thank you two for responding more eloquently than I could have on what I think is one of the greatest threats to American life.
How you spend your money is just as important as how you vote (or maybe more important, given how many campaigns are financed by big corporations). |
| greyghost |
Posted - Aug 17 2005 : 06:42:54 AM
I have no problems with Target. I have gotten many items from them that were made in the USA, Phillippines, India, etc. I've reached a point where I will definitely buy if it's made in the USA, but as long as it wasn't made in CHINA I'll buy it. I also feel their items are of much higher quality. I got some really nice fall napkins made in India last year, and I love them. One of my few splurges. :)
Since moving here the closest Target to me is an hour away! I and some new friends make a trip out to Chattanooga every so often so we can go.
Wally World, to me, is another element that could contribute to our economy crushing down. In N. GA, we have had several textile plants close. Trion was the largest maker of denim - still is a large one but, as I said, many plants have closed. Fabric can be bought at W for $1/yard... but it won't last long under normal wear and tear conditions. Where did all of those thousands of people laid off go? Well, a number of them couldn't find work and moved to another town, sold their homes, got foreclosed on, etc. Trion is a ghost town. You can get a 5BR 3BA Victorian there for 55K now, folks are so desperate to sell. Those who did stay now work for W. No other jobs anymore, so many of the Mom and Pops died once W showed up.
Anybody familiar with Pinky and the Brain? Pinky always asks "What're we gonna do tonight, Brain?" and Brain answers with "Try and take over the WORLD." Can't you see Brain in a Wally-World vest? LOL |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 16 2005 : 11:02:39 PM
Maybe I am just brain washed but I really don't see how Wal-Mart is all that evil.... I understand that in some aspects it can cause the Mom and Pop stores to go out of buisness, but being a starving college kid on a tight budget, I need to shop there to get the savings. As much as I would love to support a more local store- I just don't have the money to pay steep mark-up prices. Also it takes more gas to drive to all the little stores than it does to go to Wal-Mart. And I can't think of any non-chain stores in the area that sell linens, bath and body stuff, or affordable laundry and cleaning supplies. For craft type stuff I usually go to JoAnns of Micheals, but they are also chains so I would suppose they are not much better.
On the up side, they do keep prices low and affordable and then employ a lot of people and in a college town like Moscow they help a lot of people get by where it would be even more difficult elsewhere.
Ciao
Alee |
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