Is Wal Mart good or bad for the economy?
359445
I would have to say Wal Mart's current effect on the economy is very bd for these reasons\n\n1. The majority of products they sell are imported from China, which does not benefit US manufacturing\n2. Businesses trying to stay competetive have to find cheap sources for goods, so they also have to turn to imported products\n3. The jobs Wal-Mart provides are usually low-wage, no benefit type jobs\n4.Wal-Mart workers have to turn to Federal programs such as Medicaid and foodstamps to help subsidize their low pay, therefore adding to the tax burden rather than contributing to it\n5.Wal-Mart regularly negotiates tax breaks and incentives for itself from communities where it locates, so it does not contribute a fair share to the tax system\n6.The smaller competitors Wal-Mart drives out of business no longer pay into the tax system, Wal-Mart does not pay a fair share, therefore the people in the community have to make up for this deficiency with paying more taxes.\n\nthere are alot more reasons that Wal-Mart has a negative impact on the economy, but  you get the idea. Their business practices have mostly negative impacts on the economy, the only real positive is that you can buy a product for less at the store, but in the end, someone is paying very dearly for that discount.
465602
Wal-Mart CEO makes 32 million a year\n\nAverage Wal-mart employee makes 13,025 a year.\n\nDon't shop at Wal-mart\n\nThere is no differance, they are both bad things that need to be stopped.\n\nOne is pure evil- Walmart\nThe other is something that has been ignored and let get out of control for way too long. Republicans are screwed for next term. They need to take care of things. Illegal immigrants shouldn't be thrown back across the boarder they should be heavily fined. Learn English and American history.\n\nThe government should just put a heavy tax on any money transfers to Mexico.
129885
War is actually good for an economy because it creates manufacturing jobs and more.  Meanwhile, war is bad for other gov't agencies because money meant for them will only get diverted to lube the war machine while in motion.\n\nLastly war is TERRIBLY BAD because it cost lives and creates misery everywhere it touches.
46441
I would invest in Wal-Mart.  They have the lowest prices in the retail sales market.  They are expanding at record speeds and have excellent benefits for their employees.  I actually work at Wal-Mart and I love the place so much that I won't shop anywhere else.
605826
Reaganomics can be good in very short doses. As much as it helped out big businesses, it also hurt the economy immensely during the inevitable downswing. Personally I feel there needs to be a more moderate, balanced approach. Reagan's style was way too extreme for the good of the country. Yeah, having a larege economic boom is good, but if it comes with a equally large recession, was it worth it? I'm not against conservative politics, but Reaganomics will ALWAYS lead to large recessions. That's why I don't like it.\nThe Clinton/GW Bush recession was very small because Bush had a surplus to cushion the blow.
97068
I donot know anyone personally who doesnot shop there, but I do know the people who donot shop there, dosenot for the reason that Walmart makes billions of dollars and have, really, no health benefits at all. They work for a company that makes so much but literally pay their employees NOTHING. You have a better plan working for Target or K-Mart. That is why a lot of little towns don't want a Walmart coming to their neighborhoods. That and because they are crushing the little Mom and Pop shops, causing more unemployment. Especially if you live somewhere that has about 3 of them with in a 5 mile radius of each other.
422916
:}\nif this address materialism in general\nThen I think all companies that use Christianity soly for economic reasons are wrong, that would include walmart.\n\nIf you think walmart is the only company that would use Christianity to economic advantage I think you are wrong\n\nand no I do not believe that Walmart will control all buying or even a significant portion of it.
592322
Lots of people love Wal-Mart because it's cheap, lots of people hate Wal-Mart because it mucks up the economy really bad. \n\nI like watching the cheapies shop there because I know so many pointyheads who wouldn't be caught dead there or at Starbucks or anything else publicly traded or that employs more than 10 people.  The cheapies shopping at Wal-Mart don't really seem happy either though, but I think that's just how they are.\n\nThe one thing that people ignore about Wal-Mart is: sure the stuff's cheap but unless it's a brand you trust, 60 % of what you buy is bound be of substandard, dollarstore, quality.  I never really experienced "you get what you pay for" until I shopped at Wal-Mart.  For pointyheaded elitists like myself Wal-Mart is like the best possible zoo, but I won't shop there because I'm hoity-toity enough to understand what 'quality' means.  \n\nA story?  Well when I was a cab driver, it was readily assumed that anyone going to or from Wal-Mart wasn't going to tip well or at all and that was better than 95% true.
643179
I am an admitted consumer of Walmart.  I got nothing bad to say about them, they save me money and that is okay with me. They are a retailer that truly tries to accommodate the consumer.  They show that they are considerate not only by selling products at reasonable prices but they have great hours to fit anyone's schedule.  They have layaway and a great on line site for making purchases.
823581
Rich people are enjoying the relative good economy but the middle class is getting squeezed.  for conservatives the economy is nothing to crow about.  \n\nThe nation's gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, expanded at a sluggish 1.6 percent annual rate in the third quarter, down from a moderate 2.6 percent pace in the second quarter,\n\nsoaring energy prices, rising interest rates and plunging home construction and sales.\n\nCongress has raised its own pay 10 times while the minimum wage stayed the same.\n\nAlthough the unemployment rate is very good, the nation needs 150,000 new jobs a month just to keep up with population growth.\n\nAnd please don't give Bush credit for the nice stock market.  The market is rising mainly because oil prices are dropping and the Fed has eased up.  \n\nBush failed to do his homework before the iraq war and it's costing us and more importantly innocent iraqis.  everyone tends to forget about them.  we've had poor leadership in the bush white house and i'm a disappointed american.
893666
YES!!\n\nAnd it should be affordable, and available to all employees who work enough hours to get benefits. Also, it should be a good program, including coverage for prescriptions, dental, vision, hospitalizations, and routine check-ups.\n\nAs for breaking my bank, it won't affect me. I stopped shopping at Wal-Mart more than a year ago in protest of the way they treat their employees. My personal little boycott doesn't hurt them, but I spread the news around about them wherever I go, and I encourage people to pay a few pennies more and shop at an alternate store where the employees are treated like an asset, rather than a throw-away resource. It's funny how a little education about what Wal-Mart is doing is enough to cause people to rethink their buying. If Wal-Mart is the only place I can get something, I do without it, and I am slowly spreading that idea to those with whom I come in contact. Until Wal-Mart starts doing right by their people (healthcare is just one of the places where they are not paying attention to the needs of their employees), they don't get another penny of my money.
7333
wal mart has lowlow prices for all your conventional needs at least thats what the back of the truck says, and also walmart has a smiley face that always is fun :-):-)and they have a girl smiley and a boy smiley\n\nmijer is great for school because it has awsome suplies for low prices and also if you go in the self check out line you get a free cupon that is worth 100 box tops with your receipt.\n\nbut personally i think its wal mart because it has all of the stuff that kids like(ex:yu-gi-oh tcg cards, video games, movies, etc.)mijer also has yugioh cards and everything like that but wal mart has more
1048772
Actually, billions of dollars a year in profits.  Wal-Mart (WMT) posted $11.39 Billion in net income (revenue - expenditure).  And yes, there have been studies shown that if Wal-Mart brought it's wages back up to industry standard, they would still be a very profitable company.\n\nHowever, unions are complicated and serve to differentiate workers from the general population, not serve the best interests of everyone.  And, unions are not the right answer for low-skilled/low-wage earners.  For instance, the reason why autoworkers have a powerful union is because Ford or Chevy can't just hire anyone off the street to build a car or operate machinery.  Nor can Delta grab one if it's passengers out of first class and have them fly a 747.  The more skilled and irreplaceable a worker, the more power unions have.  Wal-Mart and McDonalds pay their workers hardly anything because they have developed a system to where just about anyone can be thrown into a Wal-Mart or McDonalds and have all the training they would need to be an effective employee in a day or so.  Furthermore, there's less and less demand for low-skilled workers in today's global economy.  Typical low-skilled jobs in manufacturing have headed overseas, and if you don't posses the skills in today's world to succeed, you're out of luck.  Still, too many unskilled service jobs in the US remain underpaid.  But is that fair to low-skilled American labor?\n\nUnfortunately, I don't think it is.  It was recently reported that the drop-out rate in Los Angeles area high schools was as high as 25%.  While it's important to provide education for our nation's youngsters and propel them into workforce, children coming from well established backgrounds have a much, much better chance at succeeding.  Conversely, kids that come from 'the other side of the tracks' have a much much lower chance at succeeding and do not proceed into adulthood with the skills they need to earn a respectable living.  And to clarify respectable, I mean above the poverty line.\n\nGetting back to your question, the primary fault for low wages at McDonalds and Wal-Mart are not those companies’ policies.  They make the best possible financial decisions given the circumstances in which their business operates.  And, if it was in Wal-Mart's best interests to pay workers more, they would.  Management at Wal-Mart is paid very handsomely.  In order to make a difference and pull our nation's poor out of poverty, the government needs to intervene by increasing the minimum wage and punish companies that employ illegal hiring practices.  As it stands, the President and Congress would rather fill the coffers of American corporations with excess profits than provide help to those that need it the most: the working poor.  Just recently, Congress struck down legislation that would raise the minimum wage providing no help to many Americans that are struggling to make ends meet.  \n\nHow can we justify the minimum wage at $5.15 an hour?\n\nLet's take for example a couple with no children -- the most financially stable and well off household classification -- working full time at minimum wage levels.  Husband and wife combined would earn roughly $1600/mo..  For the sake of this example I am omitting any payroll taxes or other paycheck deductions.  Our couple lives in a 1-bedroom apartment that rents with utilities for $600/mo..  That leaves the couple 1,000 to spend on food, clothing, medicine, and transportation - necessities in life.  2 people eat roughly 180 meals a month, and at $3.00 a meal it is $540.  A montly bus pass in Los Angeles, and most major cities, is about $50/mo. per person, or $100/mo. for both.  So far, our theoretical couple has spent $1,240 of their $1600 budget.  That leaves $360 for health care, entertainment, clothing, household goods (toilet paper, soap, towels, TV), and retirement savings (even minimum wage earners aren't exempt from s
490984
From the consumers point of view; it is a good thing because you can find many different items under one roof at great prices. Saves time and gas...and we all need to save both of those these days.\n\nFrom the employees point of view; no, not a good thing.  Walmart has been in the news for violations regarding worker overtime pay and discrimination against women. They need to clean up that act, and fast, because some communities don't want them around with that record, no matter how great they may be for the consumer.
596634
Good- MAJOR employer, good wages, good diversity hiring policy for minorities, American success story, great low prices, open 24 hrs, one stop shopping. Very respectable employee discount.\n\nBad- recently sued by ppl trying to keep them from gobbling up and destroying their neighborhoods by their saturation scheme of "wal-marts everywhere". Recently sued by women as a class-action suit for their "glass ceiling" of limited advancement and lower wages compared to males in exact same jobs. \nThey throw away books, by tearing off the covers, turning the covers in as "remainders" for credit from the publishers, and just throwing away the bodies of the books.\nThe throw away more in a single day than most people could eat or use in a lifetime. \nTheir price "rollbacks" are hiding the costs by moving them around- raising prices on some items to reduce them on others.\nThey micromanage- having too many assistant managers, dept managers, etc. In some cases 2 different managers will tell you to do opposite things. "manager" is a title thrown around that has little meaning, it's purpose is to get employees to care about their job, but they don't really have any voice or say in it.\nPromised bonus of $200 for making an inventory goal was reduced to $93.15 by the time it reached employee hands.\n\nUGLY- the Waltons (owners) are among the top 20 richest people in the United States, making the Forbes Richie list every year. And they've left Sam Walton's dream far behind.\n\nThey are now using their own TV channel for advertising, to bombard shoppers WHO ARE ALREADY IN THE STORE with constant ads. \nWal-Mart has gone corporate in the worst way, and moved from caring about the American Worker to exploiting the American consumer. They say "no one puts a gun to your head and forces you to shop there." But what would you call it if a major chain like Wal-Mart can move into an area and run all the mom-&-pop operations out of business because they can't compete with the juggernaut?\n\nWalmart is the American Dream turned dark, ugly, and sour.
549004
I shop there because there for food because none of the other supermarkets in town can beat their prices.  I try to buy things like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent and other household cleaning items from the local dollar stores.  If there was a supermarket in town that could compete with Wal-Mart's prices on food, I would definitely shop there instead!!  I hate going into Wal-Mart because it is always so crowded and because the workers are not very friendly.  Of course, it would be hard to be friendly for what they get paid, but that's a whole different topic!
884531
It's a bad idea.  Yet it makes a great point in alerting the public to a corporate structure that seems to be taking over every country it can gain access to.  Perhaps Wal-mart is owned by the government & they just want it to look like a private enterprise?  Things that make ya go hmmm!  :o)