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I’ve been doing a little research into the doings of Walmart. I was by no means surprised by what I found, because I’ve known for a long time that Walmart has a terrible record. The problem’s with this mega corporation are many and terrible. And they’re my topic for today.
Walmart is the largest employer in the United States, and it employs 1.2 million Americans. That is just under twice the population of the city of Winnipeg, Canada, where I live. Internationally it employs 900 thousand more. As a result, the way they treat their employees has a much larger impact on things that the average retailer. Walmart has a terrible record of child labor law violations, reportedly making employees under eighteen work over meal breaks, work very late, work with dangerous machinery, and work during school hours. Gender equality is another issue that dogs Walmart. The corporation has a shameful history of paying women an average of $5,000 less annually than men.
One step removed, Walmart’s constant pressure to keep prices low has been connected with the move by their suppliers to produce goods through factories in low-wage countries. The demand for low prices means that manufacturers often cannot pay minimum wage and still make a profit large enough to continue with production without doing this. Thus, Walmart and companies like it are partially responsible for perpetuating systems that abuse workers in the developing world.
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Another terrible truth about Walmart is that it is indirectly responsible for large welfare costs in the United States, as it pays below the poverty line. All that low income assistance is paid for by American taxpayers. Not only that, but this retail giant receives huge tax breaks, free or under-priced land, tax increment financing, and many other economic subsidies besides.
As far as environmental problems go, I would like to be able to say that there aren’t any with Walmart, but it wouldn’t be true. The reality is that United States government has already sued Walmart for violation of the Clean Water Act in nine states. It also has been shown that Walmart has been improperly handling the petroleum tanks at its automobile service centers. Violations include failure to install devices that prevent overflow.
So that is what I’ve learned about Walmart. I’m even less inclined to shop there knowing that the company has been practicing such bad business. What do you think of mega-corporations like Walmart and their business practices? Leave me you’re thoughts in the comments.
Copyright 2011 Emily Strempler
Is the real problem Walmart or our insatable need to buy goods for less than they should realistically be sold for when all the real costs are added in, such as environmental and waste management, labour and benefits, and so on? North American consumers created Walmart by flocking to the lowest prices. Check out http://www.storyofstuff.com/
It’s true. I’ve seen the story of stuff. And multiple economists saying that she’s missing some essential understanding. Though I get your point.
There are so many complications to this argument, it’s literally endless. If only we lived in a world where everyone shared and shared alike, and no one wanted more or better than the next person!
There are some attention-grabbing points in time in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them heart to heart. There is some validity but I’ll take maintain opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we want extra! Added to FeedBurner as properly
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