Believe it or not, I have a conscience. Take a moment to wrap your mind around that and get ready for the next shocker: my own little Jiminy Cricket tells me not to shop at Wal-Mart. I don’t always listen to the little guy, but he has me convinced on this one.
All corporations have their problems, but it should be no surprise that as the biggest corporation in the world, Wal-Mart, has the biggest problems. For example, a substantial number of associates earn far below the poverty line, which means they certainly don’t earn enough to support a family. Funny how that works, huh, welfare abolitionists? (I’ll be waiting with bated breath to hear your typical arguments.)
Wal-Mart creates jobs, some say. Which is true, if by “create” you mean that “for each $10 million in sales, the stores typically replace 106 existing jobs with 70 Wal-Mart jobs.” Hardly sounds like a fair bargain to me. Don’t get me wrong, the corporation is regularly hailed for its amazing business practices because there’s no denying Wal-Mart can make more money and pay less for labor than almost any other business.
The fact that I care about my fellow Americans being able to support themselves and their families while working fulltime is more than enough reason not to shop there. Setting foot inside a Supercenter is like giving the green light to the Walton family to ship my father’s job overseas. I suppose he might be able to land one of the jobs that Wal-Mart would “create” by setting up shop in the old factory building. Of course, I would be left to fend for myself as far as health insurance coverage goes. Call me a socialist, but I like knowing that if I break my leg, my hospital bill is covered.
On the other hand, I suppose I should be calling all Wal-Mart shoppers closet-socialists. By shopping at the store, you are supporting their business practices, which center around passing costs onto society.
These big box stores require a lot of city resources (streets, water, sewer lines, electricity), and a lot of improvements usually have to be made in order to accommodate Wal-Mart’s preferred location on the outskirts of town. Do you really think old man Walton was footing that bill? If so, then I’ve clearly underestimated society’s problems. At any rate, those are just the upfront investments that a town is expected to make. Nevermind the money Wal-Mart drains from local government in the way of requiring increased police patrols and avoiding property taxes, etc.
A study conducted by the Center for Labor Research and Education at UC-Berkeley in 2004 documented what many anti-Wal-Mart people already knew: Wal-Mart employees rely on public assistance programs at a much greater rate than the typical retail employee. This is not a matter of chance, either. It is well-known that in-store managers regularly refer their employees to local agencies that can provide them with life necessities like food and health care.
What are the employees to do? Managers are trained to keep them from unionizing and demanding these things for themselves. They can’t very well leave and reclaim jobs that Wal-Mart has systematically destroyed. Instead, they are left with one option: to do the best they can to get by, which means taxpayers subsidize an estimated $2 billion annually to the richest and most powerful company in the world. Are you still doing your “yay, yay, laissez-faire economics” cheer?
Wal-Mart depends on the almighty dollar. Whether it’s yours or mine, they need the stuff to survive. Common sense will tell you that a starving animal becomes desperate for food and will do almost anything to get the stuff, as Wal-Mart will yield to the consumer’s demands if its cash flow is cut off.
At first it won’t be easy to stop shopping there, but it will be possible. Last year was my first “year without Wal-Mart,” although occasionally I stumbled and allowed my basic instincts to drive me to succumb to the giant retailer. However, I pledge now, “Never again.”
Life without Wal-Mart can be very pleasant and rewarding. However, if you are still unwilling to at least try this new life, then I feel compelled to ask you “How much for your soul?” No offense, but it’s obvious that you are in the market to sell anyway, and I am willing to pay top dollar.