Co-Worker just asked what I have against Wal-Mart.Where do I begin?

I literally don't know where to start. I did mention to her how they treat their employees (she hadn't heard anything bad)Any links?

It pretty much says it all about Walmart:

<snip>
NLC interviewed workers in China’s Guangdong Province who toil in factories making popular action figures, dolls, and other toys sold at Wal-Mart. In "Toys of Misery," a shocking 58-page report that the establishment media ignored, NLC describes:

13- to 16-hour days molding, assembling, and spray-painting toys—8 a.m. to 9 p.m. or even midnight, seven days a week, with 20-hour shifts in peak season.

Even though China’s minimum wage is 31 cents an hour—which doesn’t begin to cover a person’s basic subsistence-level needs—these production workers are paid 13 cents an hour.

Workers typically live in squatter shacks, seven feet by seven feet, or jammed in company dorms, with more than a dozen sharing a cubicle costing $1.95 a week for rent. They pay about $5.50 a week for lousy food. They also must pay for their own medical treatment and are fired if they are too ill to work.

The work is literally sickening, since there’s no health and safety enforcement. Workers have constant headaches and nausea from paint-dust hanging in the air; the indoor temperature tops 100 degrees; protective clothing is a joke; repetitive stress disorders are rampant; and there’s no training on the health hazards of handling the plastics, glue, paint thinners, and other solvents in which these workers are immersed every day.

More ... http://www.alternet.org/print.html?StoryID=12962

Sue

...(That could be enrolled but it's Saturday morning) so, because of their size, they are a massive drain on State and Local Health clinics and other Government and Private spouse policies.

Their a net "taker" of HC funds/costs.

They took out life insurance policies on their employess WITHOUT notifying the employee and making themselves the lone beneficiary.

Highly aggressive Collective Bargaining practices.

Broke OT rules (gee I wonder how they liked yesterday's screwing of working Americans?) in several states giving the impression that it was a company wide practice, which is was/is.

They drain, deconstruct, small town USA with their "Sprawlmart" developments.

Uses cheap sweatshop labor in places where they can pretend that they're "helping" economic development:eyes:

I'm certain someone else has the links.

They force their way into town despite the wishes of the people. They force tax cuts from town councils so they do not contribute to the communities they leach off of. They do not even keep their money in the local community as most other franchises do by banking locally. They deliberately target the local economy until it is destroyed and then when the town is dead they pullout leaving a ghost town.

http://www.lieffcabraser.com/walmart%20lawsuit.htm

http://www.morrisbart.com/WALMART.php

http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/123002_sweatshop.cfm

http://www.youareworthmore.org/article54.html

This last one is particularly good as it summerizes a number of
law suits pending against Wal-Mart.
http://www.ksworkbeat.org/Issues/Walmart_s_Opinon_of_Union_Memb/Walmart_Fact_Sheet/walmart_fact_sheet.html

Refer her to the UFCW web site. That's one way to start.

I cant say how many, but more than a few have died from known safety lapses, involving truck loading docks, forklifts etc etc. Sorry Im not giving details, but it should be out there for you to find.

Walmart came to our sleepy little town and said they would put a Walmart at the South end...then big mistake (LOL) they thought the plans for a second store at the north end of town were for another state. Our idiot County commission believed it. The two Walmarts cut off the flow of traffic from both the North end and South end of town. People used to come from all over to shop at our Sporting goods store. But then they just stopped at the Walmarts and didn't come into town. The no. of stores that folded after that was really sad. We lost a great business and a lot of money.
They treat women badly, big lawsuit in progress.
The do not allow employees to unionize and use draconian methods to keep unions out.
I just heard the other day on NPR a commentary that if people use their tax deduction to shop at Walmart...it won't do a thing for the US economy as the bulk of stuff sold there is from China and the far east sweat shops.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

they use their ill gotten gains that they make off the misery of so many people to support Bush etc. so they can do it more and more.

grocery store who appears slightly retarded was talking about them and she was saying that they had sent her a credit card, but that she had never used it. Then she just gave out a big laugh and didn't say anything further. I'm guessing she doesn't want to do business with them, but didn't say why! Interesting!

Not to mention the feelings of guilt I have that a large portion of my college education was paid for by Wal Mart stock profiteering on the backs of people who probably can't afford to send their own kids.
I absolutely hate it more than I can express. I work for a suburban paper and they refuse to advertise with us and give no reason. They also refuse to advertise with the larger paper in the area as well. Only TV.
I also have a freeper friend who is a longtime employee and he hates Walmart, yet defends it at every turn. He is also the most bitter person I know and I think that largely comes from his time working as a slave.
I sometimes feel sorry for their employees on my rare visits. They all look so worn down and sad. And they have to put on a smiley face or risk being disciplined. Lately, I just stop going. I've been patronizing the Super Target (some irational people here might say this is no better but they really need to go to both stores and re-think what they're saying) in the area and as many local businesses as I can.

point out that over 90% of that junk merchandise is manufactured overseas. Whatever works...

Here are two links which should help you out:

http://www.walmartvswomen.com/news.html#latimes

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/DailyNews/walmart_women010619.html

My family use to have a business and we lost it. We couldn't compete with Walmart and I am not kidding.
It's like Starbucks because anyone in their way they are going to make sure that the small stores get shut down by carrying the same exact merchandise and cutting the price down to the bone just to get rid of the small stores.