Boycotting Walmart

My parents and I have recently decided to boycott Walmart. It took my dad a bit of convincing since he really likes their generic mouth wash, but has decided Listerine will do. Although Walmart does have lower prices, it comes at a cost. Unfortunately, as consumers, we're not entirely aware of what that cost is. In business class, I learned that Walmart essentially bullies their suppliers in order to get the lowest prices possible. For some suppliers, this leads to a very low return, but what other choice do they have? If suppliers don't agree to Walmart's demands, Walmart will say adios-you don't have to sell your product at our stores.

Here are a couple more alarming insights about Walmart:

1. Community Impact: When Walmart enters a new community, smaller companies are often forced to lower wages and standards in order to compete. This usually doesn't work for long, and companies are forced to close their doors.

2. Employee Benefits and Wages: Walmart is worth BILLIONS of dollars, yet many of their employess aren't able to afford their benefit packages. On top of that, Walmart recently did away with their profit sharing program. Additionally, most Walmart Associates fall below the poverty line. Being a retail industry leader, Walmart has the opportunity to set industry standards for wages and benefits, but unfortunately, all they care about is the bottom line. Here's in interesting article that talks about wages, and how it would be easy for Walmart to raise wages http://walmartwatch.org/blog/archives/12-an-hour-would-be-easy-lift-for-walmart/

For some people, Walmart is their only option because it's all they can afford. However, I'm lucky enough to be able to choose where I shop, and I will never choose Walmart again!

Check out some more information about Walmart here www.walmartwatch.org

And if you need more convincing, check out http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/