Where does one begin when creating a post about Wal-Mart? I guess I will start with questions that seemed to go unanswered and pose them to you my readers. When Mr. Walton opened the original store almost 75 years ago, his mission seemed simple enough. He wanted to sell more goods at a cheaper cost in order to drive sales in his store up. Seemed like a win win for all parties. Well, then again there is the exception of the employees that were paid pennies to work; were expected to work over time without pay and to do it all without complaining.
Employees worked there because they had no choice. Many employees o Wal-Mart are women trying to keep food on the plates of their family, a roof over their heads and heat in their homes. It is a gross injustice that this company has managed to repress people as long as it has because people feel as if there is no other alternative. They are not educated enough to get skilled labor jobs, they live in rural areas, they may not even know any better. How can a company not be forced to pay minimum wage? Isn't that what is meant for, to ensure that all people have at least an "even playing field" in the workforce?
Wal-Mart's company policy "if you want to take care of the customers you have to make sure you're taking care of the people in stores" is an absolute joke. The people are being treated as if they are second class citizens, not being paid fairly, not being able to make an honest living, not being able to support their families even if they are working forth hours per week, and to top if off they don't even have the ability to obtain health benefits due to the fact that hourly wages are so petty.
Shopping for me at Wal-Mart is always a double edged sword. I feel like I am patronizing a store in order to be treated poorly. It is a very weird dynamic. Sure, you could possibly save a few bucks and in this economy every little bit helps, however at the register shouldn't the person that is greeting me be doing it with a smile? Black Friday you will not find me within a five mile radius of a Wal-Mart. They are known for their shady sales (where they have one item of the most popular toys out there and use that to drive the masses to their store). It is absolute mayhem with people going as far as to camp out for hours, missing holiday time with their family in order to save money. At the end of the day your family wants family time, the gifts under a tree don't mean anything without family.
