WalMart

WalMart is a discount store that operates mainly in the US, which was found in 1962 by Sam Walton. It is the world’s largest public corporation by revenue, generating an estimated $387.68billion. It operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the UK as ASDA, and in Japan as Seiyu. It has wholly-owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Puerto Rico. WalMart’s investments outside North America have had mixed results: its operations in South America and China are highly successful, while it was forced to pull out of Germany and South Korea when ventures there were unsuccessful.

WalMart has been criticized by some community groups, women’s rights groups, grassroots organizations, and labor unions, specifically for its extensive foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and alleged sexism.

WalMart’s business model is that they sell a wide variety of general products at competitively low prices. This has had various blips in its years of running, as their discounted products are generally frowned upon and are thought of as a cheap alternative. 

Full-time WalMart employees earn an average of $10.11 per hour. This isn’t a particularly princely sum, and the cruel reality is that many employees with children are frequently earning below the poverty line. WalMart have often been criticised for not giving their employees any financial backing, no healthcare cover for fulltime employees nor any sustanance. However, WalMart are often attacked because of the fact that they are the largest employer, and thereby the largest public company, in the USA. WalMart have also opposed having the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would make it easier for workers to form unions.

WalMart are currently in the midst of a gender discrimination lawsuit. The lawsuit suggests that female employees were discriminated against for issues regarding salaries and promotions. According to WalMart’s own files, female employees made up 65% of WalMart’s hourly-paid workforce, but only 33% of its management.

Many people who oppose WalMart’s ways have set up various organisations and groups that work together to “fight the system”, and hopefully “end WalMart’s tyranny”. I completely disagree with this, and I think it’s not a feasilbe idea. WalMart have awful standards of pay, and they may face discriminatory hearings, but, unfortunately, this will never cease to happen. WalMart’s reign as America’s top-dog won’t come to an end any time soon. Their corporate structurs and business models dictate this and the general public will continue to buy from WalMart because of their ridiculously low prices. Unfortunately, smaller businesses who offer items on the cheap are suffering because of WalMart. 

However, I cannot ponder these questions for too long as my local WalMart just received a new order of oven gloves, and I need to get my hands of them soon before they all go out of stock.

Until next week…