Dennis does make a very valid point. Ask the community what they think. I would agree that with few exceptions you will find shoppers pleased with their experience. Remember in many Walmart locations it is the only game in town. Obviously, you are going to get more positive responses from these folks.
However, if you provided them some of the facts Emily and Rene posted recently I think they would have to reconsider their responses. Especially, if they understood the community cost of Walmart's presence. That is the cost to taxpayers, non-profits, emergency health care and their own employees. Everyone would like a bargain. That is why, when the old Dayton Hudson corp existed, I would browse Daytons in DT St. Paul. If I found something I wanted that was likely carried in Target, I would go to Target to price compare before I bought it. With this said, we need to acknowledge that the wage rates of most department stores and those who occupy spots in your favorite mall are similar to Walmart. The difference is how they treat employees. The issue gets back to corporate culture. Mike Fratto Payne Phalen >>> "Dennis Tester" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 12/30/2004 7:49:00 PM >>> Wal-Mart script excerptDear Ms. Dickinson: I saw that Frontline crockumentary on Wal-Mart and I actually thought it was pretty even-handed for Frontline. I also took the time to watch your clip. Look, like I said before, I frankly couldn't care less whether Wal-Mart lives or dies because as a consumer I don't patronize them and as a business person I don't compete with them. But it seems to me that the true test of Wal-Mart's value to "the community" would be to ask those people ... its customers and employees, what THEY think about Wal-Mart. Because if they are happy with the company's dealings with them, then that should be all that matters. Go ahead. Stand outside and interview their exiting shoppers and their employees getting off work and ask them what they think. If the customers complain, encourage them to shop elsewhere. If the employees tell tales of woe, encourage them to quit. Let the market decide. Now if a person would have a political agenda that including removing Wal-Mart from the landscape, then it seems to me that this person is placing their philosophical desires ahead of the people, poor people mostly, who rely on Wal-Mart for a job or for affordable commodities. So ask yourself this: If we woke up tomorrow and Wal-Mart magically no longer existed, who would be hurt most? Who would notice most? Rich people or poor people? Who's side are you on? But on the other hand, I suppose I should think it's wonderful that we have people of such superior wisdom and compassion that they devote their entire lives endeavoring to protect us from ourselves. Whether we like it or not. Dennis Tester Mac-Groveland ----- Original Message ----- From: Elizabeth Dickinson To: Dennis Tester Cc: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:30 PM Subject: Wal-Mart script excerpt Dear Mr. Tester, I read your email post with interest. I'm enclosing an excerpt of my script. Should you wish to view my background information, I have an enormous backlog of articles, studies, etc. which I would be more than happy to share with you. (Just say the word--I have a couple dozen email articles in my drafts folder already addressed to you! :) Frontline has also created a documentary on Wal-Mart--many economists who have studied them feel that they actually prey upon the most economically vulnerable. I also recommend "Nickled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich--she chronicles what happened to her while she was working at a Wal-Mart. Finally, I do shop at many discount shops to stretch my dollars---just not Wal-Mart. Is that luxury? Feeling "testered", Elizabeth Dickinson West Side Wal-Mart is the most sued corporation in America. It has been charged with racketeering, mail fraud, wire fraud, racial and sexual discrimination, refusing to pay workers compensation/social security, refusing employees rest and meal breaks, locking employees in overnight off the clock, preventing officials from enforcing wage and immigration laws and cheating immigrant janitors out of wages. But the list doesn�t stop there. In Walmart�s own internal audit, it reveals that there were 1371 child labor law violations in one week at 25,000 Walmart stores. Some of the worst abuses occurred when a diabetic cashier unable to break for a meal fainted, and cashiers prevented from taking a break urinated on themselves. A former federal labor department head calls the sheer volume of these violations �a source of great concern.� So when a Wal-Mart store announced plans to move into an old K-Mart site in St. Paul, Minnesota, citizens and labor groups were alarmed. A group called the Midway Citizen Consumer Community Coalition or MC4 started organizing Bernie Hess-- �With Walmart moving in, we felt there was a need to so some basic organizing in the community to pull together labor unions, people who live in the community, small business owners, faith based communities, show we have expectations. We want them to come in on our terms and be responsible. v.o. Some people believe that low wages are inevitable, that a big employer has to pay lower wages in order to be able to offer lower prices. Chris Conry an organizer from the Food and Commercial workers disagrees. In fact, taxpayers are often unknowingly subsidizing the low wages. Walmart has been known to encourage its employees to supplement their wages by applying for various forms of public assistance. There are a lot of myths about Walmart. Fact: Only 1% of Walmart goods have the lowest prices. According to studies conducted by universities in Iowa, Vermont and Arkansas, only about 1% of the the 75,000 products Walmart carries have the lowest prices. graphics �Only 1% of Walmart products are at lowest price� You might also think Walmart generates tax revenue for the community. But many cities have discovered that Walmart uses more tax money than it generates. The increased cost of roads, water and sewage, often exceeds the sales and property tax revenues generated by the new Walmarts. Fact: Cost to taxpayers for roads, water, sewage is more than Walmart�s payment of sales and property taxes. Even some Business Week magazine economists believe Wal-Mart�s entry into a community doesn�t result in any net increase in jobs and tax revenue Often small businesses who can�t compete with the prices leave. And its not just small businesses who can�t compete. Over the last ten years, over 25 chains have been forced into bankruptcy by Walmart. Walmart also tends to detroy local higher paying jobs paid by similar employers who feel forced to cut their wages to compete. This is called � a race to the bottom�. Furthermore, when you shop at Walmart, most of the money will leave the state. If you shop at a local business, that local business will spend three times as much in the community as Walmart. Money which stays in state enriches the state. Graphics Fact: Local businesses spend three times more in the community than Walmart does. Finally, all those Walmart ads may be having you thinking that Walmart gives a lot to the community in donations and charities. Local businesses donate four times as much to charity as Walmart does relative to overall sales. If a Walmart is coming to your community, what can you do about it? If you believe Walmart engages in unfair business practices, you don�t have to shop there. If you want to share your concerns with a customer representative, call Walmart at 1-800-Walmart. If you want to find out what Walmart employees and other communities are doing to organize against Walmart, check out www.walmartyrs.com Anybody working a full-time job deserves to be able to afford the basics-- food, shelter and health care. Wal-Mart�s wages don�t even begin to make that possible for most of their associates. When you shop at Walmart, you may save a little money now, but it�s guaranteed everybody will pay more later. What kind of bargain is that? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. 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