# Walmart Asks Employees to Donate to Employees



## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

How vulgar is this? The company that profited 15.7 billion dollars last year is asking low wage employees to donate food to other low wage employees.

Wal-Mart Asks Workers To Donate Food - Business Insider


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## retired guard (Mar 7, 2013)

We have a segment of society that believes accumulating money is justification for everything else. This is not bashing making money I do it myself. It is not however a solitary reason for existence.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

I saw this it's a absolute joke....


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

I about exclaimed SATIRE
but it is not. a load of bull, i tell ya. tell the ceos to fork over some food, money grubbing POS'


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## FFARL (Apr 22, 2013)

Another way to look at it is that 100 people making the exact same wage will have 100 different situations. Some folks might be quite comfortable on what they make at walmart, while others, stricken with certain expenses (Injury, death of a loved one, etc) might be having a pretty hard time, particularly around the holidays. No one is being made to do anything here, and if you think about it, it's a nice gesture. 

When I was younger, I worked for a lot less than they make at walmart now. I busted my ass and got somewhere because I felt I needed to. Others, don't and that's cool too. 

Just playing devil's advocate, but this doesn't seem like the worst thing a company could do.


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## Titan6 (May 19, 2013)

FFARL said:


> Another way to look at it is that 100 people making the exact same wage will have 100 different situations. Some folks might be quite comfortable on what they make at walmart, while others, stricken with certain expenses (Injury, death of a loved one, etc) might be having a pretty hard time, particularly around the holidays. No one is being made to do anything here, and if you think about it, it's a nice gesture.
> 
> When I was younger, I worked for a lot less than they make at walmart now. I busted my ass and got somewhere because I felt I needed to. Others, don't and that's cool too.
> 
> Just playing devil's advocate, but this doesn't seem like the worst thing a company could do.


Well said!!


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

Whew. I was sfraid nobody would play the advocate. Thanks!

Sure, there are worse things a corporation can do, and they have done them. What would be a better thing to do, considering the profit making compared to the low wage, part time hiring? Lead the way. Yes, that is voluntary, too. 

This, to me, is nothing more than a slap in the face and not a nice gesture.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

i dont like Walmart anyway. My husband worked there before he went into the army and they are tyrants with their employees. i usually shop at a local level, smaller stores. if i dont like em, i avoid em


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> i dont like Walmart anyway. My husband worked there before he went into the army and they are tyrants with their employees. i usually shop at a local level, smaller stores. if i dont like em, i avoid em


We try to do that, too. Problem is that Walmart owns so much of the market in Alabama. We are learning to shop on the internet more, use locally produced veggies, etc.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Alabama is tough. I was in Huntsville for a bit and all I found was Walmarts and Targets.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Alabama is tough. I was in Huntsville for a bit and all I found was Walmarts and Targets.


Same with Georgia. I spent some time in Gainesville. When I first went up there, there was a sonic, and the "new" (2006?) super Walmart center to hang out at.

And I went to Gainesville to get AWAY from a big town and walmarts. Walmarts are a PARASITE! Plain and simple.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

I don't know why everyone gets all butt hurt about a company making a profit. Big or Small, they are in business to make money. Thats what Makes America, the ablity to go out there and WIN. Nothing wrong with what they are doing at all. People are not forced to work there at gun point.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Yeah, anyone can make $$, 
but if you are running a business, you cant treat the people who work for you like little shits. they are laboring for your profit, give em some respect.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Walmart puts local business out, sucks the life from a small town. they are tyrants, bullies.. Like monsanto puttin our farmers out of work. its not right, thats why i stress buying local


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

wesley762 said:


> I don't know why everyone gets all butt hurt about a company making a profit. Big or Small, they are in business to make money. Thats what Makes America, the ablity to go out there and WIN. Nothing wrong with what they are doing at all. People are not forced to work there at gun point.


Wes, what say we don't try and turn this into a capitalist v communist thing. That is not at all the point. This thread is not suggesting corporations not make a profit, and it is not suggesting people are being enslaved, is it? Then again, are they? Guess not. Guess they could go into bank robbing, right?

No, Wes, I am for profit, don't get me wrong. I think maybe you are missing the point. Not only do they feel the need to muzzle the oxen, but they also take pleasure in rubbing their noses in it.

The multi-billion dollar in profit last year corporation, an huge profit made by selling cheap garbage and employing people in a manner that prevents them from making a full week of work much less any hope of overtime, so generously suggests that employees give to one another. Wow, at the generosity! Matter of fact, that should sound familiar - people being generous with other people's money?


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

I dont mind working. I gotta work, I work hard for my keep, but if a company is treating me like shit in a town where they ran out all of the other businesses, there is a problem, yeah? Thats what Walmart does. At least thats what happened where I live. But, I dont work there, thankfully, haha.. A lot of people are stuck and its the only thing they can find, so they put up with it, and it sucks.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Yeah, anyone can make $$,
> but if you are running a business, you cant treat the people who work for you like little shits. they are laboring for your profit, give em some respect.


They can treat them however they want as long as they are not breaking any laws, any business can. Wal-Mart is just demonized because of their size, and because they do turn a profit. Wal-Mart is a prime example of Capitalism at its best. If you do not like it vote with your wallet and never step foot in one again.



jesstheshow said:


> Walmart puts local business out, sucks the life from a small town. they are tyrants, bullies.. Like monsanto puttin our farmers out of work. its not right, thats why i stress buying local


Again this is how Capitalism works, the guy with the best widget at the best price will win 98% of the time. Mom and Pop shops 98% of the time are prices at a 20 to 30% premium compared to most of these big box stores. I cannot afford to pay a 20 to 30% premuim so they can overcharge for product.

I do not work for walmart at all, I do work in sales though. I work for a large company and I know all to well how this works.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Eh, I do vote with my wallet. Didnt ya see where I said I dont shop there? I know theyre allowed to do it, but it doesnt mean its right. You're a little biased though, being a salesman.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

And anyways, Walmart is another business that likes to hire foreigners oversees, outsourcing jobs. Forget those guys


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Eh, I do vote with my wallet. Didnt ya see where I said I dont shop there? I know theyre allowed to do it, but it doesnt mean its right. You're a little biased though, being a salesman.


I am still a consumer also, I spend money just like you.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

What the heck in the world?! Over-seas... With an a...


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

I have found the less you make the harder you work. I am going to retire soon but my work is a lot easier at $36 an hour maintenance then when I was making a couple dollars an hour in my younger years working in places like Walmart. It seemed like each job that came along with more pay was easier.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

I just dont like them. We just have different perspectives. You won't convince me that they're useful. If thats your thing, have at it. I will stay away from them


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

I am happy that Walmart being the #1 seller of Ammunition and guns didn't jack there ammo and gun prices way up like some companies like Cheaper Than Dirt that doubled them. As long as Walmart keeps prices the same as before the buying frenzy they will force prices back to normal.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

rickkyw1720pf said:


> I have found the less you make the harder you work. I am going to retire soon but my work is a lot easier at $36 an hour maintenance then when I was making a couple dollars an hour in my younger years working in places like Walmart. It seemed like each job that came along with more pay was easier.


I think you have a good point here.

Min. wage most of the time = min. skill.

Higher wages most of the time = more skill and responsibility.

People in most of the entry level jobs have almost no responsibility and accountability with their Job. You get paid for responsibility The more reasonability you have normally means the more pay you will receive in being compensated.

Prime example where I work. We all have a base pay, just a hair over min. wage. The more profit we make for the company the more it increase my pay.

Stocking the Shelf at a store helps but it's not going out and finding or increasing the bottom line for that business.

The people that are paid well help that business grow, expand and increase the bottom line.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

rickfromillinois said:


> If Walmart is such a terrible place to work, why are there such long lines of job applicants every time a new one opens? If you can't make a good living and raise a family working 40 hrs a week at a minimum wage job then either don't start a family, work more the 60 hrs a week (I held 2 jobs for a few years), or learn a skill so that you get a job that pays better then a minimum wage. The cold hard fact is that if you start paying wages of $25,000 a year for minimum wage the result will be that the price of everything will go up in a very short time and the actual buying power of those working minimum wage jobs will go back to where it was before and they will have just as hard of time making ends meet as they did before.


Lay-offs, childcare, lots of variables to consider when telling people to work more than one job and to not start a family... I do not believe in raising min wage, but inflation has been a bitch! Something has got to give. I've been fortunate, but I have family members that are doing all they can and still barely making it. Its not even about just Walmart or a companies fault.. I think the whole issue of living wage is on a larger scale than any company.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Lay-offs, childcare, lots of variables to consider when telling people to work more than one job and to not start a family... I do not believe in raising min wage, but inflation has been a bitch! Something has got to give. I've been fortunate, but I have family members that are doing all they can and still barely making it. Its not even about just Walmart or a companies fault.. I think the whole issue of living wage is on a larger scale than any company.


See that's the great thing about this country you control your destiny. You don't have to live in the poor house, it's just all about how much motivation you have to change this. I have worked very hard to get where I am. If it were not for bad luck I would have no luck at all. I have made my own success and worked very hard to get where I have. I have worked those low paying no skilled jobs before, and your right you cannot make a living at it but I decided to do something about it. It's not impossible it just simply takes hard work and time to get there.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

Many companies like Walmart and fast food companies have programs that will teach you manager skills for free that can both open doors to other jobs and be invaluable for the rest of your life. I always thought the minimum wage companies were just stepping stone to better jobs.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Well, in my grandmother's case. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly and she lasted about 4 years until the life insurance went away and the social security... The only thing she has now is disability. She lost her home, the one that they worked years and years and years for. She moved into a smaller home and had a house fire and insurance only covered so much. She now lives with my uncle and hates it. I guess she should just get off her ass and control her destiny, yeah?


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Or, my friend Jesseca. She has two kids, and last year she got into a major car accident and damaged her spine. She can really only work sit down jobs and she has a degree in business admin... Unfortunately, there are no jobs around that fit her skills and she is now working at a mcdonalds and can hardly work because of her injury. 
I guess she should just fix her damn back and get off her lazy ass. 

Jesseca is 26 years old and was making awesome $$, but got laid off because of her injury when she was hospitalized. when she tried to get her job back, it was "too bad"... She got unemployment for a bit, but hated not working, now she is worse off than what she was. Sucks.


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## retired guard (Mar 7, 2013)

wesley762 said:


> See that's the great thing about this country you control your destiny. You don't have to live in the poor house, it's just all about how much motivation you have to change this. I have worked very hard to get where I am. If it were not for bad luck I would have no luck at all. I have made my own success and worked very hard to get where I have. I have worked those low paying no skilled jobs before, and your right you cannot make a living at it but I decided to do something about it. It's not impossible it just simply takes hard work and time to get there.


Most folks decided to do something about it. Many made realistic plans to do it. Once again we are in a period in our history that these issues are mostly predetermined. A few will overcome this determination they will be exceptions. Will we enter an era of better opportunity? I doubt it. The integrity morality and intellectual honesty are not present in government or industry. We more and more resemble Rome at the end.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

I know where you are coming from, but until you see how people can get kicked around, you really dont know what you're talking about. I have been down the road of "if I dont like something, I do something about it", and I have. I have kicked ass over the years and now make a great living, but I have seen helpless situations that make me realize that sometimes, its not their fault that they are "poor". You gotta look on the other side every once in a while. Like I said, lots of variables. You dont know where they have been


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Well, in my grandmother's case. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly and she lasted about 4 years until the life insurance went away and the social security... The only thing she has now is disability. She lost her home, the one that they worked years and years and years for. She moved into a smaller home and had a house fire and insurance only covered so much. She now lives with my uncle and hates it. I guess she should just get off her ass and control her destiny, yeah?


If you really want to go there, Yes. Why did she not invest the life insurance into something sustainable, or why did he not have enough life insurance to pay off the house and keep her in the lifestyle she was accustom to? Did she spend the insurance money on things needed or did she wastefully spend it. Don't have enough of the story. Crapy things happen, and Life can just plan suck some times. If things are so bad for her and she is not able to work and you want to make it better for her go get a second job to fix that for her. Why did they not plan better?

But that is exactly why we are on this site to begin with, Plan for the worst and pray for the best.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Are you kidding me? Shes 80 freaking years old, and she pinched A LOT after he passed away. You sound like a privileged brat. You really do not come from lower middle class, do you? I dont think you have an inkling of what struggle is, friend


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Well, in my grandmother's case. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly and she lasted about 4 years until the life insurance went away and the social security... The only thing she has now is disability. She lost her home, the one that they worked years and years and years for. She moved into a smaller home and had a house fire and insurance only covered so much. She now lives with my uncle and hates it. I guess she should just get off her ass and control her destiny, yeah?


I am sorry about your grandmothers situation but in most cases like this if you could go back 30 years in their lives you would probably see that there were a lot of bad decisions that led to this situation. I know of people that turned down the companies 401k plan which was basically giving them 60 cents for every dollar they put in. It really doesn't take a lot of planing in your younger years to make sure you will be ok in your retirement. 
Quote: "I guess she should just get off her ass and control her destiny"
Sorry but you need to control your destiny at a much earlier age.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

My grandfather was a vietnam vet, drill sergeant, sergeant major.. My grandmother was a cook her whole life. Like I said, if you have never lived it, then I guess you dont have an idea.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

Hindsight is 20/20, but no one is talking about going back in time. We are talking about here and now, ya know?


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

All the planning in the world couldn't save the retirement investments that tanked a few years ago. I'm sure most of the people who lost their savings thought they were doing _the right thing_ as it had been touted for years. Sometimes shit happens, even to the best prepared. That's something we know and accept as preppers, that all our planning doesn't guarantee our survival if things go south, so why be so quick to judge the ambitions and foresight of a woman who clearly would have done things differently if she'd known how things would play out?


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

Control your own destiny? Make great decisions when you're young?

I have to put my story out there.

I was working a great job. Still somewhat check to check, but bills paid, food on the table, a little savings, and a small discretionary fund. Then someone who wanted my job spread lies, they believed it even though multiple tests proved otherwise. I can't fight it because the reason they put for my let go, is hard to disprove (slow work)

So I was forced out of work. MONTHS later, I finally get a part time gig. It's just maintenance and janitorial work, but its something. I worked myself out of a job, because I cleaned the hell out of everything, did a bunch of preventative maintenance, and now I'm only needed once a week for a couple hours. Should I have sucked at my job, and guaranteed my hours? Maybe, but its not right. Hell, last week was a 2 hour water heater install and 1 hour of that was driving to the Home Depot, and buying it.

So I've applied for a full time job. Haven't gotten it yet, might not get it.

BUT until I got the part time job, I burned through my savings like cheap pot.

Then when I got that part time job, I bought stuff for my rainwater system, fixed up the house a bit more, bought some plants and trees, drip irrigation system, searched craigslist and found a working oven, nice kitchen sink, wood fence material, insulation for an outbuilding, bought a beretta M9 and ammo. Bought LED lights for most of the house. But I DID sell one of my cars to free up a tiny bit of cash.

I do have friends who think I'm making the wrong decisions. I should bank all my money I get. I should invest it in stocks or bonds. Even just letting it sit in a savings account builds interest according to them.

But I'm securing a lifestyle here. Fruit trees, a garden, watered by free water (rainwater), using as little energy as possible, using as little water as possible. Using as little gas (natural and gasoline) as possible. Putting food and supplies away for an emergency (natural disaster, or manmade)

I'm only 27. I'm playing with the cards I was dealt. I will always be able to look back and say I should have thrown away the pair of kings because I would have been dealt a pair of aces.

But the reality is, you do what you do when you do it. You make a decision, pray its the right one, because you can't go back and change it. And sometimes you're wrong. Very very wrong. You just work through it, and try to make it as best you can.

Hell, I live in a trailer. It's cold in here most of the time. But I bundle up. It's dry inside when its raining outside. It's a bit warmer inside, when its cold outside. It's a bit cooler when it's hot outside. Would I rather have a house on 100 acres? Oh he'll yeah. And one day I might. I just have to work up to it. It's not in the cards. It may never be. I'll know when the time gets here.

But I'm by far NOT lazy. Do I have my lazy days. Yes I do. But I put hard work I to stuff.

Pulled these out of the ground to make room for a garden








That is a 6' ladder








Here is a before picture








And here is a bad after pic. Taken lower down the hill. To the left is where the yuccas were. To the right is where the garden area is. 








I guess the point of my post is

No one has the same opportunities as another. The best we can do is work with what we have, work hard to improve our situation, and be as self reliant as possible.

I'm trying to reduce my cost of living as much as possible. Seems I'm spending MORE on things to be independent than if I were just to pay the damn bill haha


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

I know the feeling! Once my husband got injured in the service, it took him almost 2 years to get work, so i had to work 2 and 3 jobs at times to keep up. life's tough


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Are you kidding me? Shes 80 freaking years old, and she pinched A LOT after he passed away. You sound like a privileged brat. You really do not come from lower middle class, do you? I dont think you have an inkling of what struggle is, friend


I am sorry you have to resort to name calling, Not my style. and unfortunately you know nothing about me. I was not privileged by any means. I was raised by a single mother raising 3 boys with no Father in site. She worked 2 very low paying jobs just to keep the power on and keep food on the table. I grew up wearing second hand clothes. I am sure you have heard the saying beans and rice, well that's what we ate. I started working at 12 years old to help my mother pay for things. I never had things given to me. I have always worked for what I have. I remember sitting in line for food stamps with my mom growing up because our father abandon us at a very young age.

I watched my mom struggle paying the bills and trying to keep us fed and clothed. I know first-hand what it is like to be poor. Like I said I have earned what I have and where I am at because I worked hard for it.

My childhood was a learning experience of what not to do, I grew up really fast because I had to. I learned you have to work hard and even harder to succeed in life. It will not be handed to you, you will have to earn it.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

so you know what its like to struggle, yet you can still put people down? Well, do you think that your mother shouldve waited to have kids? do you blame her for her situation? You'd think you wouldnt be so degrading and so quick to blame people for their circumstances, considering what your mother went through.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> so you know what its like to struggle, yet you can still put people down? Well, do you think that your mother shouldve waited to have kids? do you blame her for her situation? You'd think you wouldnt be so degrading and so quick to blame people for their circumstances, considering what your mother went through.


Not putting anyone down, just stating facts. I am sorry if some people just don't like them.


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## jesstheshow (Nov 18, 2013)

wesley762 said:


> Not putting anyone down, just stating facts. I am sorry if some people just don't like them.


Maybe your mother shouldnt have had kids, instead of struggled.

Farfetched, right? Thats basically what you were saying.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Maybe your mother shouldnt have had kids, instead of struggled.
> 
> Farfetched, right? Thats basically what you were saying.


Not what I was saying at all, She should have gotten a better education that would have produced a better income. Improved her income capablity. Her parents fault for not encourging that. She could have gone to night school and gotten a better education. Like I said I learned from my childhood what not to do. My mom was not pefect by any means and there are alot of things she could have done to do better.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

kevincali said:


> Control your own destiny? Make great decisions when you're young?
> 
> I have to put my story out there.
> 
> ...


I knew people like you that worked hard with what was dealt them, many became very successful later in life. The funny thing is a lot will agree that the happiest time in their life was when they were broke and working towards a goal then actually reaching that goal.


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## rickkyw1720pf (Nov 17, 2012)

jesstheshow said:


> Well, in my grandmother's case. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly and she lasted about 4 years until the life insurance went away and the social security... The only thing she has now is disability. She lost her home, the one that they worked years and years and years for. She moved into a smaller home and had a house fire and insurance only covered so much. She now lives with my uncle and hates it. I guess she should just get off her ass and control her destiny, yeah?


I may be wrong but Disability takes the place of social security and actually pays more. Also one good reason to pay your house off because you really don't own it while there is a mortgage on it.
The truth is when ever we hear a story like this we are just seeing the last pages of a very long book.

I try to cover all bases but anything can happen stock market drop, inflation, depression, injury,war a whole lot of things. But the one thing I can't figure out a way to blame is companies that hired me at an agreed upon pay and that I could leave at anytime I chose. As a prepper we are preparing for the worst case scenario in which some even envision having to walk away from everything they have with just what then can carry on their back.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

wesley762 said:


> Wal-Mart is just demonized because of their size, and because they do turn a profit.


You've been drinking the kool-aid again. Nobody is victimizing poor ol' Wal-mart. Wal-mart has done this to themselves, which is why they have in recent months been written about in almost every major publication in this country. Nobody was whining that they made too much money. They were pointing out how poorly their lower level employees are treated WHILE at the same time turning such a large profit that it doesn't make any sense for how they are treating them. They were also criticized for their poor management -- at every level -- which results in one of the shittiest shopping experiences you'll ever have.



wesley762 said:


> Again this is how Capitalism works, the guy with the best widget at the best price will win 98% of the time.


Again with the kool-aid. Drink some milk, it's healthier for you. Capitalism boiled down in very layman's terms for any simpleton; anybody with a better product will always be able to unseat the current leader and make money for themselves.

We don't have a capitalist economy anymore. We haven't for a long time. Try and put Wal-mart out of business. Try and put a Bank out of business -- hell, if you have enough money, they can't even charge you with a crime anymore, they just fine you and business goes on as usual.


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## PalmettoTree (Jun 8, 2013)

Denton said:


> How vulgar is this? The company that profited 15.7 billion dollars last year is asking low wage employees to donate food to other low wage employees.
> 
> Wal-Mart Asks Workers To Donate Food - Business Insider


There is nothing vulgar or unusual about this. It is common to every place I have work. Most often such a charity drive is at the request if fellow employees. They feel a need to help an employee or employees that have had a recent hardship. They understand a little from each can make a difference. Often an employer will match or anomously contribute.

This is nothing more than anti Wal Mart propaganda or ignorance about locations with a large number of employees regardless of the industry


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

It might have been better to do a match - for every $ in food that each employee gave the company would match it. 
That would improve employee relations and be good PR for the company. 

If the employees wanted better hours, more pay and better benefits maybe they should form or join a union..... That is what employees did during the industrial revolution to make working conditions better.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

I hear you Denton but lets also not forget that while they made 15.7 billion they average between 3-3.5% profit margin which is a stark contrast to the Evil Big Oil companys who make about a 6-8% profit, Big Pharacutical who made 18-24% profit and Apple/Microsoft that made between 30-36%. I know for a fact too that many of their full time employees got a free Turkey this year again for Thanksgiving. Are they as generous as they should be, no. But they are paying their employees more than my company is paying its security guards who have to have a clean criminal record and be drug free and pass a extensive back ground check, get less benefits than walmart offers, less pay in most cases than walmart pays and doesn't get any discounts (employees get 10% off purchases at the store) or bonuses though out the year. Im down with giving credit as quickly as I am willing to give discredit when and where ever its justly deserved. Just saying...


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Tired of this


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

PaulS said:


> It might have been better to do a match - for every $ in food that each employee gave the company would match it.
> That would improve employee relations and be good PR for the company.
> 
> If the employees wanted better hours, more pay and better benefits maybe they should form or join a union..... That is what employees did during the industrial revolution to make working conditions better.


There. That sounds good. Much better than organizing a food drive for the poor to the poor while sitting on huge profits.

By the way, I am sure some of you believe I am some sort of anti-capitalist hippie, but that is very far from the truth. I am very much anti-corporatalist, though. This nation has been made a nation of worker bees for the global corporations. Notice, Labor Day and no Free Enterprise Day. It isn't as easy to start a business, today, because the corporations who bought control of the government have insured the regs protect them and hinder you. Lovely, huh? Meanwhile, we are to blindly chant mantras that are sprinkled with the truth in order to hide the ugly lies.


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## WildernessGuy24:13 (Nov 20, 2013)

Maybe if we didn't support a retailer who sells crap made in China we'd have more better paying jobs here.


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## wesley762 (Oct 23, 2012)

WildernessGuy24:13 said:


> Maybe if we didn't support a retailer who sells crap made in China we'd have more better paying jobs here.


The only problem with that is very little is actualy made in America, with that said I bet Wal-Mart carries more Made in America product than any other retailer. I just bought this weeking some plastic containers from there and was very supprised that they where in fact made in America.


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## WildernessGuy24:13 (Nov 20, 2013)

wesley762 said:


> The only problem with that is very little is actualy made in America, with that said I bet Wal-Mart carries more Made in America product than any other retailer. I just bought this weeking some plastic containers from there and was very supprised that they where in fact made in America.


Be that as it may, the issue is that people buy crap. People buy crap just to be out buying something. Spend the little extra to get something well made and will last a long time. Also don't throw away stuff just because it's old as long as it works keeps using it. I have many things that I bought 30 years ago that were expensive at the time, but still work just as good as they did when they were new.


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## WildernessGuy24:13 (Nov 20, 2013)

rickfromillinois said:


> Wal-Mart's biggest sin is that it has a wide selection products that it sells cheaper then anywhere else. Time after time efforts to unionize Walmart's employees has failed. It was giving medical insurance to it's employees years before anyone else did, and overwhelmingly most of it's management comes from it's lower employees. The employees themselves vote unionizing down. If you don't like what Walmart sells, don't go there. If you think all corporations are evil, then build your own car, make your own TV's, manufacture your own tools, and manufacture your own medications. Are there bad corporations? Sure. Are all corporations bad? Try living without them. Look at everything you own, what you want to own, your firearms, clothes, everything made of steel or that is manufactured. Everything that is transported. If you want to go back to the stone age, then good luck to you.


Walmart actively tries to screw it's employees for more profits. When corporations do this is when I check out. There are lots of corporations that care about their employees, Walmart is not one of them.

Besides the corporate structure is going to be it's own undoing. The model of "10% profit every year" in not supportable because like everything there are lean years. When those learn years hit the higher ups need to cut costs to make up the difference. Like our politicians it doesn't mean not giving out raises and bonuses to senior management it means screwing the little guy our of benefits, pay or retirement. It also means selling a crappy product. How many recalls does walmart have each year for unsafe products? hundreds, that because they buy things at the lowest possible price. They don't care if their products make you sick or kill your kids, as long as the bottom line is fat.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

rickfromillinois said:


> Walmart has a very high job satisfaction rate with it's workers.


I mean this with all due respect, but have you ever been to a Wal-mart? You may be one of the lucky few, but around me there's at least three I can visit relatively easily. At one, I watched a guy with a backpack on and his pants around his knees, while wearing a vest and holding a broom (he even had a name tag) watch one of the tv's in the aisle. Just stood there. For half an hour. At another there's a group that work in produce that I'm pretty sure are carrying guns, and I'm not talking legally. They're dressed like hood rats, but their shirts are blue, so it's okay.

When you watch those shows where they make fun of big department stores, ie someone is looking for help, and people run in opposite directions to get away from them? That's Wal-mart. Girl chewing gum while texting on her phone and telling the person who just unloaded $300 worth of groceries on the conveyor (while she watched) that she's going on break and they're going to have to go to another aisle? That's wal-mart. 20 mother****ing lanes, and two people working? That's Wal-mart.

It has nothing to do with their success. They were successful. Now it's a cesspit.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Not sure where you live Danny, but I do see a tinnie winnie bit of these types of employees. But that's about it. I shop at Wally World because of the prices like most people. I do feel that some corporations don't pay a living wage. While I was unemployed for 31 months in 2001 thru 2003, I had a job with Best Buy. The money was far from what I made before, around 30 % is all. But it was a job and employers look more fondly on a perspective hire who is employed. I can't afford not to shop at Wally World.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Tired of Wal-Mart they treat people terrible


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

rickfromillinois said:


> Well don't go there Danny. Hard to believe that they are so successful with workers like that.


I can sense the sarcasm, but that's okay because I'm not trying to change your mind, just express mine. They aren't successful because of workers like that, they are successful because of the years of hard work they had at one time put into running a business. It used to be an inviting place to go. It's not anymore, and had they had employees like that the whole time they would not have been so successful.

I'm not running around trying to get them shut down. I'm not going to sing their praises though just because they turn a hefty profit.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

3 - 3-1/2% is a common net profit when dealing in retail. It has been for at least the last forty years. There are companies that make two and three times that much but they are more the exception than the rule. It is very difficult to "take advantage" of a work force. Even when unemployment is high there are always alternatives for "low end" employees.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

rickfromillinois said:


> I am not being sarcastic. If you don't like them, don't go there. There are 4 or 5 of them near where I live and there are a couple of them I don't go to. I put it down to bad managers of those stores. The way to get them to change is stop going to them and eventually they will put someone else in charge of them or they will go out of business.


My closest has been through three managers since we moved here. That's nearly one a year. I'd love to stop going entirely but then I would have to add gas costs to my ammunition purchases.  Plus the guy who works the gun counter there is alright, we talk a lot about the state of things.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

I wonder what all those who hate Wal Mart would do if Wal Mart said OK, we will just close the stores down and take our billions of dollars and live just fine. All those crappy jobs gone and that low pay gone and your mom and pop stores reopen and change 20 to 35% more for the same item and hire 2 or 3 employees for minimum wage. Would that make you happy. Where would the mom and pop stores get there goods from? If Wal Mart wanted to they could probably put 80% of their competitors out of business, but they don't, I wonder why? All going union will do is raise the cost of the goods sold and make some union officials rich and any raises they may gain will go to pay higher prices. Forget it, just call your congress person and have them tax Wal Mart more so other stores can compete, see how that works out, share the wealth BS.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Please Walmart execs, go John Galt - It may start a domino.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

ekim said:


> I wonder what all those who hate Wal Mart would do if Wal Mart said OK, we will just close the stores down and take our billions of dollars and live just fine. All those crappy jobs gone and that low pay gone and your mom and pop stores reopen and change 20 to 35% more for the same item and hire 2 or 3 employees for minimum wage. Would that make you happy.


Not entirely sure why disliking Wal-mart always has to have something to do with unions. It's almost like saying republicans marry their cousins and democrats like to hug trees, isn't it?

That being said, I for one wouldn't mind. I'm a little disenchanted with our franchised country, where everywhere you go everything is exactly the same. A few decades back you went on a road trip to see the country, eat at new restaurants, find cool new knick knacks for the home, meet new people and enjoy diversity. Now you can travel to anywhere in the country and shop in the same store, eat at the same place and generally feel like you haven't gone anywhere. Oh how unique we are. It's boring.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

By my math that is 7,136 dollars profit per each employee.

15.7 billion profit / 2.2 million employee's


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

alterego said:


> By my math that is 7,136 dollars profit per each employee.
> 
> 15.7 billion profit / 2.2 million employee's


2.2 million employees, the only bigger employer is the federal government I believe and its unionized, how good is that working for us????


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Yesssss


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

You know, this thread has turned into nothing more than Republican/Democrat style talking points. Not exactly what was intended, but it seems everyone is having a grand time.

I guess I should have expected this.

Enjoy! :lol:


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Crazy


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

"Mom and pop" stores didn't hurt their customers for long because they needed that repeat business to stay in business.
The reason Corporate chain stores sell for less is because they can buy in such large quantities that they can get a reduction in the "per item" price.
As for profit - you don't figure corporate prices on a "per employee" basis. Profit comes from the amount of good sold. take the cost of the goods, minus the cost of selling those goods and you have profit before taxes. Pay your taxes and you are left with net profit. For a corporation they then take that profit and distribute part of it to the owners of the corporation - the stock holders. What is left is working capital - the money to get the process started again.

$15.7 billion in profit means that they sold about $500 billion in products. Their profit is 3 to 3.5 cents on the dollar. Typically the employees get about 20 cents on the dollar. The rest is in the cost of sales and product.


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## ekim (Dec 28, 2012)

PaulS said:


> "Mom and pop" stores didn't hurt their customers for long because they needed that repeat business to stay in business.
> The reason Corporate chain stores sell for less is because they can buy in such large quantities that they can get a reduction in the "per item" price.
> As for profit - you don't figure corporate prices on a "per employee" basis. Profit comes from the amount of good sold. take the cost of the goods, minus the cost of selling those goods and you have profit before taxes. Pay your taxes and you are left with net profit. For a corporation they then take that profit and distribute part of it to the owners of the corporation - the stock holders. What is left is working capital - the money to get the process started again.
> 
> $15.7 billion in profit means that they sold about $500 billion in products. Their profit is 3 to 3.5 cents on the dollar. Typically the employees get about 20 cents on the dollar. The rest is in the cost of sales and product.


Most mom & pop stores stayed in business because they were the only business locally. Once more people got mobile and small malls etc. started showing up the m&p stores started going away, before Wal Mart was even around. All WM did was put the small mall under one roof and one owner. I don't know what you are trying to say by your post here, but it shows good business sense that WM used, nothing not known by other store owners, they just didn't think big like WM.


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

I don't mind Walmart as an entity so much. What bothers me is the "Walmart culture." I don't know what it is about walking into any Walmart store, but it just sucks the life right out of me. So much squalor and misery under one roof. Babies screaming, people shoving people out of the way or being rude in other ways, checkers glaring at you and huffing about having to work, it's just awful. I live in a fairly small town where people still smile and wave at each other, but somehow once you walk through the doors of the local Walmart, all of that civility just vanishes.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

When I lived in Seattle there was a hardware store - McLendon's - That I went to with my dad as a young boy. I dealt with them my whole life. sometimes they were a little more expensive than the Home Depot or other national chain stores but I could trust them. I walked in with the oven element out of a 40 year old stove and the gut looked at it - said he would be right back - went into the back of the store and brought out the right element. It had been stored for so long it didn't have a price in the system so he charged me $5 for it. The next week I walked in with a broken faucet cartridge from a faucet that was less than a year old. It was one of the ceramic seal types - he reached in the drawer and gave me a new one with the address and phone number of the manufacturer on it and told me to call them and they would send me a new set free for as long as I owned the faucet. I asked how much for the new cartridge - "nothing" was his answer. I never had any complaints about the store and only ran into one thing that they didn't have - that was a key switch and he told me that there was an auto parts store where I could get it. 

I do business with the "Mom and Pop" hardware store in the closest town to me now too. They aren't as good as McLendons but they are good people and I know my money is staying in the local area. There is a home depot in the same town that has a motto that their prices can't be beat. In building my two out-buildings I have sent out 4 quotes and they have been the highest all four times. when I call to tell them they start with well we can give you a discount for the size of the order - I just stop them and tell them that they should have quoted it with the discount. Sure they can discount one order to beat out the local places but only if I let them. I won't go to Home Depot anymore, not even for a quote. They have nothing that I can't get somewhere else. I would much rather support the local guys than some corporate store. The local builder's supply can provide me with the lumber and other things that the hardware store doesn't carry and they are a family owned business too - good people with fair prices. These places have been in business since long before the Home Depot was built and they've stayed in business because they treat their customer well. They used to be "the only store" in (near) the local towns. They have the respect of the local populations and mine too.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

I've worked quite a few different places in my lifetime, so I've had the joy of working for a small business owner, and I've had the "joy" of working for a large corporate chain. When I worked for the large chain, every single internal email and memo included quotes on the bottom about taking initiative, or going that extra mile. Most store policies or procedures had some ridiculous acronym to make them easy to remember, and you had to chant the mantra every time a big boss came around. As for that initiative they wanted you to take? Smoke... they absolutely hated when you took initiative. I had disgruntled employees coming to me after nearly every visit from some corporate cat, telling me how they had been lectured on proper procedure after they had proudly (and mistakenly) tried to explain something new they had done to earn the company more money.

The corporate culture is all about reproduction. They want drones. They're happy to have drones, but they tell you they want free thinkers so they trick people into believing they're important. I would happily pay higher prices to have nothing but local mercantiles. I would happily go to multiple stores to find what I needed if I walked into each one and was greeted by an old friend.

I could give a shit less about unions. That's a whole different topic. What I miss is small town USA. It's been murdered by the Wal-marts, and we'll probably never see it surface again.


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## kevincali (Nov 15, 2012)

dannydefense said:


> I've worked quite a few different places in my lifetime, so I've had the joy of working for a small business owner, and I've had the "joy" of working for a large corporate chain. When I worked for the large chain, every single internal email and memo included quotes on the bottom about taking initiative, or going that extra mile. Most store policies or procedures had some ridiculous acronym to make them easy to remember, and you had to chant the mantra every time a big boss came around. As for that initiative they wanted you to take? Smoke... they absolutely hated when you took initiative. I had disgruntled employees coming to me after nearly every visit from some corporate cat, telling me how they had been lectured on proper procedure after they had proudly (and mistakenly) tried to explain something new they had done to earn the company more money.
> 
> The corporate culture is all about reproduction. They want drones. They're happy to have drones, but they tell you they want free thinkers so they trick people into believing they're important. I would happily pay higher prices to have nothing but local mercantiles. I would happily go to multiple stores to find what I needed if I walked into each one and was greeted by an old friend.
> 
> I could give a shit less about unions. That's a whole different topic. What I miss is small town USA. It's been murdered by the Wal-marts, and we'll probably never see it surface again.


I know what you mean. I worked for Kmart once. Only lasted about 5 months because of damn near the same reason. I found a way to organize the lures better, did it, and the girl that worked after my shift complained that she had nothing to do?!? Apparently she didn't like her job, and pissed time away "organizing" the lures/hooks. The boss knew I had organized them, and caught her pissing time away. But I got a reprimand because while I spent time organizing the lures, other parts of the department were in disrepair?!?

It wasn't that specifically the reason why I left. I ended up getting banned from the store because the guy on cart duty didn't like me and surrounded my truck with carts. I complained to the manager and she couldnt care less. So I climbed over the carts, and pushed my way through with my truck. They didn't think I'd do it.

About that time, I started working construction. I ended up working for this father son team. I organized the shop, kept the place clean and stocked. It was awesome. But work slowed down and I moved on. Worked for them again later, but they had already hired someone else that totally disorganized the shop again. But the son gave me a bunch of clothes when I was working for them the second time. I had moved out of state, lost everything and had come back. Had literally the clothes I was wearing, and that's it. Would a big company have done that?


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## Mic (Jul 19, 2012)

Hmm. Can't see why anybody would think this is a bad thing.

Corporate Walmart didn't create this program (just guessing here). The manager or somebody at the store did. They wanted to help out their friends/family who are down on their luck. This falls into the "good thing" category. Sure, WM could take away from its $15B to give away $10k to this store and it would hurt nothing. Of course, when they did this to all the stores in the country, that profit is probably down to about nothing. 

Get mad about at the corporation for something one of it's local stores decides to do.


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