I butted heads with the manager of Wal-Mart today

[Critters2]

I was at this "Community Anti-Drug Coalition" meeting, and they invited all the community leaders. And, of course, that includes the manager of the local Wal-Mart. :eyes:

So, over lunch, we're all just making chit-chat, and I asked him if Wal-Mart is concerned about its Chinese imports, considering recent problems with Chinese products. Well, WOW :wow: , did the claws come out!! I got a long lecture about how they HAVE to import Chinese goods, because there's no manufacturing done in the US anymore.

Of course, I pointed out Wal-Mart's role in the demise of US manufacturing, and he asked me where my shoes were made. Well, of course, they were made in the US. I told him I'd save him the trouble of inventorying all my clothes, all my clothes except my underwear and blouse were made in the US. Blouse--made in Sri Lanka but purchased secondhand at the hospital auxiliary's resale shop.
Underwear--Costa Rica.

Then he told me all about how Wal-Mart is improving the lives of Americans by making goods available to them "at less cost". I pointed out that WAl-Mart has made it necessary for Americans to buy things more cheaply by driving manufacturing out of the country and driving down wages in the US.

Him: Well, I'm giving back to the community by being here today.

Then I went back for another brownie. I'm a bitch.

[SPKrazy]

1. You Rock!

:yourock:

You just do!

:applause:

:woohoo:

[Critters2]

2. Thank you.

I like to think of myself as a gadfly on certain rumps.

[NMDemDist2]

3. well you gotta admit he's got the talking points down

:banghead:

[Critters2]

4. Yeah, this was clearly not the first time he'd made this speech. nt

[Deja Q]

5. Did he address how the cost of gas isn't going down, or the ability of his employees to

buy the products he sells?

:evilgrin:

Good argument you had. :thumbsup:

[Critters2]

7. Not specifically, but I was amazed at how PROUD he was

to be working for Wal-Mart. He just oozed pride for the company, and bragged about Wal-Mart all day long, at every opportunity. That was kinda creepy.

[TommyO]

9. He clearly has partaken of the Walls-Mart Kool Aid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10e_jOLWUAs

[Downtown Hound]

21. It could be those chemicals in the products

Who knows what they really do?

:tinfoilhat:

[Wapsie B]

6. That company needs to get off the public dole.

A retail store getting economic development $$$ for each of its stores? That's nuts. And people think the Mafia's full of crooks.
If he wants to give back to the community give back all that money that town gave his company just to build a store there. I can understand factories getting development money. I don't agree with it but I understand. But a retail store can't threaten to move to Mexico like a factory can. A store needs that population base to sell its products.

[Critters2]

8. They just built a new store, with all kinds of public funds,

and left their old store--on the other side of the interstate--standing empty with rules about how it can't be sold to another retailer for 18 months.

It really is just an awful corporation.

[Deja Q]

16. I suspect we'll see a lot of walmarts cropping up in India... probably China too.

[ThomCat]

10. You are awesome!

:applause:

That just made my evening. :rofl:

[Critters2]

11. Thanks!!

And have I ever told you I love your sig image? 'Cuz I do.

[ThomCat]

13. Thank you.

:)

It's very appropriate for anyone who likes to argue online. :P

[Danger Mouse]

12. What a moran.

Wal-mart is a cancerous sore on America. Nice job giving them a kick square in the nuts.

[Critters2]

14. Thanks. I do what I can :)

[TommyO]

18. I'm very glad that I:

A.) have the option of shopping elsewhere, I live in an area that has seen plenty of growth and doesn't have a shortage of places to get what Wal-Mart sells for close to the same price.
B.) am not forced by economic circumstances to shop at Wal-Mart
C.) have found that many of the items that I use on a regular basis actually cost *LESS* at Wegmans (a high-end grocery store), even if only by a few pennies, than at the Wal-Mart across the street.

[Gormy Cuss]

15. Oh no you didn't!

Kudos, mycritters2.
:applause: :applause: :applause:

[mitchum]

17. Well done!

thanks :)

[Blue-Jay]

19. Did you make the brownies yourself?

Were they good?
Were they vegan?

[Kat45]

20. Good job!

:yourock:

[xchrom]

22. ...

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[ET Awful]

23. I love you.

:P

:rofl:

That's frickin' hilarious!

[NewJeffCT]

24. You're certainly no bitch

Just because you gave him some facts doesn't make you a bitch.

A little Wal-Mart story for you. My wife used to work for a small to mid-sized manufacturer in Massachusetts. They have been in business for over 100 years and have done business with Wal-Mart for decades - they even had their own little display in Wal-Mart stores across the country. Most of this company's products could be made purely by machine - so, it was not very labor-intensive.

However, despite the fact that there was really no cost-savings for the company in making their products in China, Wal-Mart basically told them they wanted all of their types of products to be shipped out of Guangzhou (better known as Canton, a huge port city in southeastern China) - so, it was either have the products made in China and sent to Guangzhou, or make the products here in the US and still ship them to Guangzhou. In both cases, the products would then be shipped back to the US.

While the cost of making the products was not really any different, the shipping cost difference was, obviously, huge. So, the company was faced with the choice of losing 30% of their business and probably going under completely, or else staying in business and dramatically scaling back their US-based manufacturing.

They chose option #2, but have still struggled to stay in business as Wal-Mart is also extremely demanding. But, that is a story for another day. My wife left the company about 2 years ago.

[Magrittes Pipe]

25. There's only one Wal-Mart in the Chicago city limits.

The public is not happy about that one, and the city is fighting like hell to keep any more Wal-Marts OUT of Chicago.



;)

[greatauntoftriplets]

28. Very true.

:D

[AwakeAtLast]

26. I see that they serve Kool-aid at Wal-Mart management training school

He never did answer your question, did he?

:thumbsup:

[guitar man]

27. good for you!!

I would love to have the opportunity to get in the face of some of these jackasses. I have a few things I'd like to tell them myself.

Then he told me all about how Wal-Mart is improving the lives of Americans by making goods available to them "at less cost".

This is where I would have went off. I would have asked him just how the hell they were making goods available to me "at less cost" when here in Oklahoma they have sucked up massive amounts of corporate welfare as well as paying their workers such a paltry sum that most of them qualify for, and receive public assistance.

So I guess I had better add in a portion of the ridiculously high state income taxes and elevated sales taxes I have to pay when I consider what their "low cost" goods are actually costing me. :grr:

[Smooth Operator]

29. nicely done

Did you point out that Wal-Mart screws local and state government out of property taxes by paying themselves rent and then taking the deductions? So not only do they get the incentives to build their stores but then they don't pay their fair share of property taxes so the community get it in both ends.