How is Wal-Mart is bad for the economy?

Question

I always hear people, say Wal-mart is this, Wal-mart is that. Don't shop a Wal-mart. I don't see why Wal-mart is considered bad.

Answer 1

They sell the cheapest goods they can find . They do not pay their workers a living wage or give benefits to most .

  I went there once looking for a managers position and I was offered little more than mimimum wage to be in charge of an entire department ... I walked out laughing at them .

Answer 2

It's not bad for the economy - it's the largest employer next to the federal government.

As far as Pylar's comment - you were obviously applying for an entry level management position because upper management makes a good living.  But even still - the entry level department mgr. position pays more than minimun wage - quite a bit more....

The other comment about putting mom & pop shops out of business......welcome to America - where Sam Waltons dream of when he was once a mom & pop dime store back in the 60's turned into a billion dollar company.  He used to buy in bulk back then so that he could sell it for cheaper.  The mark-ups aren't 75 - 120% profit like they are in the smaller 'convenience stores.  Go buy your groceries at your local 'shop & stop' or whatever they're called - then go buy the same things at Wal-Mart - you'll get more for your money - which is the whole idea for me and for a lot of people.

**NEWSFLASH** Wal-Mart isn't the only retailer buying goods from China or other countries!!  LEVI's aren't even made in the USA for goodness sakes!  Check the labels on your clothes from the other stores you buy clothes at! Very few are made here.  Most name brands are not  made here.  

Basically, to answer your question, there are a lot of people who think they know everything (and I'm not just talking Wal-Mart here) and they really don't .  They're going off what they heard from this guy or that guy.  It's popular to bash Wal-Mart, yet these people all still shop there even though the poor associates that work there are forced to work for very little money (not any less than other retailers) and they have horrible or no benefits.....yada yada yada....thank you for signing my paycheck!!! :P

Answer 3

it is not

For all the negative BS people post,  more people shop at Wal-mart than anywhere else.  More people work there than anywhere else.

Answer 4

In a town before walmart, local businesses have a chance to thrive.  The owners of the local businesses earn a good living if they don't have to compete with walmart.  If they are forced to compete with walmart, they usually go out of business.  The former owners of a thriving business then get a minimum wage job at walmart.  Multiply this by thousands of times and it severely damages a very important part of the economy.

Walmart, in their quest to get you the lowest price out there has gone to China for all their goods... so now the American manufacturers are out of a job.  And that is bad for the economy.

You shopping there (or not) has no impact on the economy, but it does impact your bottom line... you shop where you get the most for your money... just like all the other people in the US and around the globe.

[edit]  Sam Walton used to believe in facilitating the American dream... he would be sick to see where it's all gone.  One of the reason that Levi's are no longer made in the US is because they can't afford to operate a factory here in the states - due in part to the pressure that walmart has put on their suppliers.

I stopped shopping at walmart after they broke one of my watches while changing a battery - then refused to pay for the repairs.  The watch had great sentimental value and the repair was less than a hundred bucks so the money wasn't the point.  That was 4 years ago.

Answer 5

I don't really hate Wal-Mart. I mean, they've done a great job of giving the middle class a chance to shop cheaply for everything under the sun, and have put it all under one roof.

The issue that is harmful to the American economy is the fact that they can offer merchandise so cheaply that the little guy, the sole proprietorship, can't possibly compete, which pushes them out of business.

So, now Wal-Mart is working on a monopoly. There used to be many small food stores that you could choose from in one area. Now there are only 1 or 2 hanging on for dear life, trying to compete with Wal-Mart. There are not nearly as many small businesses of any kind because they have to try to win loyal customers from Wal-Mart. When you get rid of competition, you get rid of the consumer's bargaining chip. If Wal-Mart is the only game in town, then you will have to pay their price and buy what they provide.

And besides the fact that Wal-Mart can buy in higher bulk amounts, thus paying less for the same thing as the little guy, they don't have to pay their workers much. One thing that they do is to keep people working part-time so that they aren't eligible for insurance and other benefits. But, they are providing jobs, and if you're in need of a part-time job, it's a decent job to work. So I guess its a trade-off, but we really are giving up a lot without realizing it.