I was just chatting with a friend and her friend just started at Walmart in a nearby town, started at $9.95 an hour and will have full benefits in 6 months, which includes insurance. So there is that.

The shift in the US from being a manufacturing base to a service base will have crushing effects as manufacturing jobs are outsourced. Yes many companied do it, but a much smaller portion of the fortune 500s than you would expect. And WM does get flak cause it's the big gorilla AND it knows it AND flaunts it.

But as a person who has worked on the manufacturing side (R&D, not on the floor but in the industry) and who has dealt with people who work in the supply chain, I've heard NOTHING positive from those people regarding the practices of the chain.

And while many, many companies move their work overseas, the blatant push by WM is really sad and unfortunate. And those who frequent the store have bought into the if it saves me a dollar who cares what it costs the country in manufacturing jobs mentality. What other company is DIRECTLY responsible for over 1% of china's GDP?

This is an issue well probably be polarized over and that's that. Since sam waltons death the company has lost its morality. Oh well. Love that 50 cent 2 liter of soda.

The conditions of a Wal Mart parking lot, safety speaking aren't typified in a generalized statement. Nor is the quality of service, cleanliness of the store or helpfulness of the staff. 99% of the time the Wal Mart is a mirror image of the community and the people who shop there. Wal Mart is such a perfect fit in most communities that it offers a reflection of what that neighborhood is. And many would rather criticize it than accept the fact that they are looking in a mirror.

I've yet to see it. However I worked there ((in the vision department)) two years ago.

I was on the lawsuit for not getting breaks, they settled, I got a check for $23.

We once did the math, and 17% of our store ((roughly 8,000 employees)) had health insurance.

They're not anti-union, they're pro-employee... LOL!

I agree, Wal-mart was horrendous.