I've said that I didn't like Wal-mart for several years now but I kept going right back to them because they were cheaper. Well - I've had enough and am trying to cut Wal-mart out of my life. I'm not 100% successful yet but I'd guess last month I was about 75% successfull. It's hard to find a better buy on diapers and wipes, but for everything else I'm trying to shop around (e.g. Fareway, Hy-vee, Dollar General, Campbell's, etc.). I hope this makes you think about your shopping.
Here are some Wal-mart facts to consider:
> Wal-Mart is the biggest employer in 25 states. They set the standard for wages and labor practices.
> Wal-Mart employs 1.4 million workers worldwide and over 1 million in the United States. More than half of Wal-Mart’s U.S. employees leave the company each year.
> In 1970, the country's largest employer was General Motors, with 350,000 workers. Overwhelmingly union, they earned $17.50 an hour plus health, pension and vacation benefits and cost-of-living increases. Today, the country's largest employer is Wal-Mart, with over 1 million US workers. They earn an average hourly wage of $8.00, with no defined benefit pension, and inadequate health care.
> 2007 study found that the opening of a single Wal-Mart store lowers average retail wages in that county nearly 1%. In the general merchandise sector, wages fell by 1% for each new Wal-Mart. And for grocery store employees, the effect of a single new Wal-Mart was a 1.5% reduction in earnings.
> Money spent at Wal-Mart does not stay in the community: In Virginia, for example, 60 cents of every dollar spent downtown, stays downtown — compared to just six cents for every dollar spent at a big-box stores like Wal-Mart.
> Wal-Mart forced local small businesses to close: Studies in Iowa showed that some small towns lost up to 47% of their retail trade after 10 years of a Wal-Mart store moving in nearby in the mid 1990’s.
> In 2005, Wal-Mart real-estate manager Jeff Doss spoke about an oft-cited remark by company founder Sam Walton that Wal-Mart would not build stores in towns if the residents did not want them. “Were that the case,” he said, “we’d never build a store anywhere”.
SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
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Inside: the adults made Aunt Lucille's AWESOME Peanut brittle. (L-R Sharon Bettis, Sabra Simmons, and Aunt Lucille)+024.JPG)
Outside: Lydia takes everyone for a ride on the Kuboda, WD didn't last too long even with Uncle Rob and Ben there to reassure him.+020.JPG)
The cousins are KING OF THE MOUNTAIN...but WD is off and running. (L-R Ben Bettis 5, Duncan Simmons 4, Kellen Simmons 3, Meredith Meyers 4, and WD 21mo.)+014.JPG)
GOING...+015.JPG)
Going...+016.JPG)
... gone.+018.JPG)
Don't stop Great Grandma... +002.JPG)
Rowan, Sutton, Henry (their new addition) and WD.+026.JPG)
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Rowan, Sutton, Henry (their new addition) and WD.
