One more reason to boycott Walmart


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Hell if you stay long enough, and/or get better skills, and make it to a team manager at the store (ie shipping manager, grocery manager etc), and most of these places promote from within, you can make some pretty nice pay. Her boss made something like 96k a year and had his own boat, no university education either.

 

 

That's the thing. You get out what you put in. If you work there just to get by in life, it's going to be like every other dead end job in the world. If you go in there with the intention of moving up, you'll get a decent salary. Just a store manager makes six figures a year. An assistant manager working three on/three off 12 hour shifts makes about 60k-70k. I think that really depends on how well your store does though.   

 

How much does the average Walmart worker get an hour?

 

I made $12.50/hr working in the electronics section before I quit. I graduated school and got me one of those, "real," jobs.

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I used to know someone who worked at WalMart and they would increase her pay $0.60-$0.80 a year just for working there. Granted it's not the best job but how many other fast food / supermarkets places do that? Most are happy to just pay minimum wage and say too bad.

Hell if you stay long enough, and/or get better skills, and make it to a team manager at the store (ie shipping manager, grocery manager etc), and most of these places promote from within, you can make some pretty nice pay. Her boss made something like 96k a year and had his own boat, no university education either.

Yes WalMart isn't the best place in the world to work at and it's not some sort of giant angelic light. But it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

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Random comparison between WalMart and Cost Plus world market. My wife worked at cost plus for 3 months while she was at school and it was horrible. Their pay was $9.80 an hour (oregon minimum wage is $8.90) and you're forced to get people to sign up for their rewards program. I think she said if you couldn't get at least 10 people in a day to give out their email, phone number, sign up for a credit card you could be fired for not working hard enough.

Most people aren't going to just give out their email and phone number or sign up for a rewards program they don't care about, even if you force them to. Hell constantly bugging them is just going to **** them off and then you've potentially lost a customer. But still that was the company policy and everyone was held to it.

 

if you take the store manager's six figure income out of the that "Average" the average drops dramatically.

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Whatever. I freakin' love Walmart. Besides, many companies ask for charitable contributions during the holidays.

Yeah, for general charity, not to give to your fellow employees because the company you work for pays so poorly.

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I was working as part of the secrity team at a walmart. I'm a police officer so they needed help. I was treated like crap, my car got damage, so i sued them. I do all my shopping at best buy and other stores now. As for the workers there, managers there are really mean to them.

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The point is:

 

Why doesn't the Walmart MANAGEMENT cough up some dough out of the massive salaries they get?

Why ask employees who are already cash strapped as it is, to put out for their fellow employees?

 

If the management of Walmart contribute one-half of one percent of their salaries, I am sure it will suffice.

 

Considering the level of Walmart's profits, this policy is obscene.

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I really don't understand how this company still stays afloat? Oh wait.. it's all thanks to Food Stamps.

 

Or, you know, buying in such bulk from their suppliers that they have negoiated the lowest prices on the stuff they pay for, so they then turn around and have lower prices on their items to customers, and their customers come to them because of that....

 

Your arguement would make more sense if food stamps were accepted only at Wal-Mart... but they can be used at any store.

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Yeah, for general charity, not to give to your fellow employees because the company you work for pays so poorly.

 

Often because the employee is under educated, has more children than he/she can afford, and cannot live within their means.  I hate to sound callus, but even if the employees are the recipients of the charity, I fail to see how this is Walmart's fault.  Walmart pays on average considerably more than the national minimum wage.  People in America are often poor for a multitude of reasons - not getting paid enough is usually farther down that list than you might think.  Besides, with very few exceptions, none of us think we are being paid enough.

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Often because the employee is under educated, has more children than he/she can afford, and cannot live within their means.  I hate to sound callus, but even if the employees are the recipients of the charity, I fail to see how this is Walmart's fault.  Walmart pays on average considerably more than the national minimum wage.  People in America are often poor for a multitude of reasons - not getting paid enough is usually farther down that list than you might think.  Besides, with very few exceptions, none of us think we are being paid enough.

 

 

There are plenty of people who are well educated but can't find suitable work. A lot of companies have been shipping their work, skilled work not just manual labour, over to the Chinese or Indians to maximise profits. Being educated doesn't dictate career success any more.

 

 

While some of your points have merit, the whole "blame the poor because they're poor" idea is callous and usually ignores a whole raft of socio-economic factors which lead to and keep people in poverty.

 

Not earning a living wage is pretty high up on that list.

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... "blame the poor because they're poor" idea ...

 

I never said blame the poor because they are poor, I merely pointed out that often (especially in America) being impoverished is a condition typically brought on by more than simply not earning a sustainable wage.  That is, it is often the result of an individual's poor life choices.  The point of jobs being sent overseas in this discussion is moot - the subjects of this discussion clearly have jobs.  Actually, they are likely very grateful to have the work they do - again, Walmart consistently pays more than many similar businesses.  I'm sorry, but someone stacking boxes or running a cash register is not entitled to a six-figure salary.

 

For many in this situation, even if they did earn that type of salary, it would do little to change the circumstances that put them in their respective predicaments in the first place.  Simply, people who make poor choices are likely to continue to make poor choices - regardless of their annual income. This does not mean they shouldn't be given the opportunity to enjoy the season of merriment and good will towards men.

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I loved buying stuff at Wal-Mart back in the early to mid 2000s. Now Wal-Mart has gone down hill in about everything. I now prefer to go to Target to buy things.

 

Same here. I have never been a fan of Wal-mart but lately they never have what I want, and Target does. The only thing Wal-mart is good at is lining the pockets of the Walton family that own them.

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I never said blame the poor because they are poor, I merely pointed out that often (especially in America) being impoverished is a condition typically brought on by more than simply not earning a sustainable wage.  That is, it is often the result of an individual's poor life choices.  The point of jobs being sent overseas in this discussion is moot - the subjects of this discussion clearly have jobs.  Actually, they are likely very grateful to have the work they do - again, Walmart consistently pays more than many similar businesses.  I'm sorry, but someone stacking boxes or running a cash register is not entitled to a six-figure salary.

 

For many in this situation, even if they did earn that type of salary, it would do little to change the circumstances that put them in their respective predicaments in the first place.  Simply, people who make poor choices are likely to continue to make poor choices - regardless of their annual income. This does not mean they shouldn't be given the opportunity to enjoy the season of merriment and good will towards men.

 

 

Spin it how you want, but you are blaming the poor for being poor. While it is true that some people make crappy financial decisions that is not an argument against a living wage. How could anyone justify such a nonsensical argument? "We think you'll waste any fair wage we'd pay you so we're going to pay you a crappy one to save you from making poor financial choices".

 

Who suggested they deserve one? People are advocating a living wage, not an extravagant one. If you never make enough money to buy a house or invest then the options you have at the end of the day are limited. Keep paying people poorly and they'll never have an opportunity to make sensible lifestyle & financial choices.

 

Provided that goodwill doesn't cost their multi-billion dollar employer anything? The funny part about all of this is that those low income workers who end up donating to their fellow employees sure as hell are more generous and decent than the ###### company they work for.

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Honestly, when I was younger, I would snub Walmart (and K-mart) and the people that shopped there.  Somehow or another I had concocted the notion that Target was a better class of discount retail shopping.  I don't necessarily think so now.  As a matter of fact, depending upon where the Target is located, it can be a much worse experience.

 

I started to appreciate Walmart after our twins (boy/girl) were born.  When starting from nothing and needing two of everything - shopping at Walmart was a blessing.  They offer name brand baby (Graco, Fischer Price, Safety 1st) items at remarkable prices.  Walmart is successful because they target the needs of a specific demographic in America (lower and middle class families with children) and because the strength of their purchasing and distribution system enables them the ability to provide goods at highly competitive prices.

 

Like many American families - we are grateful for Walmart.

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People are advocating a living wage ...

 

Colorful post.  Interestingly, you keep missing the same point, over and over.  Walmart consistently pays above the national minimum wage.  As others have indicated in this thread, Walmart pays its employees an average of $12.80 an hour (plus benefits); the minimum wage in America is $7.25.  In other words, they are earning a much better wage than many given their level of education and marketable skill sets.

 

If you don't like Walmart - don't shop there.  As you can tell from my posts in this discussion, I clearly do not share your opinion.  I have seen the good that Walmart has done for rural and impoverished communities across America.  For many small towns, Walmart is the only place where people can afford to buy the things they need.

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 I have seen the good that Walmart has done for rural and impoverished communities across America.  For many small towns, Walmart is the only place where people can afford to buy the things they need.

 

What about all the local businesses that Walmart has put out of work, since they can't compete with such a behemoth? 

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US Federal Minimum Wage: $7.25/hr.

Average Walmart Wage: $12.83/hr.

 

What!?!? I make $8 an hour working my ass off at an office store! :o I though I had it good because I was making .75 cents more than the required government wage!

 

Anyhow, why can't they just take items off the shelf and assemble a little goodie bag for everybody? A small turkey, box of instant mashed potatos and stuffing, maybe even a small pie would be very thoughtful of them.

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What about all the local businesses that Walmart has put out of work, since they can't compete with such a behemoth? 

 

You could make the same argument about any franchise in America.  How many local coffee shops has Starbucks put out of business?  How many local pharmacies and burger joints have lost out to the likes of Walgreens and McDonalds?  Call it the ugly side of capitalism.  In any competition, there are victors and losers.

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I don't believe any business should force anyone to work on Thanksgiving or Xmas. If you want to work it then fine it is your choice however it would be better for those companies to just close for those days and not even give the temptation which is why we are in this mess. Greed drives it from either those working or those wanting others to work to make money in one form or another.  I will spend all day Thanksgiving hunting and not once will I indulge in going to any store for anything no matter what it is, just make sure I get whatever the day before.

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Considering the level of Walmart's profits, this policy is obscene.

The level of Walmart's profits?

Revenue: $470 billion.

Profit: $27 billion.

Margin: 5.7%

Is 27 billion a lot of money? Sure of course it is. But let's compare it to other companies:

Apple revenue: $170 billion

Apple profit: $49 billion

Apple margin: 29%

Microsoft revenue: $78 billion

Microsoft profit: $27 billion

Microsoft margin: 35%

Target revenue: $73 billion

Target profit: $5.3 billion

Target margin: 7.2%

So Walmart's profits aren't nearly as obscene as you make them out to be. Target, for example, pays their employees less on average and has a higher profit margin.

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The level of Walmart's profits?

Revenue: $470 billion.

Profit: $27 billion.

Margin: 5.7%

Is 27 billion a lot of money? Sure of course it is. But let's compare it to other companies:

Apple revenue: $170 billion

Apple profit: $49 billion

Apple margin: 29%

Microsoft revenue: $78 billion

Microsoft profit: $27 billion

Microsoft margin: 35%

Target revenue: $73 billion

Target profit: $5.3 billion

Target margin: 7.2%

So Walmart's profits aren't nearly as obscene as you make them out to be. Target, for example, pays their employees less on average and has a higher profit margin.

 

 

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Fine.

But compare the working conditions and benefits of Apple and Microsoft's employees with those of Walmart.

 

Let me know what you think.

 

edit: quote formatting is screwed up.

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Fine.

But compare the working conditions and benefits of Apple and Microsoft's employees with those of Walmart.

Let me know what you think.

Well the people working for Apple and Microsoft are often highly skilled engineers. They have university degrees, and will be difficult to replace. People working at Walmart don't really have skills that are hard to replace.

You were talking about obscene profits that should be shared with their employees, I showed you that WalMart doesn't really have obscene profits. Compared to Target they have a smaller profit margin and they pay their employees more.

So tell me, why are you singling out Walmart and not target? The former has almost 7 times the employees, pays them on average more, and has a lower profit margin. Clearly you should be ****ed at Target here.

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So tell me, why are you singling out Walmart and not target? The former has almost 7 times the employees, pays them on average more, and has a lower profit margin. Clearly you should be ****ed at Target here.

 

It's popular to hate Walmart.

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