Essay #4: A Wall of Reality
“Save money. Live better.” Today there are 3,372 Wal-Mart stores in the nation and each one of them are affiliated with the standard of saving money or as they call it, “Rollback”. They are well known for their penny pinching prices, but at what cost? Numerous mom and pop stores as well as small time business have been run into the ground due to their unbeatable prices. Lower class Americans turn to Wal-Mart as their number one resource center from books and clothing to groceries and school supplies its all there, but are their extremely low cost goods even affordable to the town folks? Wal-Mart has bankrupted many local business leaving many people jobless. Also leaving many communities lacking in crucial services cities need to function. Despite all the benefits Wal-Mart has to offer, causalities are inevitable to Americans. When a new branch is born jobs become scarce, successful mom and pop stores hit a low and the poor become poorer. Consequently poor Americans are not hurt if unable to access a Wal-Mart.
Americans today tend to believe that you should get more bang for your buck and Wal-Mart seems to dictate just that. Slogans such as “We Sell for Less” and “Everyday Low Prices.” have put Wal-Mart at the top. It is no surprise that Wal-Mart is so well known. Bargain hunting has become second nature to shoppers. Although, even if the prices are already low, people still try to find a way to get things cheaper. As a result employee discounts make working at Wal-Mart highly favorable. At least that’s what one would think. A former Wal-Mart employee in Houston had this to say, “They would know you’d clocked out already, and they’d say, ‘Do me a favor. I don’t have anyone coming in--could you stay here?’ It would be like four or five hours. They were understaffed, and they expected you to work these hours. Up Against Wal-Mart. Karen Olsson. 349. Furthermore another Wal-Mart employee in West Palm Beach, Florida had this to say, “Working unpaid overtime equaled saving your job.” Up Against Wal-Mart. Karen Olsson. 349. But why would anyone want to work there if you’re forced to work overtime without pay? Jobs are essential to survival, although working for Wal-Mart is simply working for a discount on cheap merchandise as well as your paycheck.
Wal-Mart is progressing rapidly in terms of savings. Their discounting solely on food boost the welfare of shoppers in America by at least $50 billion yearly. Not to mention the savings are nearly five times that much if taken all of Wal-Mart’s products accounted for. Unlike the average Target and Costco costumers with incomes of $50,000 and $74,000 a year, the average Wal-Mart customer thrives with a mere $34,000 a year. Arindrajit Dube a Wal-Mart critic had come to conclusion of a $4.7 billion loss of wages for employees in the retail department due to Wal-Mart sales. Although one may say that it is nothing in comparison to the $200 billion plus Wal-Mart consumers gain annually. While it is true Wal-Mart is saving American consumers money, it doesn’t necessarily apply to those who have no access to Wal-Mart. In fact it may have the opposite effect. In Glendale, Arizona a Wal-Mart was opened, it received 8,000 applications for 525 jobs. 7,475 of those people didn’t make the cut and with other stores making less profit will there be a single job for even half of those people, let alone each and everyone of them? Wal-Mart cannot make a profit if nobody has income to spend. Welfare cannot be given out if there is no money for taxes. With retail employees taking home $4.7 billion less a year, bankruptcy sounds all too inevitable.
When Wal-Mart creeps into a city, it can be quite overwhelming as if Christmas came right out of the corner. At least until the local businesses eventually lose all their consumers to Wal-Mart forcing all the locals to find a new job. Although what is still in business when you have the king of all kings super center in your own backyard. Many are forced to apply for Wal-Mart, Eric Jackson ended up as an employee for the company in Paris. He had this to say, “People ain’t got no other place to go,” he says. “There’s no other jobs to be had.” Up Against Wal-Mart. Karen Olsson. 351. It’s no surprise there when Wal-Mart only employs 250 people out of 22,000 of the local workforce. In the article “Up Against Wal-Mart” Karen Olsson provides an example of Wal-Mart’s understaffed preference when she points out Jennifer McLaughlin; a Wal-Mart Employee. McLaughlin presents a troubling situation. She has been with Wal-Mart for 3 years and yet only earns $16,800 a year. McLaughlin states, “And I’m considered high-paid,” she says. “The way they pay you. You cannot make it by yourself without having a second job or someone to help you, unless you’ve been there for 20 years or you’re a manager.” Up Against Wal-Mart. Karen Olsson. 343. However, there are no available jobs in the radius of a Wal-Mart. The prices or, “Rollbacks” are too good to pass up on that it leaves the other competitors in the dust. Though the profit Wal-Mart makes is phenomenal, the $16,800 income McLaughlin makes begs to differ. With bankrupt companies leaving Wal-Mart as the only option for materials and ridiculous discount salaries, it goes without saying that there is injustice. In the year 2000, Wal-Mart participated in lawsuits involving 67,000 workers in New Mexico and Colorado, reportedly paying more than $50 million. A consultant from Alpha Associates was hired to develop a union avoidance program. Martin Levitt was the consultant who worked on it, he stated that Wal-Mart does “whatever it takes to wear people down and destory their spirit.” Up Against Wal-Mart. Karen Olsson. 347. Do Americans need such a tyrant in their neighborhood? Ultimately, what is at stake here is the good vs. the bad Wal-Mart has to offer. Wal-Mart looks like heaven to poor Americans, but in the long run will it still be affordable? Jobs are vanishing and just about everyone is in the lower middle class.
At the end of it all Wal-Mart is a devious facility to have within distance. It will continue to be the king of all super stores with its extremely low prices and with that, will bankrupt all the local small town businesses. It will leave jobless Americans poor and anxious to work for a place that pays very low unless you’ve been there for years. Wal-Mart will stay in business only to wreck the incomes of their neighbors and customers. Not having access to a Wal-Mart will not affect consumers in a bad way. In fact, it will only help them more. Businesses in their city will stay in business and town services will remain stable.
Thanks for the help babe :3
