More Shopping News
It's just a retail-themed evening! After I waxed on rhapsodically about Macy's, I visited MediaBistro and scrolled through some of the current events posts. There is this woman who posts on there from time to time, and apparently, she has a real axe to grind with Wal-Mart. She is not a very good writer, but she has posted some very interesting links about Wal-Mart's practices, so I thought I would post her blog link and let you all know that I think Wal-Mart is a retailer to be avoided at all costs. Granted, not everyone can afford to shop at my beloved Macy's, but Wal-Mart is good for no one.
Here's her blog. Ignore her sometimes-incomprehensible ramblings and instead click on some of the news links she's provided:
http://thewalmartwaynotsamsway.blogspot.com/
This article from Fast Company is also worth reading:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html
And here's a link about Wal-Mart's policy of locking in its workers overnight. (It's just an abstract...if you want the whole thing, you'll have to buy it from the New York Times archives.)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F4091FFF3C5D0C7B8DDDA80894DC404482
Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America also has a good chapter about the author's experience working at Wal-Mart. Check it out at www.nickelanddimed.net.
Anyway, I'm sure some of you are thinking that there's nothing wrong with Wal-Mart. After all, it has good prices. And hey, I love a good deal as much as the next person. But I have problems shopping at a store that discriminates against women, offers appallingly low wages and nearly non-existent benefits (full-time workers are eligible after six months, part-timers after two years, but employees are expected to shoulder so much of the burden that it is still unaffordable for most), exploits Third-World laborers, ships jobs overseas and is generally a blight in the community. That's just me, though. I'd rather pay more for my cleaning supplies and household goods than support such a ruthless entity. And although at times I regret choosing to live in a county where the median home price is $900,000 (home ownership is an elusive dream), at least I know there will never be a Wal-Mart here.
So there you go. That's my political activism for the day. Don't shop at Wal-Mart. Because as much as Wal-Mart tries to wrap itself up in a pretty patriotic flag, it's really bad for America and our economy. And if you do shop at Wal-Mart, I don't want to hear about it. Try shopping at Target instead.
Here's her blog. Ignore her sometimes-incomprehensible ramblings and instead click on some of the news links she's provided:
http://thewalmartwaynotsamsway.blogspot.com/
This article from Fast Company is also worth reading:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html
And here's a link about Wal-Mart's policy of locking in its workers overnight. (It's just an abstract...if you want the whole thing, you'll have to buy it from the New York Times archives.)
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F4091FFF3C5D0C7B8DDDA80894DC404482
Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America also has a good chapter about the author's experience working at Wal-Mart. Check it out at www.nickelanddimed.net.
Anyway, I'm sure some of you are thinking that there's nothing wrong with Wal-Mart. After all, it has good prices. And hey, I love a good deal as much as the next person. But I have problems shopping at a store that discriminates against women, offers appallingly low wages and nearly non-existent benefits (full-time workers are eligible after six months, part-timers after two years, but employees are expected to shoulder so much of the burden that it is still unaffordable for most), exploits Third-World laborers, ships jobs overseas and is generally a blight in the community. That's just me, though. I'd rather pay more for my cleaning supplies and household goods than support such a ruthless entity. And although at times I regret choosing to live in a county where the median home price is $900,000 (home ownership is an elusive dream), at least I know there will never be a Wal-Mart here.
So there you go. That's my political activism for the day. Don't shop at Wal-Mart. Because as much as Wal-Mart tries to wrap itself up in a pretty patriotic flag, it's really bad for America and our economy. And if you do shop at Wal-Mart, I don't want to hear about it. Try shopping at Target instead.
posted by Astera @ 8:27 PM
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