Is it just me or has Wal-Mart lost it?

[EricM]

Yes Danny, you CAN have both. In fact, the two often go together. Re-read your first two sentences. It is not one OR the other.

Define for us exactly what you have decided is a living wage. Dollars and cents so we all know what we are talking about. I want to know how much you think an employer owes its employees. Dollars and cents. You might add what benefits they owe too.

And at what point - exactly - does a corporation become "highly profitable"? Dollars and cents. Do partnerships and sole propriators get classified the same as corporations by you? They are NOT, you know. But they are still there to earn a return on their investment and risk, so some of them may be "highly profitable" too.

It also appears that you do not object to subsidizing the workers of less profitable corporations. How much less profitable?

And the only reason you are subsidizing those workers is because you believe in and have voted for candidates who wish to create all of these safety net programs that you are tired of paying into.

Now define that "living wage". Dollars and cents. I want to know exactly how much you believe that is. Not some mysterious sum that changes day to day or from person to person. Tell me how much Wal-Mart is supposed to pay their cashiers and buggy collectors and stockers. Dollars and cents (and benefits).

 

[jbh3]

Folks I just don't believe that part time employment at Walmart, or Mac D's, etc.. was ever intended to be a "career". The skill set required doesn't warrant paying big $$, in my opinion. These types of jobs are useful to gain work experience, and as a source of income while pursuing the education/training required for better paying positions.

 

[Jmax]

I wondered what you all thought about this. emoScratch I have to say that back in the 80's and 90's you could get a decent job working for Wal-Mart, with decent benefits and have a modest living. We also had a 401k program that was called Profit Sharing that many folks at Wal-Mart in all levels became fairly wealthy at. I had a couple millionaire cashiers and one stockman, no joke, millionaire pushing carts. But the profit sharing program died along with many of the other benefits. The wages stayed about the same and cost of living expense went up a bunch.

Today wages are as tight as ever and hours were cut with the home office pushing to hire part timers onto the managers. I know, I was there and was one of them getting bashed for not doing it. emoBang I never agreed with that program and still don't. You want dedicated workers, give them a decent pay to match the cost of living and more hours. Not do a food drive so they have food for the Holiday. emoTskTsk Eric, I would say $9.00 to $10.00 an hour starting with at least a 70% to 30% full time/part time mix. Then again, I was preaching that at the time I left and I was not popular with the upper management people. (Jmax emoEnforce Corporate) On the flip side of all this Wal-Mart is struggling seeing high Union activity and getting it from all sides. I think they went too far. That is one reason they have that instant raise and instant promotion program going on right now. In short it is damage control.

What they have done is the reason for folks like Publics and Target doing so well. It is hard to believe that less then 20?25 years ago Wal-Mart was ranked by Forbes as the best employer in the country by the employees who work for them. Let me say that again, Number 1, the best employer of the country ranked by the folks who worked for them in a Forbes poll. They are so low now they are not even listed anymore. I guess because I saw this happening from the inside out it bothers me more then most. I have said for about 15 years they could do so much better for their people. I really do think if Sam was still around it would still be happening well for the employees but that way of thinking I believe as far as Wal-Mart is concerned died with him. emoGeezer Jmax

(O.K., I'm stepping down off my soap box now.)

 

[churly]

To the people who are mad that walmart dont pay them enough-go get a better job!

The rest of us have realized that success and happiness looks alot like hard work!

 

[SpurHunter]

The guberment telling any private company what they will pay their employees, and how much profit they can make is socialism. Welcome to Amerika.

 

[Carl Guffey]

churly - 11/19/2013 3:49 PM To the people who are mad that walmart dont pay them enough-go get a better job! The rest of us have realized that success and happiness looks alot like hard work!

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">There is another side to this. If you don't like how Walmart treats their employees quit shopping there!</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Georgia">Trouble is no body is going to quit.emoBang Everytime you walk through the door, you are supporting managment.</font></p>

 

[2jigs]

Carl Guffey - 11/19/2013 4:30 PM

churly - 11/19/2013 3:49 PM To the people who are mad that walmart dont pay them enough-go get a better job! The rest of us have realized that success and happiness looks alot like hard work!

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">There is another side to this. If you don't like how Walmart treats their employees quit shopping there!</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Georgia">Trouble is no body is going to quit.emoBang Everytime you walk through the door, you are supporting managment.</font></p>

</p>

How about if you go in through the garden section?</p>

 

[Carl Guffey]

2jigs - 11/19/2013 5:27 PM

Carl Guffey - 11/19/2013 4:30 PM

churly - 11/19/2013 3:49 PM To the people who are mad that walmart dont pay them enough-go get a better job! The rest of us have realized that success and happiness looks alot like hard work!

</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">There is another side to this. If you don't like how Walmart treats their employees quit shopping there!</font></p>

<font size="3" face="Georgia">Trouble is no body is going to quit.emoBang Everytime you walk through the door, you are supporting managment.</font></p>

</p>

How about if you go in through the garden section?</p>

<font size="3" face="georgia,palatino">They have a garden section?</font></p>

 

[Jmax]

I agree with you Carl. Many others do as well and it shows. That is why Publics and Target are doing better as a percent to sales. Wal-Mart is still the huge guy on the block but at one time they use to say that about K-Mart and now look at them. I still shop Wal-Mart, I even get a life time discount from them for years of service and retiring from them. emoRedface That goes back to each person trying to get the best deal for themselves. Then again, I still have hundreds of folks who I personally hired that still work for them and my heart is with them trying to make a decent living doing it. There are a couple stores I helped open that they get all excited and announce over the speaker that I am there any time I go visit. emoRolleyes That does make a person feel good and seem appreciated.

Inside deep I guess I still love Wal-Mart but that part might be more on the past and not the present. I wished Wal-Mart would take the lead again on taking care of their people. But I can hear it now however, "We are so big we just cannot afford to do what we use to do. We have over a million employees." I was told that many times before I left. :emoticon: Jmax

 

[outcaster]

Again Eric , I have to disagree with you. This is much different than a person to person business transaction. It's a simple matter of cause and effect. Low wages paid to workers causes them to have to depend on the taxpayers to make up the difference. It makes me angry when a huge company CAN but WON'T pay their workers a living wage. Especially with profits over 15 billion. However I do believe the federal govt should set a minimum wage, but not a "living wage". That wage varies by the economics of that specific geographical location. Local municipalities should be setting living wage requirements for large companies wanting to do business and reap profits. In just about all cases these companies are getting tax deals and infrastructure deals anyway. The very least they should be expected to do in return is pay a living wage.

I've heard some say on here that it they don't like the crappy treatment and low wages they should just quit and get a better job. That's not as easy as it sounds, especially in tough economic times. Sure some can do it but not all can. We all can't be rich. This society NEEDS unskilled labor for our economy to work. We NEED cashiers, clerks, stock boys, dishwashers and line cooks, to name a few. All of these people work hard and should be able to afford their own food, housing and healthcare, while the company they work for gets filthy skinkin rich. I have no problem with an individual or company getting rich. I do have a problem with them getting rich by them shifting the burden of supporting their employees to me via govt programs.

As for being "Walmart free", it can be done. We bought a freezer off craigslist for $75. We make a monthly trip to COSTCO. Btw, costco workers make an average of $5 more per hour than their counterparts at Sam's, and have great health insurance, while kicking sam's butt in store profits. We only shop a publix and bilo for a very few items.

 

[Jmax]

Outcaster, you just proved my point with your follow up. emoThumbsup Why can Target, Publics and Cosco do that, because they put the employee in higher standings then the average employee of a Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart left the door wife open for competitors like those three to step in and do it better. It did not have to happen, it was allowed to happen because Wal-Mart turned a blind eye to those competitors, probably thought they were too small to worry about and now look. When a Publics opens up just less then a mile from a Wal-Mart that just proves they think they can do it better. It is a cycle of sorts. In my life time I remember Sears being the big dog as a kid and K-Mart being the new kid on the block. Sears turned a blind eye to K-Mart and they became the big kid on the block. Then Wal-Mart came along and K-Mart turned a blind eye to them and Wal-Mart got the big spot. I know Wal-Mart is so huge that they have and will hold that spot for a long time but folks like Publics, Target and Cosco are just waiting them out. If they continue to go in the direction they have taken on their people and customers it is only a matter of time. emoGeezer Jmax

 

[Oldman]

and the sooner the better.

 

[Buoy-Master]

Right on Larry.

Off subject here but one day Diane and I went in through the garden area as we always do. Same old man standing there...same look on his face...doesn't ever say anything. So in the mood I was in that day I stopped and turned to him (picture Diane pulling my arm telling me NO..she knew what was about to happen) I said to the guy "Ya know, all you have to do to get paid is say Hello" "If you cant do that piss on ya and welcome to Walmart" To this day if he sees me walking in, he leaves the area.

Seriously, Going there is too convenient and if I really need something they NEVER have it. I need to get on board with banning that place out of my life. Foodsaver bags...really?!?!? And why in the hell are they building yet another one by the entrance of Chesterfrost. Hixson to Soddy is 7 miles!!!

 

[EricM]

Here is some info, borrowed from foodsaver on the forum:

Not sure how exactly to compare the two, they are sure different models, but what I do see is that Wal-Mart giving a raise to each employee of $3-$5 per hour would pretty much wipe out the entire profit margin and therefore Wal-Mart would have absolutely no reason to exist, nor would any other company under those circumstances.

3-1/2% profit margin? How many of you are willing to risk losing EVERYTHING you and your family have - home, savings, and car (maybe $100,000 total equity for many of us) - to hope for a profit of $3,500 per YEAR?

 

[Fishin Fool]

The SIX Waltons have a net worth of 144.7 BILLION dollars. That is net WORTH, not the profit they continue to run up yearly and put in the bank. I seriously doubt a 1 percent drop in the bottom line is going to kill them.

 

[elwestb]

If I remember correctly, if Walmart were a country they would be the 5th or 6th largest economy in the world. Yet they see and feel the need to hold a food drive for their own employees!?

 

[EricM]

True, Terry. And they own about half of the Wal-Mart stock. I wish I were one of them. And no, I'm quite sure that it wouldn't kill them.

What exactly is your point? That to in order to spite a few people who have been fortunate to have become wealthy, you want to end the 3-1/2% profits that the OTHER half of the Wal-Mart stock investors are hoping to use to supplement their incomes and retirements? You do realize that it is a publicly held company and that the stockholders, big and small, actually own it? You and I might, if we happen to have mutual funds or other investments, without ever knowing it.

What ever happened to free will and self-determination? Seems I remember something about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not a guarantee that anyone would have to keep me in a certain lifestyle, whether by dictating to an employer or by government hand-out.

 

[EricM]

"Local municipalities should be setting living wage requirements for large companies"

Holy crap Danny, did you really say that???

Now you want government to set wages???

You folks have no idea of how much this kind of thinking scares me. Where did America go? Where did hope go?

 

[outcaster]

The Federal gov't already sets a minimum wage. Yes.... local gov'ts should require large companies to pay a minimum "living wage" for it's workers based on cost of living in that area. This won't be a problem for business' that "do right" by their workers. Eric, I can't believe you seem to not have a problem subsidizing food, housing, and healthcare for Walmart's workers.

 

[Fishin Fool]

Eric I agree with you on most things. My point with Walmart is this; how much is too much? I agree with you that we should all have the freedom to make as much money and be as successful as possible. Having said that, what has happened to MORALS? Actually doing the right thing, not the thing that makes you a billion richer or 10 billion richer? With great reward and blessings comes great responsibility, something that Sam Walton knew a great deal about. I suspect he would not claim the 6 vultures that run the company now. Remember how Sam insisted that it be made in the USA? He thought about the workers, all of them, even the ones that didn't work for Walmart. The thing that scares me most today is run away government that does't respect basic rights, and big business that has no other interest than making a killing on the back of the workers. Morality is a thing of the past now, as evidenced by companies like Walmart. Treat others like you want to treated. That idea is long gone isn't it?