Complaint Review: Walmart - Bentonville Arkansas

Just what is a professional job Nicole ? Are you saying just because a person works at Walmart there not deserving enough for benefits? Are you saying that just because somebody works at Walmart they shouldnt take pride in there job? Maybe they should be ashamed, Huh? Alot of people just cant afford to go out and pickup health insurance like you would auto or homeowners. Many blue collar workers " You know the non professionals" go to work for big companys like Walmart because they offer benefits such as health insurance. Even if it doesnt pay the best at least there are some benefits. If companys didnt offer a health insurance plan to all the "non professionals" could you imagiane how much unpaid medical debt there would be. There would be more non professionals on welfare and who would that cost then " The Professionals". Landing a job with a health insurance plan is being responsable and I'm sure there are many people that have worked several years for Walmart that are worried about losing there benefits that they have worked so hard for. So you cant blame them for being just a little pist off. You have told us what you hate, now your going to hear what I hate. What I hate is when somebody has no compassion for there fellow man just because they have obviously better'd themselves in someway. If you have reached your goals in life and accomplished that professional job status, then good for you. But you shouldnt look down on somebody because they work at Walmart. If there worried about losing there health insurance, they dont need to hear from you suggesting to go out and purchase plan when you know d**n good and well most cant afford it. Before you ask or imply, no I dont and never did work for Walmart. I'm just an old catskinner, professionally put, heavy equipment operator. Now would that be considerd a professional or non professional job?

Cincinnati, c1989. The Wal-Mart was neat and tidy, with every shelf full, and the isles were clear. Since no Wal-Mart store manager knew if Sam Walton might walk in their Wal-Mart door at 8 AM, all Wal-Mart store managers HAD to keep a tidy store because if Sam caught them with a messy store they were gone. And many Wal-Mart employees retired fairly well-to-do by buying Wal-Mart stock when Sam ran the company. I remember discount stores in New England where the shelves were messy and empty from time to time. The isles were often cluttered with disorganized new stock on pallets. Ames comes to mind. Many of those messy NE discount stores are 'gone' now. Then one day I walked into that Cincinnati Wal-Mart and it had shelves that were messy and partially empty. The isles were now cluttered with new stock on pallets. WHAT HAD HAPPENED? Sam Walton had recently died. So obviously he could no longer drop into a Wal-Mart unannounced. I doubt the present Wal-Mart management does what Sam once did. Then too, American Company Managements pay themselves huge salries and bonuses, not to mention generous stock options, and that money has to come from somewhere. Usually the employees get squeezed. When these American companies with 'corporate gentry' managements (Fortune's term) have to compete with Japanese companies, and the top Japanese CEO/Chairman cannot make more than 6X his lowest employee, the American company usually gets killed. Toyota versus GM comes to mind. [Then too, GM offers a wonderful employee auto purchase plan, and when top-level GM management orders a new GM car the factory manager will assign some of his manufacturing engineers to walk the orderd car and all of its important components through the assembly lines. Heck, the factory manager doesn't want to be fired. The result is that GM top management is convinced that GM builds the very best cars in the world. Well, at least GM builds the very best cars in the world FOR THEM.] When the top guy at Toyota gets something like $400K per year total it leaves a lot of cash available to hire more mathematicians, engineers, designers, and assembly workers. This is why you can line up 10 new Camrys of the same color with the same equipment and it won't make a bit of difference which one you pick. It is also why Camrys depreciate at 14.5%/year while GM vehicles depreciate at 22%/year. The part of the GM purchase price going to management does not help resale.

Now, I don't support unions. I have seen what they can do. They lost my grandfather his job. He worked for Kaiser Aluminum. Some may have heard of their strike in 1999. The employees did NOT want to strike (they voted and over 3/4 said no). The union DID. So they went on strike. Kaiser forced everyone into either medical retirement, retirement, or just said they couldn't afford to keep them on (filed bk...then started hiring NEW employees). My grandfather worked there for 30 years. He was paid exceptionally well had great benefits. As did all employees. Greed was the union's reason to strike. Now, on to Wal Mart...if Wal Mart goes union, many things may be gained, but much will be lost. For instance, jobs. A Wal Mart in Toronto voted to go union, that Wal Mart is now closed. But that isn't so much the point. Wal Mart doesn't need a union. I used to work there. I quit because I wanted to move and the city i live in now has no Wal Mart. ( small town ). As a starting cashier (18 years old) I made $10.50 an hour. Nothing to write home about, but it was good money for me. I was able to pay rent, utilities, groceries and save. I was the lowest paid cashier in Wal Mart. Many made nearly $20 an hour. It was based on your experience and your bi annual progress reports. The fact is, yes, Wal Mart does pay too little in some areas. BUT, the fact ALSO is, Wal Mart is a retail job. Do you see people getting angry at K Mart for paying minimum wage? Or JC Penny's? Both have starting wages exactly at minimum. The ONLY people at Wal Mart who make minimum are door greeters (and most make more). And since WHEN did it become the employers responsibility to provide health care? I hate that. It is YOUR responsibility. Oh, and Wal Mart does have health care for part timers. It is nothing phenomenal, but it cost me (when i was part time...for three weeks before being full time) $5 per paycheck...I kid you not. And when I went to the doc, I paid a $20 copayment. That is pretty good. But of course some people will always hate the "big guy' because he made it big, and they did not think of it first. That is what is wrong with this country. Everyone EXPECTS things. Start providing for yourself and your family and Wal Mart wont need to. Oh, and last time I checked, Wal Mart was not exactly high up there on places people dream to work at... it is not a professional job, people, do not expect professional benefits.

Wal-Mart employees need a UNION. It just kills me how people just expect things. If you are an employee who is not happy with whats going on, DO SOMETHING about it! You have the legal right under federal law to seek union representation. Contact your local unions and ask for representation. It is easy to do. It all starts with a card signing which YOU can be part of. So why just whine about something when you can do something about it? Everyone needs to get involved to get results.

I have heard about the "Soon to Come" changes that are fixing to happen at good ole wally world. I know a few people who work at the local walmart here. From what they have told me none of its good news for the average employee. What I dont understand is why? It seems to me that Sam Walton knew what it took to be successful in the retail business and putting the screws to his employees " I dont think" was part of his formula. I think its more of a greed issue than a healthcare issue. You cant tell me that walmart cant afford healthcare for the employees. Here is a good one for you. I work with a couple of volenteer fireman, we had a fire at the local walmart here a few months ago. The fireman got inside and wanted to turn the central heat and air unit off but couldnt because it was controlled out of the main office in BentonVille Arkansas. The coporate bigshots dont even trust there store managers enough to run a thermostat. They had better be carefull with there changes, I bet there was a time Kmart thought they couldnt be run into the ground.

Businesses are doing downsizing to become more profitable. This means your stock shares will increase in value. If you want to sell, at least wait untill it peaks. Most companies are also getting rid of full time employees in exchange for part timers. Look at Maryland. The legislature there passed a law that ONLY affects WalMart. WalMart is the only company in MD with more than 10K employees(15K actually). The MD law requires them to put at least 8% of their payroll into health insurance coverage, or just donate it directly to the "poor". What a crock! The only way WalMart can avoid this issue, is by eliminating jobs. Way to go MD legislature. WalMart needs to eliminate at least 5000 people from it's payroll, and they'll do it. Other state legislatures are following MD's lead, and so will the job losses. Your complaint may be valid, but the stock value will increase when WalMart is done. You may as well benefit from it.

Businesses are doing downsizing to become more profitable. This means your stock shares will increase in value. If you want to sell, at least wait untill it peaks. Most companies are also getting rid of full time employees in exchange for part timers. Look at Maryland. The legislature there passed a law that ONLY affects WalMart. WalMart is the only company in MD with more than 10K employees(15K actually). The MD law requires them to put at least 8% of their payroll into health insurance coverage, or just donate it directly to the "poor". What a crock! The only way WalMart can avoid this issue, is by eliminating jobs. Way to go MD legislature. WalMart needs to eliminate at least 5000 people from it's payroll, and they'll do it. Other state legislatures are following MD's lead, and so will the job losses. Your complaint may be valid, but the stock value will increase when WalMart is done. You may as well benefit from it.

Businesses are doing downsizing to become more profitable. This means your stock shares will increase in value. If you want to sell, at least wait untill it peaks. Most companies are also getting rid of full time employees in exchange for part timers. Look at Maryland. The legislature there passed a law that ONLY affects WalMart. WalMart is the only company in MD with more than 10K employees(15K actually). The MD law requires them to put at least 8% of their payroll into health insurance coverage, or just donate it directly to the "poor". What a crock! The only way WalMart can avoid this issue, is by eliminating jobs. Way to go MD legislature. WalMart needs to eliminate at least 5000 people from it's payroll, and they'll do it. Other state legislatures are following MD's lead, and so will the job losses. Your complaint may be valid, but the stock value will increase when WalMart is done. You may as well benefit from it.

Businesses are doing downsizing to become more profitable. This means your stock shares will increase in value. If you want to sell, at least wait untill it peaks. Most companies are also getting rid of full time employees in exchange for part timers. Look at Maryland. The legislature there passed a law that ONLY affects WalMart. WalMart is the only company in MD with more than 10K employees(15K actually). The MD law requires them to put at least 8% of their payroll into health insurance coverage, or just donate it directly to the "poor". What a crock! The only way WalMart can avoid this issue, is by eliminating jobs. Way to go MD legislature. WalMart needs to eliminate at least 5000 people from it's payroll, and they'll do it. Other state legislatures are following MD's lead, and so will the job losses. Your complaint may be valid, but the stock value will increase when WalMart is done. You may as well benefit from it.