Tis the Season to get Trampled at WalMart

[Benwa]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/01/national/main586044.shtml

Stampeding people aren't just for rock concerts and burning night clubs anymore. some poor schlub waiting to get into walmart got trampled. this incident represents a festering boil on the butthole of capitalism. It seems the holiday lunacy gets worse and worse every year. Someones going to get shot one day over a bargain or the hot toy of the year. it sucks she got trampled but for some reason I have trouble feeling too sorry for her. A Bah-humbug to all.

[kitalyn414]

i can't believe they didn't give her the stupid dvd player for free. morons.

[Maraschinored]

Yuck, yuck, and more yuck. People are trash, really they are. They make me want to vomit. (Okay, you think I made my point?)

[Benwa]

I also liked the fact they are still making her pay for the DVD player. "Hey lady, we'll just hold it for you until you heal up real good." It's $29 for crying out loud. I also find it humorous that they found her face down, clutching her DVD player. Its just a funny image in my head. I bet if it broke under her fall they probably will charge her for it.

And the three wisemen came from afar following the burning star. Upon their arrival they presented three gifts purchased from walmart: A five gallon bucket of pickles for $3.00, A Sanyo DVD player made of shoddy parts in a Chinese sweatshop, and a giant inflatable Santa Clause made of shoddy material in a chinese sweatshop. So Mary and the wisemen popped in Ernest Saves Christmas on DVD with special deleted scenes, Joseph climbed to the top of the stable to erect the giant Santa Clause to show the neighbors how much their christmas spirit sucks compared to his, while Baby Jesus sucked on a chemical filled dill pickle and had visions either from his divine nature or the nitrates in the pickle. And so the first christmas was celebrated. Allelujah, praise be to God.

[red]

wal-mart is an honest business? are you joking?
sorry, but the last thing i would call wal-mart is honest. from their labor practices to the way that they drive small businesses out of town... i'd rather starve than spend a penny of my money at wal-mart.
everything cheap at wal-mart comes with a price.

[RedHead1420]

walmart is the devil as far as im concerned. sure they have cheap stuff, but aside from dealing with less-than-clean stores and bitchy employees (most of the time, there are some nice ones too i guess), they're just feeding the demand for american consumerism to the point where it makes me want to puke.

and as for the trampled lady, they should give her a freakin DVD player and not make her pay, it'd be a nice PR mood and maybe something for the spirit of the holiday season.

[red]

i guess the difference is that i don't want to make a buck by stealing it from someone who actually worked for it. i am not going to comment on consumerism, but their labor and business practices are deplorable. like locking your employees in the store and making them clock out to avoid paying overtime? or hiring illegal workers and then lying about it? or not giving them benefits? or promoting sexism in the workplace by not promoting women to management positions?
the social costs of this cheap stuff are very high.
and personally, i have never ever shopped at wal-mart. never will. i buy my milk direct from the farmer and i plan to keep it that way.

[red]

here are just a few examples, but there are a couple of class-action suits going on right now, one based on the stealing overtime and another for discrimination. it's pretty interesting, if you keep an eye out i know you will see it in the news (i always FW the article to my friend who shops at walmart bcs i am annoying like that)

http://www.ufcw.org/press_room/press_releases_2002/walmartlawsuit.cfm

http://quickstart.clari.net/qs_se/webnews/wed/bs/Qus-walmart-immigrants.RlrS_DOO.html

[pisces2473]

The sad thing is that even if you don't like Walmart, most people still have to shop there because there's no alternative--either because they have the cheapest stuff if you're on a limited budget, they drove out the smaller retailers in your area, or you live in the middle of nowhere. There are so many anti-trust issues with Microsoft and the fact that it might be a monopoly, but what about Walmart? Talk about being bullied into where you shop...

Red, I know you live in NYC, so you have more options than someone living in a rural area. I'm glad you can avoid the Walmart trap. I wish it were easier for us all to do it.

[red]

my parents live in a rural area (VT) and they don't shop there either- but i guess you could say i come from a very socially conscious family.
anyway, i'm not saying i don't love a bargain. but the way i see it, walmart drives down wages for people all over the country, and they can do things that other retailers cannot bcs of their size. and they cheat their workers. and you know, my husband is out of work, i have been looking for a job for over a year now- who's to say that that couldn't be me, wearing the blue smock?
it's just not worth it to me.

[RedHead1420]

I heard this morning that FAO - the big toy store - is in going bankrupt (again) because stores like Walmart and Toys R Us are taking so much business away because of lower prices. So even bigger businesses are being taken over.

[Peanut]

Originally posted by red
who's to say that that couldn't be me, wearing the blue smock?

I know what you mean, when my parents divorced my mom worked a second job at Wal-Mart to help make ends meet. She never complained once - even though I knew she hated it there. Aren't moms great...the things they will do for their kids!

[girlinterrupted]

Believe me, we will all be seniors wearing the blue smocks and handing out the carts, b/c by the time we are supposed to retire the whole system will be so messed up, there won't be any social security left. We will have to work at Wal-Mart because it will be the only business left. :cry:

Sorry, that was depressing, this is supposed to be the "just for fun" thread! So here :)

[red]

tell me about it!

[tarawvu]

I don't think Wal-Mart is much different than other businesses. Everyone is trying to make a quick buck. Look at Kroger. Their workers have been on strike for going on 8 weeks now b/c the company wants to raise the cost for their benefits. People around here try to blame the strike on Wal-Mart but in the end, it has nothing to do with that. Wal-Mart employs just as many people, if not more than Kroger. It has to do with the American economy. As long as workers continue to settle for cheap work and no benefits then employers are going to continue to take advantage. Jobs are hard to come by this days and I think a lot of people are willing to take what they can get. I say this b/c like many people, I'm stuck in a dead end job where I'm continually taken advantage of.

[Peanut]

Actually, Wal-Mart has or at least had employee benefits, even for part-time workers. They had some kind of stock options. I don't know much about it though....obviously. :p

[pisces2473]

Stock options are nice, but if you're a single mom making minimum wage and are not making ends meet, the last thing you're going to think about are stock options. Let's offer them a living wage, not a minimum one. That just sounds so evil...minimum wage? Like, we would really pay you less if we could, but we HAVE to at least pay you this much. Sounds slimey...

[tarawvu]

I agree Pisces, but Wal-Mart actually does pay above minimum wage. I think your salary increases overtime...like the longer you're there, the more you make. After working there for about a year in college, I was making $6 an hour by the time I quit. I know, not a lot of money but at least it was higher than minimum wage. Wal-Mart does offer stock options for employees. It's a great plan and most employees take advantage of it. In fact, I still have stock in Wal-Mart, which is why I shop there.

[girlinterrupted]

When was the last time minimum wage was raised, 1975? I mean it's really sad.

[Peanut]

I think minimum wage was raised around 10 years ago...1993 or close to there. If I had paid more attention in my compensation and benefits class I could tell you. :)

[red]

minimum wage is $5.15. that is just gross.
anyway, i am not saying that all companies aren't out to make a buck. i am saying that wal-mart is the largest and has the biggest impact on the labor market. they also happen to be the ones with the most offensive violations of labor law.

[StateNAurora]

It's not a question of minimum wage but rather a living wage. Look at your monthly cost of living and see if $6.00/hr will get you by, I'm sure it won't. Now make up a bare bones budget see just how may sacrifices you would have to make to live on $6.00/hour. Minimum wage is not a realistic wage but rather the lowest an employer can pay you with breaking the law. Minimum wage is for wait staff, strippers, and anyone else who works for tips.

[kitalyn414]

apparently the "victim" has a history of making these sort of claims. either she is totally accident prone, or completely full of sh*t.

Wal-Mart victim has a history of claims. (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-trampled05120503dec05,0,7145810.story?coll=orl-home-headlines)

[Benwa]

I suspected there was a high probability she is full of crap. I mean how hard is it to fake a seizure. Even when I posted the original article I suspected there was a good chance she was a little full of it.

I hear the family whose accusing Micheal Jackson has a history of suing people as well. I think they sued Home Depot or something. People amaze me.

[StateNAurora]

I work in insurance, yek!, and you wouldn't believe the claims that get filed. People try to get anything from the smallest "accident." Thankfully most of them are turned. Doesn't this all have to do with tort reform, suing companies for the smallest things in hopes a huge pay day?

[red]

i also read that the woman was full of crap. it doesn't really matter to me. i still refuse to shop at walmart. if they are plagued by frivolous lawsuits, then they are getting what they deserve. you screw people, you get screwed. it's karma.
here is another story about the evils of wal-mart:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/07/weekinreview/07LOHR.html

[StateNAurora]

Here in Syracsue Wal Mart wants to build a super a center. The problem is a little 90 year old lady refuses to relinquish her property. She wants to stay in the house she has lived in for over 45 years. 45 years, can you imagine living in a place that long, hell just imagine doing anything that long. She says that she won't accept any amount af money to relocate. In the end the city will seize her property to make way for Wal Mart, which is "in the best interest of the community." Maybe they chain her to the door as a greeter?