The Wal*Mart Epidemic
Here’s a very, very disturbing statistic: “93% of all American households have shopped at Wal*Mart at least once during the last 12 months.” (from Brand Autopsy). When I read that statistic, I was both somewhat amazed and quite disgusted. And then I realized something. I was part of the problem.
Last November, suffering from sleep deprivation and general disorientation from our arrival to Puerta Vallarta the evening before, my wife and I found ourselves walking a few miles from our hotel in search of breakfast. We eventually found VIPS, an excellent Denny’s-esque Mexican restaurant (tortas, huevos and coffee!), shuddering in the shadow of Puerta Vallarta’s Wal*Mart. Needing sundries, as well as some small change for a cab ride back to our hotel, we went the only place that was available to us at the time. And yes, I’m ashamed.
It was both gargantuan and grotesque, and also lacking in most of the stuff we normally buy. Plopped out on the major road that runs parallel to the coast, it stands out as a cold, pudgy foreigner in an otherwise warm and friendly place. I am happy to say that that was the first visit I have ever made to a Wal*Mart, as well as the last.
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What is it about Wal*Mart that makes it a location at which 93% of American families would open their wallets (is there anything else to do during a “visit”?)? If such a majority will spend money there at least once a year, then perhaps it is the minority that is really off their rockers. If 93% of US families want big-business, union-busting, wage-suppressing, sweat shop-supporting companies to dot the national (and international) landscape, who am I to say that there is something wrong with that? (Well, as noted, apparently I am unfortunately lumped into that statistic).
But maybe all of the 93% were wandering around some foreign country at 7 in the morning, hungry, tired, not used to all of the exhaust coming from passing traffic, and simply in need of a few apples, sun screen and some agua. Maybe.
TAGS: Wal*Mart | Unions | Walton | Corporation
This entry was posted on Saturday, August 27th, 2005 at 8:53 pm and is filed under Business Ethics, Interesting News, Social Enterprise. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
August 28th, 2005 at 1:22 pm
First visit exellent web site; a wealth of information. Reddaniel@aol.com
August 28th, 2005 at 1:24 pm
Thanks Amos!
March 31st, 2006 at 8:52 am
Walmart have always been part of our family lives; simply because the products are great and the price is even better, they do not mind passing the savings on to the customer. I have shopped there and found products at a lower price and Sams also; When I need an item my wife will say tr Walmart or Sams. I remember I purchased a hose it was on sale it begam to leak I brought it back with no receipt and it was exchanged with no questions asked.
March 31st, 2006 at 9:11 am
Amos: Thank you very much for the comment! I’d love to hear more about your experiences with Wal*Mart. I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I’ve only shopped in their stores one time, so I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of such things as their service or how happy their employees seem.
My decision not to shop there has a lot to do with their overall business practices, which from an economic standpoint (depending on what perspective you take) can be fairly detrimental. However, many people will mention the often repeated phrase that Wal*Mart is great for consumers and bad for employees. It sounds like you are a fairly happy Wal*Mart consumer an that you have personally benefited from their low prices and service, which I think is wonderful.
Admittedly, I have a very established opinion and focus regarding Wal*Mart and other similar businesses, so I often forget or neglect to acknowledge that there are a lot of people out there that have found a lot of value in being a Wal*Mart patron. Thank you for the reminder.
I’ve made a few posts recently that you may find useful or interesting:
- Positive Talk About Wal*Mart
- Costco, Starbucks and Fair Trade Coffee
The first has a link to another blog (The Business Ethics blog) that offers a great post about some of the positive aspects of Wal*Mart. The second is about Costco (which is often compared with Wal*Mart) and has a few links in it that provide some data about the company as well as Wal*Mart.
Thank you again for your comments!