5 Ways Walmart Has Stooped to New Lows This Month

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/labor/5-ways-walmart-has-stooped-new-lows-month



1. Walmart set to profit off workers from its newly imposed dress code. Last week, we reported that Walmart may make nearly $80 million by forcing its U.S. employees to pay for new work uniforms. Walmart sent a notice to its employees saying they have until September 29 to purchase the clothes to adhere to the dress code. It recommended workers go to Walmart (surprise!) to shop for their new uniforms.


2. Walmart fires workers who exposed the company selling expired food. While we’re on the topic of Walmart’s poor treatment of workers overseas, this week, the corporation fired workers in its China stores who claimed Walmart was selling expired food to its customers. The four workers alleged that the company was selling rice infested with insects, and cooking expired meat using old, black oil. The whistleblowers released videos exposing this food inside their store last month. Bloomberg reports that Walmart has been undergoing a public relations battle around food safety in China. So while the corporation tries to cut corners by selling rotten food, it’s also making sure to send a chilling message to workers who threaten its profit margin with bad press.

3. Walmart lies about a state “sugar-tax” to explain prices to customers. When customers at a Walmart in New York saw that their 12-pack of soda rang up $3.50 at checkout when it was advertised for $3, they asked what was up. Employees were told to tell them that the 50-cent difference was part of a state-imposed sugar tax. Problem is, there is no such tax.

4. Walmart harms animals for advertisement. Walmart will apparently jump through any hoop to make sure it’s selling soda. This week, a Walmart in Mexico held a cockfight in its store in order to promote a soda company. Animal rights activists raised alarm after they saw photos of the cockfight on social media. Walmart has until September 24 to provide a defense or it could face a fine.

[RKP5637]

1. Walmart also dupes the public. Their prices are not always lower. That said, we also

avoid them because of their consistently deplorable actions in many areas.

[Uben]

2. HAlf-gallon of milk at Walmart is $2.79

...down the street at Braum's a half-gallon of milk is $2.04. Thirty percent more! Walmart's prices are no longer the cheapest and they continuously try to dupe people into thinking they are. ALWAYS check your receipt at Walmart. You'll find errors in pricing on almost every large bill of groceries and items. They know most people don't question their receipts, so they make billions off of these "pricing errors". Walmart should be prosecuted for theft and the Waltons thrown in prison for life with daily beatings!

[GoCubsGo]

9. And, anything that is cheaper...

...is only a few pennies less than what one can find in any other store. When it comes to groceries, one can get infinitely better deals in a store that doubles coupons and/or has store coupons. I regularly get grocery, personal care, and cleaning/paper product tems for free or close to it that way, and you'll rarely see such a thing happen Walmart.

[marble falls]

3. WaloMart never disapoints. When you think there is no way to sink lower, Walmart embraces the ooze.

[Romulox]

4. How can we hate Walmart, but love "free trade" and deregulation? It's scapegoating.

We belong to the party of NAFTA, Most Favored Nation status for China, and "free trade" with Central America. Our leading candidate for President for 2016 has served on Walmart's board.

So isn't this just scapegoating? Walmart is a part of *our* race-to-the-bottom economic plan. We don't like how well they've executed it?

[TBF]

5. But Alice Walton built a be-uti-ful crystal museum in Arkansas -

show some respect!

(Just helping out in case the trolls are off today)

[malaise]

6. There is no employer on this planet who could force me

to buy my own uniform, let alone buy it from the scumbag.

[SnakeEyes]

7. Have links to each of these

preferably from sources that won't be as easily dismissed. I want to share them with others

[George II]

8. When Connecticut instituted their "Husky" program, a healtcare program primarily for children....

....poor, and elderly, Walmart conducted seminars for their employees to teach them how to take advantage of the program, even LIE about their status, so Walmart could save money on the barebones healthcare they offered them.

They're pure scum through and through.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

10. puke. n/t

[mb999]

11. MalWart gutted and offshored much of America

The Waltons made out like bandits. there has been a very high cost to those always "low prices"

[daredtowork]

12. "State Imposed Taxes"

I see more and more bills use this trick. I believe it started with phone companies. Some of the taxes and fees are genuinely imposed by the State, but others are just the company's justification of a price increase, passing the blame on to the State. Of course no "corporate welfare" subsidies appear on the bill. I hate this tactic because it distorts the conversation about taxes (the State looks like a chronic pickpocket who really doesn't need any more money), while corporate liars go skipping away with the money, accountability-free.

I wonder what it would take to slap a very steep, prohibitive fine on every single instance of representing something on a bill as an "imposed tax" that's not. If we gave the fine as a whistleblower prize to consumers for catching instances of it, I bet that problem would be gone in no time.

[Enthusiast]

13. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

Way to go, xchrom.

[indepat]

14. It's a good bet that Walmart will find new ways to stoop to new lows to jack up its

profitability and stock price: that bet might be as good as money in the bank.