Do you believe Walmart is bad for the U.S. economy?

Republicans must hate Walmart for so many reasons. The Stock is one of the largest traded on Wall Street, making $Billions in fees for all those brokers and "prosperity" for all those "investing capitalists" that are so hated. Walmart sells all the goods from the factories that Bain Capital and other hedge funds have moved to China and Vietnam, which makes those "Communists" so profitable. Walmart employs a million citizens who could better be drawing unemployment checks or starving, like those "freeloaders" should do. And, they employ all those old folks and so many with handicaps of various sorts, the ones that all good "conservatives" would rather see dead before they can draw Social Security or Medicare benefits. And, of course, that damned company pays $Billions in Federal Taxes which supports those "progressive" and "socialist" programs like gifts to Big Oil and Big Pharma, and wars in the Mideast. Is it any wonder that this company is so hated by the right wing proponents of "capitalism" and "free market economies"?

LOL... voted for Odumba hey?

Do you think he shops at Walmart, or some other connection to the President?

Their low prices are a direct result of shipping jobs out of America and into China and other countries where the labor costs are minimal and Walmart profits are maximized. They kill the American businesses as they can no longer compete and as Americans become poorer they have no choice but to shop at Walmart.

Walmart depends on Bain Capital and other hedge funds and Reagan Banks to move the manufacturers to China and elsewhere. They busy themselves with selling the products
made from wherever. Retailing is their business, not buying and reselling manufacturers.

Watch the movie. It is their job to shut down manufacturers that don't agree with the way they run things. It is shocking to see the actual truth.

I suppose the cover to this piece of crap gave you no clue that it was just a propaganda with some purpose? I'm surprised it didn't have a photo of Obama
on the front. Any "manufacturer" that has a viable product capable of attracting
a following has no reason to fear Walmart - they can sell their output elsewhere.

I shopped today at three stores, including Walmart, buying there only what I wished. No one is forced to buy there, and no one is forced to have their products stocked on their shelves. What is this silly story about Walmart forcing a manufacturer to buy shelf space there?

Just watch the movie. They explain it all, from the people that went through it.

Propaganda is generally cleverly done, whether by a book or written word, or a movie or televised story. Expose yourself to a lot of it and pretty soon it will fill your head and you will believe it without thinking. That is the what makes such outlets as Fox networks' propaganda so effective, it repeats a constant theme of Anti-American "issues" and rantings from paid pundits.

Of course there can be stories of persons aggrieved by a company growing like Walmart into it's dominate position. We could also make a movie of the auto industry and reconstruct the whines of Tucker, Studebaker, Stanley, Hudson,
DeLorean, and a dozen more who couldn't compete with Ford and GM. Times change, consumer demands change, economics change, and nothing remains the same for very long. Survival today demands flexibility and adaptation.

Absolutely.

Let's see: Lower wages. Factories moved overseas. Family businesses shut down. Small towns vacant across the country. Everyone loses except for Walmart's shareholders. Walmart has singlehandedly done more to destroy America's middle class than any other organization, public or private.

The process is part of that thing called "Reaganomics" that Reagan's Cabinet Secretaries told me about in 1980. The profits should "trickle down" on all who play in the game. Buy
some Walmart stock and get you share of the "trickle". Shop there and enjoy the low prices
that Mom and Pop can't duplicate. American might have no middle class were it not for the
prices at Walmart. Middle class certainly can't afford more with their income investments earning less than 1%.

two words my friend:::SOCIALIZED SHOPPING. I'm not yelling I'm just making it big for everyone to see

i shop at wal-mart lol

I think Walmart meets the needs of many people, I am a retired unionized professional office worker, I realize the importance of union loyality. However, I understand that people have to do what they have to do do to make ends meet and everybody has not been privileged to be employed by good paying union jobs, and if the Republicans have their way unions will be nothing but a memory.. I enjoy shopping at Walmart, but would honestly appreciate it more if they were unionized.

Walmart has a lot to do with the demise of unions over the last 40 years. It's not just their stores; their suppliers are also overseas and/or nonunionized.

The demise of unions is a good thing. As I recall, they started buying overseas when they were unable to find "Made in the USA" goods.

It's great if your goal is to destroy America's middle class and reduce the wages of working people.

Don't believe the crap about them being unable to find American products. What they really mean is "unable to find American products made at starvation wages like they can get in third world countries".

Those are the same democrat talking points we hear all the time about Wal*Mart. I'm not buying them.

The demise of the unions began with Ronald Regan. Walmart is not the only business that does not want to unionize. Nonetheless, Walmart's prices are awesome, Kroger kills me, the prices there tend to be too high.

Then you couldn't afford the prices and would have to shop somewhere else? Count the blessing as they are, not wishing for additional costs and burdens fo Walmart to pass on to consumers.

I really don't have one clue of what you just said!

You wrote earlier that you would be most happy if Walmart employees were unionized. Then, you expressed your appreciation of the low prices at Walmart. I was just suggesting you recognize that these two matters are nearly polar opposities. Were the workforce unionized prices would likely be greatly higher and Walmart could not have grown to the size it is or have the power to command low prices from it's suppliers to pass on to it's customers. Unfortunately, it is undeniable that unionized work forces invariably cost more in wages, benefits, and work division, often to the extent that the employers cannot compete and must close their doors.

and I do, but whether they are unionized or not, I would still patronize their business. I do appreciate their low prices, and believe me they are no threat to the Kroger stores.

There will always be room for retailers serving differing income groups and
differing motivations. Nordstroms, Pennys, Whole Foods, Kroger, BMW, Honda, all serve different markets. Walmart has a broad niche, selling to those who are price conscious, either from necessity or just wise shoppers.

I agree

oooh!
let me point out one thing i don't like about that entire statement: unionized
Do you believe that people should be able to have their own business?

Of course people should be permitted to have their own businesses, also in reference to the question at hand, if Walmart is prospering, and paying taxes, they are contributing to the economy in a positive way. We are a free country, and if there are those who don't want to patronize Walmart, they shouldn't. Another factor to take into consideration is unfairness in the work place, with a union in place, 1) your wages are going to be better, and 2) everyone will work on an equality basis.

walmart is the reason small-town businesses are going OUT OF business

That might be true, however, people are spending their hard earned money at Walmart because of the cheap prices, and because the Republican government saw fit to close down working places in America to other countries, leaving people with no other choice but to maintain as best they can, even if it means shopping at Walmart, The bottom line the economy is still benefiting from any money that Walmart earns.

It encourages exporting jobs to China and India. It kill mom and pop stores. It drops wages in an area. It passes on its employee's health care costs to the rest of us. The low prices are nice but they are very costly.

How do they encourage jobs to China or India they are the largest empolyer in the world.As for their healthcare plan they pay most of the premium and the employee covers the rest.The employee has the option to buy healthcare if they don't but you can't blame WalMart.

Their suppliers are forced to move their operations overseas or they will be shut out of Walmart. Walmart would gladly shut down a supplier's entire supply chain in America and shut down an entire town in the process if they thought they could save a penny making the same trinket in Malaysia.

Go to a Walmart and look for something made in the USA and get back to me.

If you provide insurance that covers almost nothing and pay your employees at a level where they don't have enough money to buy it then the company shares the blame. They also used to give their employees a class in how to apply for medicaid.

Before I retired I worked at WalMart.We had Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance it cost me $10.00 when I went to a doctor.You say their Ins. almost covers nothing well I never had "almost nothing" but every time I went to my doctor I was covered.WalMart has a lot of things made in America.All you have to do is walk through the Auto dept. or electronics tou will find Goodyear and GE and while you are there check out the garden dept.or the pharmacy.Yes you can find things from other countries but there are only a very few stores that carry 100% American made.

When did you retire. I understand Sam Walton was very pro American made but his kids are not. I am obviously, operating from what I read. Were you in management or line before you retired. Was there a benefit difference?