Is WalMart killing America

[henderson]

Originally Posted by wildtoad

$6,000 to charity? Well that might be news to their charitable foundation. And a much lower amount than in 2005. There may be many reasons for not wanting to shop at walmart but I don't think their lack of charity is one of them. There have been a few bad apples in walmart management at the local levels in regards to overtime and terminations for union activities (the latter a practice I have no issue with) . But on the whole the company pays a fair wage for the jobs being performed, does provide health insurance and is well managed. JMO.


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Walton Family Ranks 37th In Charitable Giving » Making Change at Walmart

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If all you say is true then why are so many Walmart workers on food stamps and medicaid?

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by henderson

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If all you say is true then why are so many Walmart workers on food stamps and medicaid?

As a member of iRV2 and not an admin is your question based upon conjecture or do you have a link or two to support your claim?

[BCooke]

I think some information is missing here.

Minimum wage is $7.25 so at 2080 hours that is $15080 (below poverty for family of 3 or more).
"Those receiving benefits from what’s officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program totaled 46.7 million in June 2012."
According to salaryexplorer the average monthly salaries are
Cashier 1,600 USD per month = 19200 per year (poverty for family of 4) ($9.23)
Retail Store Sales Person 2,048 USD per month = 24576 per year (at least that is family of 5) ($11.81)
Wal-Mart average 20744 so a little better than the cashier but less than store sales. ($9.97)

I never really hear all of these people who are outraged express any outrage for the military salaries.
So up to E-3 will never make a retail sales persons salary, an E-4 needs 2 years. An E-2 will never make a cashiers salary. These young people are generally the family bread earners.
" a benefits consulting company called BeneStream.com, which studied the issue in 2009, estimated then that 130,000 service members actually would be eligible for the help."
FYI: Sept 2011 1,468,364 armed service personnel.
Military salary comparisons are assuming 2080 hours per year. That happens right.

[wildtoad]

Originally Posted by henderson

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If all you say is true then why are so many Walmart workers on food stamps and medicaid?

Part of my point is that Walmart and many other companies pay a fair wage for the type of job being performed. Does Walmart pay a "Living Wage" (whatever that is)? I don't know. Do some in this country need to work more than one job to make ends meet? Sure. Not every job in this country can pay what it costs to live for a single person or family of four. Life has always been a struggle and will always be for some, for others not so much. It does not make Walmart or Target or ... a bad company of a bad place to work.

When I first started out writing computer code in '73 after a two year degree I still needed a roommate to help pay the bills.

Tom

[Ann n Gene]

Well, I usually stay out of these discussions but just could not resist here. Do not know much about walmart BUT I do KNOW that their truck drivers are among the highest paid truck drivers in the country. I personally know several of them and they tell me they have worked for several large trucking companies and Walmart is by far the best paying and best outfit to work for. They have a great service program for the trucks and keep them in top shape, trade them fairly often and treat drivers great. All just what I have been told by Walmart truck drivers.

[Possum]

But why would Walmart truck drivers not know the truth like a bunch on here?

I sometimes wonder why we think $20.00 and hour is a fair wage? I have a couple of young friends here who work for Walmart. They both love the new standard of living their jobs are providing. There are too many people who have overextended themselves financially that both husband and wife need to have two jobs just to service their debt and attempt to make ends meet.

[Theluckys]

Originally Posted by Possum

But why would Walmart truck drivers not know the truth like a bunch on here?

I sometimes wonder why we think $20.00 and hour is a fair wage? I have a couple of young friends here who work for Walmart. They both love the new standard of living their jobs are providing. There are too many people who have overextended themselves financially that both husband and wife need to have two jobs just to service their debt and attempt to make ends meet.

I agree with you on this point. Many, many other countries in the WORLD have no minimum wage. If a person stands at a checkout stand and scan bar codes for 8 hours a day do you really think they are entitled to anything other than minimum wage? I don't - especially when a lot of businesses are attempting to make people switch to a self-checkout position and eliminating their position.

It is my personal opinion that too many people in the US have an entitlement attitude. Combine that with a keeping up with the 'Jones' syndrome and many people are working paycheck to paycheck just to make payments on their cars, cell phones, housing, etc., Meanwhile they don't realize that many of those services they are paying for are not necessary. (cell phones, cable TV, new cars, designer clothing, etc.,)

Businesses are in business for one purpose - to make money for their owners - PERIOD. Some have many chairatable arms, some treat their workers like family, some are good community members and others are not.

Again I believe that ANY business that doesn't harm the environment, produces useful goods and products is a good thing. Wal-Mart just happens to be very good at what they do (ruthless comes to mind)[moderator edit]

[BCooke]

[moderator edit]
I find that hard to believe. The contention of a living wage, from what I can tell, is that a person stocking shelves (did it when I started working) should make as much as someone that is performing technical repair. Because that way they do not have to, what I would call, better themselves if they do not want to. But it is evident that I do not truly understand, I guess.
Where is talk like a pirate day is suppose to have started after someone hurt them self and made fun of the issue, I can see where the living wage people may have an issue with making fun of an injury.

[gasman28110]

I know many many people that work at WalMart and are happy to have the job, ANY job. As far as WalMart putting Mom and Pop stores out of buisness, it was not WalMart, it was/is the patrons who put these folks out of buisness.

[Theluckys]

Originally Posted by BCooke

[moderator edit]
I find that hard to believe. The contention of a living wage, from what I can tell, is that a person stocking shelves (did it when I started working) should make as much as someone that is performing technical repair. Because that way they do not have to, what I would call, better themselves if they do not want to. But it is evident that I do not truly understand, I guess.
Where is talk like a pirate day is suppose to have started after someone hurt them self and made fun of the issue, I can see where the living wage people may have an issue with making fun of an injury.

Well we'll have to agree to disagree, a stock clerk should NOT be making the same wage as a person who is a technical repairperson.

The more experience, training, skills a person has should be reflected in their pay - unless you're an actor .

[moderator edit]

[henderson]

Lots of moderator edits out there so we need to stay on point and not personalize our posts, that said what is a living wage? Different things to different folks. My definition is to supply the necessities of life, food, shelter, clothes and healthcare. Not the high end of any of these just ample for survival. Can you do this on minimum wage? Maybe in some places but not in most, work a second job, sure if you can find one, but another full time job means working 16 hours a day with out commute time thrown in. That isn't living that's surviving. Might as well be working in a Chinese sweat shop 16 hours a day at least you live and eat right there. Back in the early twentieth century Americans died fighting the robber barons to end children working, the 40 hour work week and a decent wage. Now we have the big corporations trying to end unionization, they are spending hundreds of millions of dollars doing this, why, think this won't benifit you and me? Doubt it , food for thought

[MRBB]

I don't know about everyone who thinks $20 an hr is over paid because at the end of the week you would bring home around $600. I made that in the 70's selling cars.

Have any of you gone food shopping lately? My wife went yesterday and spent $324 which is for just 2 people for 2 weeks. A family of 4 would need at least double if they have older kids who love to eat not to mention cloths, books, computers etc. that they need for school. Prices have gone though the roof on everything but wages haven't caught up.

I honestly don't know how a young family today can make it even with both parents working. I guess Wal-Mart is a saving grace for them but it's a high price to pay for the end result.

As Mr. Henderson said "we are now just working for the robber barons" and our kids and grand kids are just surviving not living.

Years ago the profit from goods was reaped by small business owners who could then give back to the employees and the community. Today it goes straight to the corporations and government and the small businessman can't survive never mind provide a decent wage.

We can all "talk" about high tech" jobs but let's face it not every kid can do it. What do they do? My niece has a masters in business and is now working at McDonald as a manager just so they can eat. Her husband is working the family business and has laid off all but a few employees. If a masters gets you a job at McDonald's then what will a high school grad. get?

[gray ghost]

$20 an hour, figuring 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is $41600. I know people who are doing OK on less than that. If someone was making that in the 70s they were doing real well (I was an E5 in 1975 making $5911.20).

IMHO "living wage" is like a blob of jelly. The amount of money it takes for someone to live is dependent on so many factors that it can't be nailed down as a particular figure. Many of those factors depend upon the personal decisions made by the individual.

If I feel strongly enough that new employees should be paid more than $20 an hour I have the freedom to open a business and implement those salary policies. But until I do so, it is wrong for me to criticize someone else's salary policies without knowing all the details of their business (which I won't unless I sit on their board of directors).

[Paul & Sandy]

Ever notice how the busiest area in a Wal-Mart is often their return counter? That's because a lot of what the sell is junk. They used to proudly claim Made In the USA. Now they 'roll back' prices on seconds from off shore ... and we keep buying the crap.