For those of you who worship Walmart...

[NCBirdfan]

...this is what you are really paying for...or should I say, NOT paying for...

At a meeting convened in 2011 to boost safety at Bangladesh garment factories, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) made a call: paying suppliers more to help them upgrade their manufacturing facilities was too costly.

At the April 2011 meeting in Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, retailers discussed a contractually enforceable memorandum that would require them to pay Bangladesh factories prices high enough to cover costs of safety improvements. Sridevi Kalavakolanu, a Wal-Mart director of ethical sourcing, told attendees the company wouldn’t share the cost, according to Ineke Zeldenrust, international coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign, who attended the gathering. Kalavakolanu and her counterpart at Gap reiterated their position in a report folded into the meeting minutes, obtained by Bloomberg News.

“Specifically to the issue of any corrections on electrical and fire safety, we are talking about 4,500 factories, and in most cases very extensive and costly modifications would need to be undertaken to some factories,” they said in the document. “It is not financially feasible for the brands to make such investments.”

To be fair, Walmart isn't the only company that cares more about profits than people, but they are the major player in the NOT MADE IN USA trend. I supported Walmart when they were owns by Sam, and when many of the products were made in the USA. But, today's Walmart is all about cheap products (and poor quality - you get what you pay for) no matter how they are made cheap.

[BlandFood]

Never go to Walmart, Ole Roy is now the same price as Alpo and Food Lion has the deli prices beat all to hell. FL also has a better, cleaner clientele.

Spotted DICKS is cheaper on ammo when it's on sale. The buy one get the other half price isn't CMP cheap but for local it's not bad. Gander Mtn just plain sucks with their prices.

[TheResearcher]

That Dark Knight Rises Blu-Ray set I picked up from WalMart this week? If it had been made in 'Merica, it would have cost twice what I paid. Epidemiology is not just a methodology that is used in medical research. There's a reason manufacturing jobs left the USA for overseas and it can be traced back to its origins. And WalMart is not at fault. There. You have your homework for the weekend. Now go get all epidemiological on it. That's like Gettin' Jiggy Widit only with a higher degree. BTW, I do not worship WalMart, but I really like Wegman's.

[Gopher]

I buy what I need regardless of where it's made. I do try to avoid union made products as long as there is a suitable alternative.

[NCBirdfan]

I buy what I need regardless of where it's made. I do try to avoid union made products as long as there is a suitable alternative.

Then don't ever complain about people being unemployed and on food stamps, because you are part of the problem. I have always had the exact opposite approach of yours. I invest a lot in my local economy and I also understand that union-made products are made by Americans.

You may hate unions for whatever reason (obviously it is not about higher prices to consumers because you stated you avoid union-made products regardless). But unions consists of American workers, like you or me. It could be your neighbor or people you know at church or at school. You are hurting them and, to me, I don't know how your actions could be any more unpatriotic. But this is America and you have the right to be that way.

[Steveg85321]

Like most human institutions following the normal progression of politics, bureaucracy and money, there was a time when unions were necessary, effective, good, and useful, but that time is not now. Like most things, they have evolved to exploit their own members at the public expense for the benefit of their leaders' greed for power and profit. Support and compassion for our neighbors does not = support for unions any longer.

As for Walmart, when possible I prefer to patronize the family run stores that have done business in the middle of my home town for many years, but that is not always feasible, and Walmart does offer a convenient and economical alternative. I do not worship any creations of man.

[zenwalk]

It's great to be living on top of a multibillion dollar empire built by minimum wage and cheap manufacturing abroad that has led the charge away from the American worker. Wall Street loves them. As the small businesses vanished in the shadow of the mighty Walton fortune it sholuld be noted that not all discounters are vampire job killers. Costco pays it's staff $17 and hour with bennies. Wall Street thinks Costco is a chump for being decent. Sad that everything has gotten reversed.

[NCBirdfan]

It's great to be living on top of a multibillion dollar empire built by minimum wage and cheap manufacturing abroad that has led the charge away from the American worker. Wall Street loves them. As the small businesses vanished in the shadow of the mighty Walton fortune it sholuld be noted that not all discounters are vampire job killers. Costco pays it's staff $17 and hour with bennies. Wall Street thinks Costco is a chump for being decent. Sad that everything has gotten reversed.

I am a member of Costco for that very reason (and that they have some pretty decent merchandise and food). My company used to have a booth at Costco and I got to know the employees there. They seem to be happier than their Walmart counterparts, and rightfully so. They are treated better. And last time I checked, Costco has been making a profit too. Imagine that?

[dsummoner]

There should be no food stamps.

That being said, the uppity socialists from Bangladesh need to check themselves before they wreck themselves. They are expendable and easily replaced. There is labor that is willing to replace their so-called labor. Perhaps when they are on the streets, with no jobs, holding Little Timmy G beggar bowls and selling their rings... then they might understand.

[BlandFood]

Giant has Italian link sausage for $2.99 a lb!

[bullmikey]

What about us who don't worship Walmart but who do not consider it to be the enemy of all things decent and good and humane? I mean the most I can manage when I think about Walmart is to work up one of those really disintrerested shrugs.

I mean it's Walmart; it's boring, the customer service stinks and the check out lines crawl. After my first exposure to that particular delight many, many years ago, I've never gone back for a repeat performance. But I see no reason to hate it the way some folks do; I just shop elsewhere or, better yet, let mrs. bullmikey do the shopping for me, since she seems to like that sort of activity a lot more than I do.

I don't get this hostility to Walmart within the liberal camp. Don't approve of how they operate, don't give them your business. But why seek to deny other folks something they obviously like? Sometimes I think liberalism really is a mental disorder. Well, maybe with Obamacare they'll finally come out with a pill for it.

[Contumacious]

To be fair, Walmart isn't the only company that cares more about profits than people, .

The *****ONLY******thing that WalMart - my favorite store - is required to do is provide me with good merchandise at the lowest possible cost.

They are not required to run the company into the ground , as the scumbag federal bureaucrats have done to our country.

No one is forcing you on your ilk to shop there. If you you enjoy paying more go to any Rodeo Drive store in Beverly Hills.

.

[songfourone]

Then don't ever complain about people being unemployed and on food stamps, because you are part of the problem. I have always had the exact opposite approach of yours. I invest a lot in my local economy and I also understand that union-made products are made by Americans.

You may hate unions for whatever reason (obviously it is not about higher prices to consumers because you stated you avoid union-made products regardless). But unions consists of American workers, like you or me. It could be your neighbor or people you know at church or at school. You are hurting them and, to me, I don't know how your actions could be any more unpatriotic. But this is America and you have the right to be that way.

Live better, Work union Great post NCBird!

[BlandFood]

Live better, Work union Great post NCBird!

How many Jap cars do you and chickenman own?

[songfourone]

How many Jap cars do you and chickenman own?

None

[songfourone]

How many Jap cars do you and chickenman own?

In the private sector they are called seagulls

[BlandFood]

In the private sector they are called seagulls

The Navy called them gov't leeches, yardbirds and sandcrabs. Those are the ones allowed to be spoken within tos :shrug:

[songfourone]

The Navy called them gov't leeches, yardbirds and sandcrabs. Those are the ones allowed to be spoken within tos :shrug:

In the world of the merchant navy those wearing seagulls are in real command, actually running things

:shrugs: LOL

[hst2]

What about us who don't worship Walmart but who do not consider it to be the enemy of all things decent and good and humane? I mean the most I can manage when I think about Walmart is to work up one of those really disintrerested shrugs.

I mean it's Walmart; it's boring, the customer service stinks and the check out lines crawl. After my first exposure to that particular delight many, many years ago, I've never gone back for a repeat performance. But I see no reason to hate it the way some folks do; I just shop elsewhere or, better yet, let mrs. bullmikey do the shopping for me, since she seems to like that sort of activity a lot more than I do.

I don't get this hostility to Walmart within the liberal camp. Don't approve of how they operate, don't give them your business. But why seek to deny other folks something they obviously like? Sometimes I think liberalism really is a mental disorder. Well, maybe with Obamacare they'll finally come out with a pill for it.

Well, now they have blood on their hands.

[OldBay]

The hate for labor is misplaced. The minimum wage shops are being subsidized by taxpayers. The working poor can get social services and EITC. Without those taxpayer-provided bennies, they could make the rational decision to collect more in welfare bennies and not bother to work at all.

A fair discussion would be how are the income levels set and how much benefit is required. I wonder about this when I'm stuck in a line behind someone paying for $497 worth of junk food and more red meat - with an independence card, than I'll eat in 10 years.