The Fight to Reclaim America from Retail Giants

Stacy Mitchell at Alternet has a few words to say to consumers:

A growing number of communities are fighting back against the rising power of large retail stores like Wal-Mart. But real change won't come until we stop thinking of ourselves as consumers and start thinking of ourselves as engaged citizens.

The article is a bit long but she is spot on! This point is key:

Despite differences in circumstances and demographics, all of these successful campaigns -- and there have been dozens in the last two years -- have one striking commonality: a core part of their strategy involves getting people to see themselves not just as consumers, but as workers, producers, business owners, citizens, and stewards of their community. When people walk into a voting booth or city council meeting with this vastly expanded sense of their own economic and political identity, they are far more likely to reject big-box development projects and to endorse measures that force these companies to adhere to higher standards. This is a crucial lesson as we work to knit these local efforts together into a broader movement to counter the power of global corporations. [My emphasis]

For decades we have been trained to think of ourselves as consumers first and as responsible citizens second. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote: "the chain store, by furthering the concentration of wealth and of power and by promoting absentee ownership, is thwarting American ideals; that it is making impossible equality of opportunity; that it is converting independent tradesmen into clerks; and that it is sapping the resources, the vigor and the hope of the smaller cities and towns."

The article is definitly food for thought.

Rob Frankel on Wal-Mart's Sinking Brand

Wal-Mart has no grand strategy, no future direction they are always reacting.

Wal-Mart is always telling you that you HAVE to shop there because you can't afford to shop anywhere else. I couldn't agree with these guys more. Lee Scott should listen.

Wal-Mart's Values

Read How Wal-Mart Treats Women Employees

Read this pdf file. Yes, I know it's from Wal-Mart Watch but the information is based on facts obtained from the "Dukes vs Wal-Mart" class action lawsuit. If that report isn't enough you can read testimony from the experts here (pdf file).

Wal-Mart employees fewer women as supervisors and managers

At Wal-Mart women are paid less than men (see table on pg 8)

It takes longer for women to be promoted at Wal-Mart

Conclusions (mine): Wal-Mart uses illegal sex-discrimination policies in its employment practices

A Conundrum?

WNBZ radio and the Adirondack Daily Enterprise report that Aldi, Inc. wants to purchase the defunct Stanley Chevrolet property. Stanley Chevrolet was one of the parcels that Wal-Mart had intended to purchase as part of their proposed building site.

So this is complex. Residents have been saying for years that SL needs another grocery store as well as a retail store. If Aldi, Inc. purchases the Stanley property, will that leave room to build a Wal-Mart Supercenter? Some people do not want an Aldi because they do not sell the variety of groceries that a non-discount supermarket sells. Other people want an Aldi because it sells discount groceries as well as other non-grocery items. For others, this reopens the Wal-Mart issue because a Wal-Mart Supercenter would have sold retail as well as groceries.

I doubt there will be much opposition to Aldi, Inc. purchasing the Stanley Cheverolet property, at least from people who opposed Wal-Mart building on that property. But there may be opposition from Wal-Mart supporters who see hopes of a Wal-Mart on that property slipping away. But Wal-Mart supporters who do not support an Aldi store are going to have to explain themselves to people who do want an Aldi.

Like I said....a conundrum.

Sorry

I've been lured over to The Writing on the Wal. Until Wal-Mart raises its ugly head in the area, I'll probably be posting only occasionally. If you want to see how Wal-Mart pretends to sleep after a defeat, read this post. It's a very persistent company.

What A Surprise!!!

This should not surprise most people. Wal-Mart has to pay people to write good comments about them. More here.

A public relations firm has revealed that it is behind two blogs that previously appeared to be created by independent supporters of Wal-Mart.

The blogs Working Families for Wal-mart and subsidiary site Paid Critics are written by three employees of PR firm Edelman, for whom Wal-Mart is a paid client, according to information posted on the sites Thursday.

Recent entries on Paid Critics, a site dedicated to drawing links between Wal-mart critics and groups, such as unions, with vested interests are written by Brian and Kate. These are Edelman employees Brian McNeill and Kate Marshall.

Last week a blog called "Wal-Marting Across America," which appeared to be created by a man and a woman traveling the country in an RV and staying in Wal-Mart parking lots, also turned out to be underwritten by Working Families for Wal-Mart.

A Nobel Prize for Wal-Mart

I cross posted this in The Writing on the Wal this morning.

Robert has already commented on John Tierney's editorial "Shopping For A Nobel" in yesterdays NYT in this post. Moron? Probably. He does admit he is a libertarian. Personally, I think he is really into receiving hate mail. Afterall, he does hold the NYT record for hate mail.

As a scientist, many people have been asking me what I think about Tierney's column. Tierney asks "Has any organization in the world lifted more people out of poverty than Wal-Mart?" I have no idea, but it's worth an experiment.

Tierney quotes Michael Strong :

The best way for third world villagers to tap "the vast pipeline of wealth from the developed world," he argued in a recent TCSDaily.com article, is to sell their products to the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart.

Tierney also cites Strong as saying "..that villagers can lift themselves out of poverty much faster by getting a job in a factory." Strong certainly knows far more about this issue than I do.

So, let's challenge Wal-Mart to build supercenters in two places; Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest township and Kibera slum in Kenya. Let's actually see what effects Wal-Mart supercenters have in those slums.

Then we'll talk about a Nobel Prize.

Guess Where the Southside Chicago Wal-Marts Will be Built

Read about it here.

The sites are in the wards of Aldermen Howard Brookins Jr. (21st), Anthony Beale (9th), Dorothy Tillman (3rd), Shirley Coleman (16th) and Arenda Troutman (20th,) respectively. All but Ms. Coleman voted against an ordinance approved by the City Council to require Wal-Mart and other big-box retailers to pay a minimum wage of at least $10 an hour, plus $3 in fringe benefits. Ms. Coleman switched sides after Mayor Daley vetoed the bill, giving him the support he needed to sustain his veto.

Does anyone besides me think this looks like a payoff by Wal-Mart for votes?

More on Ron Galloway's Resignation From WFFW

A statement by Chris Kofinis of wakeupwalmart.com is reproduced below.

"As reported today in the Los Angeles Times, Ron Galloway, one of Wal-Mart's chief spokespeople, has resigned over concerns about Wal-Mart’s first-ever salary cap which has caused a tremendous amount of pain and suffering for all of Wal-Mart’s 1.39 million hard-working employees.

The fact that Wal-Mart ignored Mr. Galloway’s concerns, despite his high-profile role in defending the company, speaks volumes as to how disingenuous Wal-Mart’s entire public relations operation has become. As Mr. Galloway learned, Wal-Mart is not interested in improving its business practices, instead, Wal-Mart wants to try and fool the American people with a Karl Rove-style public relations campaign riddled with misleading statements and corporate double speak.

We hope other Wal-Mart defenders will begin to understand the negative impact Wal-Mart's business practices can have on their own credibility and reputation and will stop allowing Wal-Mart to use themselves in defense of a company that mistreats its employees, fails to provide company health care to over half of its employees, ships American jobs overseas and negatively impacts our communities.

Once again, we renew our call for Wal-Mart to stop playing games with the American people, save the millions of dollars it spends on overpaid right-wing, Edelman PR hacks, and embrace the fact that real substantive change is the best way for Wal-Mart to address its collapsing public image.”

My emphasis added.

The Diffusion of Wal-Mart and Economies of Density


Kinda scary isn't it?

Pro-Wal-Mart Film

I got this from my friend Jonathan at The Writing on the Wal:

Why Wal-Mart Works and Why That Drives Some People C-R-A-Z-Y is an independent film by Ron Galloway. Because Galloway loves Wal-Mart so much he was put on the Board of "Working Families for Wal-Mart".

Mr. Galloway resigned from that Board last week.

"I understand Wal-Mart has to find a way to grow earnings and increase shareholder value, but I don't believe they should do it on the backs of their long-term employees."

Read more about this and many other Wal-Mart related subjects at "The Writing on the Wal".

Wednesday TOTT Comments

No, not the divisive comment by our friendly member of CARD but the comment concerning closed Wal-Mart stores. The caller advised people to do some internet research before making anti-Wal-Mart statements - statements such as "Wal-Mart has many closed stores."

Unfortunately the caller did not take his own advice. Of course Wal-Mart has many closed stores - about 350 of them at any given time. They have their own damn realty website for heavens sake. How hard is it to find that on the internet?

There are also newspaper articles such as this one, or this one or this one. The last article is really important. Wal-Mart closed a store in Jonquière, Quebec because:

The store "has struggled from the beginning..."

Jonquière, QU has a population 10 times that of Saranac Lake.

The problem here is that Wal-Mart supporters have only a few websites that can provide them with favorable "facts" about Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, those sites are all owned by Wal-Mart or by Edelman PR.

2006 Change Wal-Mart, Change America Tour

Ok, the bus tour is over but Wal-Mart has instituted their own "bus tour" of America.

Wal-Mart Marketing Ruse

Go and visit Jimbo and Laura at "Wal-Marting Across America"! You can't comment on their website, but you can email them! See more commentary on Jimbo, Laura and other Edelman PR employees at "The Writing on the Wal"

New Yorkers Resist Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart is not having the easiest time building stores in NY.

"We're facing a lot of opposition and a lot of organized opposition," said Philip Serghini, senior public affairs manager for Wal-Mart. "We're trying to leverage our allies."

[snip]

Lima Citizens for Responsible Development would like the Town Board to declare a moratorium on development larger than 20,000 square feet until the town's comprehensive master plan is approved and related zoning regulations take effect.

Wouldn't it be nice if Saranac Lake decided on retail store size limits?

One Thing Wal-Mart Could Do

Our favorite Edelman PR Wal-Mart blogger and Better Paid Critic Mike Krempasky is in the Wal-Mart-osphere again via "the Bivings Report"

Mike wants to know what he can do to get "The Consumerist" to stop writing about his (Edelman's) companies (clients I presume).

I have one recommendation that he can convey to Wal-Mart, Inc. It won't cost Wal-Mart a single penny except for maybe a bit of time. Here it is:

Start respecting our communities!

You want to build a SuperCenter in a tiny Adirondack Park community? How about discussing your plans openly with the residents of the community rather than working to split the community apart? How about talking with the residents that have reasons to oppose building a Wal-Mart rather than just those that support it. Maybe you can change their minds. Maybe they will convince you to compromise. But no matter what it would at least show some respect for the entire community.

"FACTS" About Wal-Mart

Rick Gonyea (member of CARD of course) announced this morning on TOTT that area residents have the opportunity to hear the "real facts" about Wal-Mart. Where else to get reliable "facts" on Wal-Mart than from Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart. You can tune in on channel 2 on Thursday to hear Lee Scott being interviewed by Charlie Rose.

Or, you can simply go HERE to listen and watch the interview on your computer. Beat the rush so to speak.

Watch the program and count the number of tough questions Mr. Rose asks Lee Scott. Hear the answers Lee Scott gives when asked about Wal-Mart labor violations. Wait....Rose doesn't ask that question.

Much has been made of Lee Scott's statement on the show about how business will solve the US healthcare problems and not government. Today, Lee Scott shows how his business is solving the healthcare crisis by shrinking health-care insurance options for new hires.

As of Jan. 1, the company will offer new hires only two health benefits packages in which the monthly premium can be as low as $11 but the deductible can reach $6,000, according to documents provided to The Washington Post by Wake-Up Wal-Mart, a union-backed group.

If you don't feel like watching the interview to get "facts" about Wal-Mart, just go to walmartfacts.com and you will get the same information.

Big Box Tool Kit

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance is sponsoring a website called bigboxtoolkit.com. The website provides step-by-step information to fight the creeping 'Boxisation' of the USA.

Behind the Counter

If you haven't added 'Behind the Counter' to your must read Wal-Mart websites, please do so now. This is a well-written, amusing blog that talks, mostly, about the customers that shop at Wal-Mart. That's because the blogger is a two year employee that works behind the service desk.

Todays entry is a bit different, a few excerpts:

It is my opinion, especially after working in the store for two years now, that Wal-Mart as a whole is a soulless evil entity. The long-term AND short-term goals of the company involve only the acquisition of cash ad infinitum. There is not one single goal of the company that is about anything other than making money, no matter how many sides of their mouth they talk out of.

For about six months, we actually had an associate whose only job on Saturdays was to buy the newspaper as soon as it was delivered to the newspaper box outside, go through the sale papers and then mark all of our comparable merchandise down to a few pennies below whatever Target, Kmart, Kroger, et al. was selling it for.

Well, that never did work. Because Wal-mart is unable or unwilling to hire enough help, the two girls on the modular team were put to work stocking. One told me that she never actually did any price changes before she quit two weeks later after nearly breaking her leg on a pallet of cosmetics.

So you see, the solution is there. Wal-Mart just won't utilize it - because it believes that it can have cake, ice cream and a soda - and get double helpings too. It is the same logic that has the fitting room attendant serving as the telephone operator. Fewer people doing more work.

But the post is actually about the technical aspects of how prices are actually changed in a Wal-Mart store. And, why sometimes the lower price does not show up at the cash register.