Walmart: High cost of low prices

Tyler: “Hey Ryan. You want to go get some fishing lures and go fishing?”
Ryan: “Yeah man. I was thinking we could go over to Dicks or that one small shop downtown.”
Tyler: “Nah, why don’t we just go over to Wal mart? They have cheap stuff and lots to choose from.”
Ryan: “Yeah that’s cool with me”

This is a conversation I actually had with my friend Ryan this summer. I’m sure it would have been said a little bit different but the main idea is still clear. Wal Mart is the answer to many people’s problems. Before watching this movie I would have said only good things about Wal Mart. My friends have worked there. I buy all kinds of outdoors stuff there. I even buy food there sometimes when I’m out with friends. Heck, I’ve even bought clothes there because of the low prices. Wal Mart was like my home away from home when I lived in the US. Anything you could possibly think of you could purchase at Wal Mart. After watching the whole movie it kind of made me sad and angry at the same time. Wal Mart is responsible for worker exploitation; nastily raising prices, practicing monopoly illegally, tax scams, censorship and fraud, for making us believe that Wal Mart is just a normal everyday retail store. This wonderful place that I once knew it is hurting America drastically. I used to love going into Wal Mart because you never knew what new things you would find. I would always get that sticker from the old man who welcomes people. Everybody always seemed like they were in a good mood and pleased to help you find things. What I once thought to be a spectacular place is turning out to be a devastating cause for not only the US but also the entire world. One of the biggest problems people have with Wal Mart is that it is taking over and causing small businesses to shut down. My fondest memory of the video is the very first story. This little store named H & H Hardware located in Middlefield, Ohio was run out of business by the all and powering entity, Wal Mart. This little shop was around for 43 years and was making everybody in the town happy. People would come in for their everyday needs and each person knew one another. I think its sad to see how powerful Wal Mart truly is and how it’s hurting local economies. For every Wal Mart that opens, two small ma and pa shops close down. These Wal Mart CEO’s and managers don’t care about the people. They don’t consider all the things that we are forced to sacrifice. They don’t care about the people who lose their families. All they care about is making money! “We used to drive through town going, 3 months, 6 months, 3 months, 6 months of when they’ll be closing.” This is a quote from Weldon Nicholson, Manager of a Wal Mart for 17 years. It just shows how selfish these people really are. Its sad to see all these little ma and pa shops who regularly received good business be forced to shut down because the drop of sales. I think it’s very cool to see that in some cities people are standing up and saying, “No, you are not building a Wal Mart in our town.” This movie reminds me of Al Gores movie on Global Warming. Both movies are about very serious topics that are happening as we speak. Both are affecting the world but it seems like not many people are aware. I think the best way to get points across is to spread awareness. The more people know the truth the better off the world will be. We need to spread this information and get people to join the bandwagon. Another big problem surrounding Wal Mart is its Inadequate Health Insurance that is remarkably high. “They are a billion dollar company. Why can’t they provide better medical packages for their employees so they can actually afford it.” This is a quote from an irritated employee trying to raise a family. Wal Mart is actually encouraging employees to go on welfare. I think that is ridiculous. Wal Mart is making over 220 billion dollars a year and they can’t provide a reasonably priced medical package? Wal mart doesn’t provide its employees sufficient amounts of money. Most of these people that work at Wal Mart are trying to raise families and bringing in 7 dollars an hour just isn’t cutting it. Low wages and expensive health care packages are causing great distress for these workers. Wal mart drives down its retail wages 3 billion dollars every year. A recent study by the University of California- Berkeley says that Walmart costs tax payers in California 86 million dollars a year. Wal Mart is the world’s largest retail chain and it can’t afford to assist its employee’s one bit? They are able to keep low prices because they are underpaying their workers. They can afford to sell things cheap because they are getting the money they would have lost from their employee’s. Wal mart is destroying the world. People can’t provide their families enough food and small businesses are being shut down because of the competition. Its like trying to race a car on foot. Its physically impossible. After watching this movie I would have to recommend not shopping at Wal mart. The money you spend at wal mart is going up the chain and right into the CEO’s pockets. I don’t think I will shop at Wal Mart anymore because I know that the money I spend will go towards the expansion of more Wal Marts. People have workers right and they aren’t getting that working at Wal Mart. Wal Mart is messing up America and is working on China as we speak! I think this video is a lot more interesting the second time you watch it. After the first time you really don’t have a complete grasp of what is being said. The second time you have a good foundation on the context and it makes it easier to follow. This movie has definitely made me think twice about shopping at Wal Mart again. It will be super hard to convince all of my friends back home but I will give it a shot.

Tyler: “Hey Ryan. You want to go get some fishing lures and go fishing?”
Ryan: “Yeah man. I was thinking we could go to Wal Mart?”
Tyler: “No way man! Wal Mart is bad news. Haven’t you watched the movie, Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price?”
Ryan: “No. Should I watch it?”
Tyler: “Yeah. In the meantime, lets go to that little sports shop downtown.”
Ryan: “Yeah sure!”