Workers unite against Walmart

[Bejvas]

The world of Wal-Mart, what's next? you guess...

[grammafreddy]

As an aside...I am staying in Merritt for a bit. I remember coming to the downtown core years ago, and it was a bustling welcoming lived in place. Enter, Walmart...the locals could not compete and one by one many of the stores that brought life to the downtown core are gone and instead there are many closed businesses and Saturday mornings it seems like a ghost town.

I remember a documentary on tv years ago, when Walmart first arrived in Canada, that said exactly this happens. Towns "within 30 miles" of Walmart became ghost towns. Almost 20 years is proving this to be true.

Yup - I do agree with you both. I said exactly the same thing when WalMart first came to the small US town that was closest to where I was living at that time in Canada. The Canadians flocked down there and I was one of them who, once in a while, did go there to "shop" - more out of curiosity than anything else. I seldom spent much at WalMart but there was a really nice fabric store there that I liked to get unique fabrics and trims at (I was a seamstress and a period costumer at that time). That downtown did die and local stores that had been there for a century closed their doors.

WalMart in the US at that time was full of signage that supported American companies. "Buy American" was big with them then. The signs all had big American flags on them and promoted individual American manufacturing companies that made their products and sold them to WalMart so we could buy them in the WalMart stores. Over time that all changed and now very little is North American made. But did WalMart do that or did the collective "we" do that? Did we demand lower prices? Did we flock there for the bargains? Did we stop shopping at the local stores in favour of WalMart? Yup, we did and yup, we are partly to blame. That was before all this hoopla about low wages, etc. Did other retailers follow WalMart's lead and go outside of North America to purchase their foreign-made goods? Yup. They did that because WE decided we wanted those products. WE - the shoppers and the spenders of money - that keeps those kinds of practices going. WE helped to create this nightmare of no manufacturing jobs - everything from soup to nuts and including the kitchen sink and the pipes to install it. WE said (with our money) that we wanted cheaper products and we made all those Canadian and American manufacturing industries go looking for cheaper ways to make their products so that we would buy them at the big box stores and fast food places. WE are responsible for the low-wage jobs, too - because keeping prices low for us also meant keeping overhead and staff costs low.

IF everybody stopped shopping at these kinds of discount stores, they would go belly up. Alternately, they would change and supply what it was we demanded of them.

Without the power of our money, they are nothing.

It is WE who made them what they are today.

[kompili]

When we buy stuff made by people working for slave labor wages in China, we destroy good paying jobs here in North America. We also need to make WalMart pay tariffs for the foreign made products that they bring into this country

[Fancy]

Aren't there duties and tariffs applied now?

[grammafreddy]

When we buy stuff made by people working for slave labor wages in China, we destroy good paying jobs here in North America. We also need to make WalMart pay tariffs for the foreign made products that they bring into this country

Just WalMart? What about every other retailer in Canada? Even mom and pop places sell goods made in China and India and the Philippines and Thailand and ...

[kompili]

When we buy stuff made by people working for slave labor wages in China, we destroy good paying jobs here in North America. We also need to make WalMart pay tariffs for the foreign made products that they bring into this country

Just WalMart? What about every other retailer in Canada? Even mom and pop places sell goods made in China and India and the Philippines and Thailand and ...

No, I agree all companies must be held responsible, but this is a thread about walmart.

[grammafreddy]

When we buy stuff made by people working for slave labor wages in China, we destroy good paying jobs here in North America. We also need to make WalMart pay tariffs for the foreign made products that they bring into this country

So you support paying higher prices in WalMart? How will that help? WalMart is where poor folks go to buy what they need/want. If prices go up to cover these "tariffs for the foreign made products that they bring into this country", where will the poor folks shop then?

[kompili]

There is no turning back, it is to late, walmart has cornered the market, and destroyed all the north american jobs. We have to live with it, and soon be like china with slave labor jobs.

[Fancy]

Interesting article:

http://www.reform-america.net/immigration090709.html

[grammafreddy]

There is no turning back, it is to late, walmart has cornered the market, and destroyed all the north american jobs. We have to live with it, and soon be like china with slave labor jobs.

I don't believe that's true.

But I do believe it is up to "the people" to save themselves by demanding North American made products and food. How do we demand? By not buying anything but that whenever possible. By shopping for locally produced products and foods. By demanding more complete information on our labeling so we know the source of what's on the store shelves, not merely where it is packaged or processed. By growing and home canning/freezing more ourselves and not buying food out of season.

Will it be more work? Sure it will. Will it be inconvenient? Sure it will. Will it be worth it? That depends on how "worth it" Canadian jobs are to you.

Last week I bought a chocolate bar made in a small Canadian factory. It cost less than a "brand name" one for the same size. Yesterday I bought a box of chocolate covered cherries and they were made by a company in Indiana. Canadian and North American manufacturing jobs. My bacon comes from a local farmer who has his pork smoked in the Okanagan. More good stuff - about $30 for a whole slab rather than $4+ for less than a pound (375 gr) of fatty side bacon from the grocery store. So what if I have to slice the slab myself and repackage it in smaller portions and freeze it?

Totally off-topic ... sorry. Maybe I should start another thread about that.

[Smurf]

grammafreddy wrote:

Yup - I do agree with you both. I said exactly the same thing when WalMart first came to the small US town that was closest to where I was living at that time in Canada. The Canadians flocked down there and I was one of them who, once in a while, did go there to "shop" - more out of curiosity than anything else. I seldom spent much at WalMart but there was a really nice fabric store there that I liked to get unique fabrics and trims at (I was a seamstress and a period costumer at that time). That downtown did die and local stores that had been there for a century closed their doors.

WalMart in the US at that time was full of signage that supported American companies. "Buy American" was big with them then. The signs all had big American flags on them and promoted individual American manufacturing companies that made their products and sold them to WalMart so we could buy them in the WalMart stores. Over time that all changed and now very little is North American made. But did WalMart do that or did the collective "we" do that? Did we demand lower prices? Did we flock there for the bargains? Did we stop shopping at the local stores in favour of WalMart? Yup, we did and yup, we are partly to blame. That was before all this hoopla about low wages, etc. Did other retailers follow WalMart's lead and go outside of North America to purchase their foreign-made goods? Yup. They did that because WE decided we wanted those products. WE - the shoppers and the spenders of money - that keeps those kinds of practices going. WE helped to create this nightmare of no manufacturing jobs - everything from soup to nuts and including the kitchen sink and the pipes to install it. WE said (with our money) that we wanted cheaper products and we made all those Canadian and American manufacturing industries go looking for cheaper ways to make their products so that we would buy them at the big box stores and fast food places. WE are responsible for the low-wage jobs, too - because keeping prices low for us also meant keeping overhead and staff costs low.

IF everybody stopped shopping at these kinds of discount stores, they would go belly up. Alternately, they would change and supply what it was we demanded of them.

Without the power of our money, they are nothing.

It is WE who made them what they are today.

Good post gramma but do you realize you just contradicted yourself and agreed with what I have been saying all along in these threads. "It is WE who made them" is exactly why I have been saying it is not business that creates jobs but WE the consumer.


"IF everybody stopped shopping at these kinds of discount stores, they would go belly up. Alternately, they would change and supply what it was we demanded of them." This has been my theory all along. If we don't support them or can't support them they are nothing. They cannot create any jobs.

The biggest problem I see with Walmart and many others is that they have used the offshore cheap products not to cut costs as much as to make huge profits. They buy in such huge quantities that they pay little or nothing for products. Then they cut the price only as much as necessary to kill the competition. The rest goes into almost gross profits. If they actually cut the prices to what they should be based on cost and volume I believe things would me much cheaper. We have been/are being conditioned to believe that this is okay because they are creating jobs and paying investors. Much of this profit especially in the case of Walmart is goinjg to the hands of a few and will never really be seen again. Sure the Waltons spend money but no where near the amount that would be spent if it was in the hands of Americans. Sure Walmart provides jobs but low paid jobs, wages that are not really liveable. Sure if you want better you can go elsewhere but many of those other jobs are disappearing as everything goes off shore and many others are also becoming low paid. As much as we need these jobs to return we need wage high enough that "WE" can continue to make and support these store or they will be nothing.

But I do agree "WE" are at least partially to blame as no company Walmart included can provide low prices, create jobs or do anything without US/WE the consumer.

[GrooveTunes]

Good post gramma but do you realize you just contradicted yourself and agreed with what I have been saying all along in these threads. "It is WE who made them" is exactly why I have been saying it is not business that creates jobs but WE the consumer.


"IF everybody stopped shopping at these kinds of discount stores, they would go belly up. Alternately, they would change and supply what it was we demanded of them." This has been my theory all along. If we don't support them or can't support them they are nothing. They cannot create any jobs.

The biggest problem I see with Walmart and many others is that they have used the offshore cheap products not to cut costs as much as to make huge profits. They buy in such huge quantities that they pay little or nothing for products. Then they cut the price only as much as necessary to kill the competition. The rest goes into almost gross profits. If they actually cut the prices to what they should be based on cost and volume I believe things would me much cheaper. We have been/are being conditioned to believe that this is okay because they are creating jobs and paying investors. Much of this profit especially in the case of Walmart is goinjg to the hands of a few and will never really be seen again. Sure the Waltons spend money but no where near the amount that would be spent if it was in the hands of Americans. Sure Walmart provides jobs but low paid jobs, wages that are not really liveable. Sure if you want better you can go elsewhere but many of those other jobs are disappearing as everything goes off shore and many others are also becoming low paid. As much as we need these jobs to return we need wage high enough that "WE" can continue to make and support these store or they will be nothing.

But I do agree "WE" are at least partially to blame as no company Walmart included can provide low prices, create jobs or do anything without US/WE the consumer.
Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have of changing others.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything, they just make the most of everything that comes their way.

Much easier to just change the laws so Walmarts are not permitted to harass, fire workers, and close up shop simply because they don't want their workers to unionize. The rest will take care of itself.

[grammafreddy]

Much easier to just change the laws so Walmarts are not permitted to harass, fire workers, and close up shop simply because they don't want their workers to unionize. The rest will take care of itself.

What would be the result if " The rest will take care of itself." means WalMart closes all their stores worldwide? They could, you know. There is nothing stopping them from doing so.

[SurplusElect]

There is nothing stopping them from doing so.

Sure there is - greed.

You think the Waltons need MORE money? Nope - then why stay in business? Power and greed.

[grammafreddy]

There is nothing stopping them from doing so.

Sure there is - greed.

You think the Waltons need MORE money? Nope - then why stay in business? Power and greed.

IF they think they have enough "power and greed" and IF the government mandates they have to do business in a way that penalizes them (and especially only them), they very well could say, "Well, we have enough money and we don't need all these government hassles, so we are just gonna close up shop and retire."

What would be the repercussions of them doing that?