Most Hated U.S. Businesses

[Yukon.]

Strange but the companies that do the most for the average person are hated the most by Conservatives.

 

[Samson]

Strange but the companies that do the most for the average person are hated the most by Conservatives.

Strange but you did not identify whatever-the-hell companies you're talking about.

 

[Douger]

You have the option of avoiding Walmart.
You don't have the option not to be poisoned by your govt..... fluoridated water etc.
Very few have the option not to eat GM poison.
Cargill ADM, Monsanto etc.
Your milk is destroyed and your food is full of pesticides. Your water is recycled from human shit but there is no way to filter out the heavy metals, hormones and pharmaceuticals in it.
It's law that all animal feed in the empire contain hormones and antibiotics.......VIA above mentioned Nazi companies.

You're all being murdered slowly.
Have a nice day and remember " Gawd Blass Murka ! "

 

[Nosmo King]

Hey I have an idea.

Since everybody thinks Wal-mart pays pitiful wages and aren't paying a 'living wage' even though they are paying more than most retail outlets, and. . . .

Since everybody thinks it is Wal-mart's duty and ONLY Wal-mart's duty to pay a living wage. . . .

How about we just get Obama and the Congress to establish a minimum wage that is a 'living wage'.

How much should that be? Give me a number so I can call it in as a suggestion.

And once in place, then Wal-mart will have to pay it. Of course everybody else will too.

And while you're figuring the number we need to shoot for here, the rest of us can be considering:

--You can live luxuriously in Borger TX or Salina KS on a modest fraction of the money it takes for the same standard of living in San Francisco or New York City.

--Once minimum wage exceeds the wage that employees have worked for and earned, there is probably going to be some disgruntled employees unless they are given comparable wages over mnimum wage.

--And once that happens, inflation in the form of much higher prices for everything will wipe out much or all or more than the increase in wages.

--the the 'poor' will still be just as 'poor' in comparison to the rich.

So what will we have gained?

Above and beyond what Wal*Mart pays or does not pay, my gripe with them has to do with the way they conduct business. Wal*Mart has chased Mom and Pop operations in business for years and run by generations of the same family completely out of business. Wal*Mart's clout allows them to pressure suppliers into lower costs. That tactic is not available to the small business person. And they call it a "Free" market!

Regulars at the USMB Coffee Shop know about the All-Class reunion held in my hometown over the July 4th weekend. The high school alumnae association foots the bill (this year it ran over $65,000). The only means to recoup this expense is a voluntary registration fee ($10) and t-shirt and souvenir sales. This year, our local Wal*Mart printed and sold All-Class reunion t-shirts without clearing it with the organizing committee. Wal*Mart refused to pull the shirts or share in the profits! Is this the way we want our businesses to operate?

Ask the good people of Wooster, Ohio about Wal*Mart! In Wooster one could find the Rubbermaid Company. When Rubbermaid wanted to market through Wal*Mart, Wal*Mart asked Rubbermaid to lower the cost of their products. Rubbermaid could not further lower costs without cutting into their own profits. Wal*Mart told Rubbermaid to move operations to China so the costs could come down to their self-imposed threshold.

Now, without the operations in Wooster, the people there can't afford to buy much anymore.

Pop quiz: Who is China's fifth largest trading partner?



Answer: Wal*Mart!

Buy American or not at all!

 

[Foxfyre]

Nosmo, I hear what you're saying and I'm sure every bit of it is true. And I don't know enough of any of those circumstances to even comment, much less attempt to defend Wal-mart.

When Mr. Foxfyre and I lived in a small rural community in the mountains just east of Albuquerque, a Walmart Super Center planned to go in out there. But we loved our little Mom and Pop shops and services out there--all picturesque, friendly, and comfortable--and we knew we would lose those and the general atmosphere if the Walmart went in. So we joined in to actively and successfully petition to block it.

I have also mourned the loss of two favorite dress shops that especially carried styles and colors I love. They could compete easily with Walmart, but they couldn't compete with the big department stores as more and more moved into our city. We lost a favorite and helpful little office supply and computer store to the big box stores like Office Depot and Office Max. All our cozy little book shops eventually closed when Barnes & Nobles and Borders moved in. Neighborhood movie theaters closed as the big, impersonal multi-theater complexes sprang up. Small homegrown restaurants can't compete against the big franchise places moving in. Our friendly local mechanic finally closed up shop when they couldn't compete against discounted services at Costco and Sears. It's a rare corner grocery store that can hold on if there is a big chain supermarket within 15 minutes.

However much we deplore it, times and cultures change, and stuff we used to treasure goes by the wayside and sometimes we find it difficult to get attached to or appreciate the new stuff.

So the answer to competition from China is not in closing down Walmart. Destroy Walmart and there will be somebody more than willing to fill that void and accept the products from China that Walmart no longer buys.

The answer is to elect a President and Congress who want a strong manufacturing base and vigorous commerce and industry here in the United States and who will create a regulatory and tax environment that makes it attractive and desirable to make things and do business here more than anywhere else.

 

[Samson]

You have the option of avoiding Walmart.
You don't have the option not to be poisoned by your govt..... fluoridated water etc.
Very few have the option not to eat GM poison.
Cargill ADM, Monsanto etc.
Your milk is destroyed and your food is full of pesticides. Your water is recycled from human shit but there is no way to filter out the heavy metals, hormones and pharmaceuticals in it.
It's law that all animal feed in the empire contain hormones and antibiotics.......VIA above mentioned Nazi companies.

You're all being murdered slowly.
Have a nice day and remember " Gawd Blass Murka ! "

Yet, oddly, our life expectancy continues to rise..........

 

[Luissa]

Probably BP now heads most lists of most hated businesses in America right now, but lately Wal-Mart is right up there at or near the top of every such list I've seen for the last several years.

The Albuquerque Journal puts out a little "Business Outlook" tabloid every Monday. That part isn't on line so I can't provide a link, but today's issue provided these facts:

New Mexico nonprofits received $380K in Walmart grants in the past week including:
--Cancer Services of NM - $25,000
--Economic Council Helping Others Inc. food bank - $25,000
--Heart Gallery of NM (older children foster children adoption agency) - $25,000
--La Familia Medical Center (providing medical services to the poor) - $50,000
--NM Wildlife Association - $25,000
--Roadrunner Foodbank - $75,000
--Special Olympics - $25,000
--The Storehouse (another food/thrift bank) - $30,000
--Association of Food Banks - $100,000

In the fiscal year ending Jan 31, 2010 Walmart and its foundation donated more than $5.8 million to NM to N.M. organizations including $315,000 it helped collect as donations for worthy causes.
--Albuquerque Journal - Business Outlook - Page 3

Now if Wal-mart does that in our relatively sparsely populated state, I imagine it does much more in your state.

Is any other major corporation doing this kind of public service? What's to hate?

Why do you check out there factories in China?
And until recently they took life insurance policies on their employees. They are prime example of what is really killing the small business in this country.
But Walmart isn't the top of my list.

 

[Samson]

Probably BP now heads most lists of most hated businesses in America right now, but lately Wal-Mart is right up there at or near the top of every such list I've seen for the last several years.

The Albuquerque Journal puts out a little "Business Outlook" tabloid every Monday. That part isn't on line so I can't provide a link, but today's issue provided these facts:

New Mexico nonprofits received $380K in Walmart grants in the past week including:
--Cancer Services of NM - $25,000
--Economic Council Helping Others Inc. food bank - $25,000
--Heart Gallery of NM (older children foster children adoption agency) - $25,000
--La Familia Medical Center (providing medical services to the poor) - $50,000
--NM Wildlife Association - $25,000
--Roadrunner Foodbank - $75,000
--Special Olympics - $25,000
--The Storehouse (another food/thrift bank) - $30,000
--Association of Food Banks - $100,000

In the fiscal year ending Jan 31, 2010 Walmart and its foundation donated more than $5.8 million to NM to N.M. organizations including $315,000 it helped collect as donations for worthy causes.
--Albuquerque Journal - Business Outlook - Page 3

Now if Wal-mart does that in our relatively sparsely populated state, I imagine it does much more in your state.

Is any other major corporation doing this kind of public service? What's to hate?

Why do you check out there factories in China?
And until recently they took life insurance policies on their employees. They are prime example of what is really killing the small business in this country.
But Walmart isn't the top of my list.

Since you brought up "their factories in China" why don't you prove how bad they are?

Linky?

Frankly, they could be models of social progress for all we know.

 

[blu]

Perhaps Wal-mart would be better liked if instead of making these charitable donations they used that money to pay their employees a living wage and provide them with healthcare coverage.

not to mention the exploitation of native people all over the world.

 

[blu]

Perhaps Wal-mart would be better liked if instead of making these charitable donations they used that money to pay their employees a living wage and provide them with healthcare coverage.

All the Wal-marts around here are paying well above minimum wage and comparable to other similar retail outlets and provide some attractive stock options for all employees that others do not. I would guess that is the case everywhere. And there are people waiting in line to get hired--no 'help wanted' signs in any of the windows. So that can't be it.

Wal-mart also has provided healthcare coverage for all fulltime employees since 2006 and makes it available to part timers who usually decline because of cost, but that also is very typical of all the similar type retailers. Wal-mart initially suggested phasing out part timers and going to all fulltime employees because of the healthcare issue and accusations of not paying a living wage, but most of their part timers are part timers because they WANT to be part times and that idea got shelved.

So that isn't it. That is probably part of the ammo used by Wal-mart hates to attack them, but that isn't itl.

thats why they have some many people who are forced to work 1 hour under full time a week so they don't get benefits.

 

[blu]

What skill do you suggest a Walmart employee go get, Samson? I have a kidlet of my own I'm trying to launch, with a BA and an MA, and still, no clear path. I'm sure eventually things will smooth out for her, but not every kidlet is as intelligent or school-oriented.

Maybe Walmarts deserves all the animosity I feel for them, maybe not....but I think the young deserve our compassion.

what are your daughters degrees in?

 

[blu]

The thing is most Wal-mart employees don't think Wal-mart falls short, and that's why they work there.

wow, you are an idiot. that is like saying the sweat shop people in china work there because they don't think the factories fall short.

also, sears pay less per hour but has more benefits meaning they pay more in the end.

 

[blu]

Why does Walmart need our love?

Maybe they simply want to contribute to the communities in which they do business?

yea but shutting down all the other small businesses in the area that sell goods and then enslaving all the people who just lost their job to shit pay and no benefits. what saviours they are!

 

[blu]

bp, walmart, microsft, and apple are my most hated companies.

$15 fork haliburton and 'rape as you go' blackwater are too but so many other people hate them I don't think they need me to join too

 

[Samson]

Why does Walmart need our love?

Maybe they simply want to contribute to the communities in which they do business?

yea but shutting down all the other small businesses in the area that sell goods and then enslaving all the people who just lost their job to shit pay and no benefits. what saviours they are!

I was referring to the OP.

 

[Foxfyre]

I am still waiting for you guys who hate Walmart to tell me what wage the government should force them to pay. And what benefits they should be forced to provide their employees.

I mean this is serious since apparently you're saying all those folks who work for Walmart are FORCED to work for Walmart and have absolutely no place else to go.

And shouldn't everybody else from McDonalds to Sonic to Sears to Office Max to Big 5 to Barnes & Noble also be forced to pay that living wage, whatever it is, as all of those pay lower averages wages than Walmart does.

 

[Samson]

I am still waiting for you guys who hate Walmart to tell me what wage the government should force them to pay. And what benefits they should be forced to provide their employees..

YEAH??

 

[Nosmo King]

Nosmo, I hear what you're saying and I'm sure every bit of it is true. And I don't know enough of any of those circumstances to even comment, much less attempt to defend Wal-mart.

When Mr. Foxfyre and I lived in a small rural community in the mountains just east of Albuquerque, a Walmart Super Center planned to go in out there. But we loved our little Mom and Pop shops and services out there--all picturesque, friendly, and comfortable--and we knew we would lose those and the general atmosphere if the Walmart went in. So we joined in to actively and successfully petition to block it.

I have also mourned the loss of two favorite dress shops that especially carried styles and colors I love. They could compete easily with Walmart, but they couldn't compete with the big department stores as more and more moved into our city. We lost a favorite and helpful little office supply and computer store to the big box stores like Office Depot and Office Max. All our cozy little book shops eventually closed when Barnes & Nobles and Borders moved in. Neighborhood movie theaters closed as the big, impersonal multi-theater complexes sprang up. Small homegrown restaurants can't compete against the big franchise places moving in. Our friendly local mechanic finally closed up shop when they couldn't compete against discounted services at Costco and Sears. It's a rare corner grocery store that can hold on if there is a big chain supermarket within 15 minutes.

However much we deplore it, times and cultures change, and stuff we used to treasure goes by the wayside and sometimes we find it difficult to get attached to or appreciate the new stuff.

So the answer to competition from China is not in closing down Walmart. Destroy Walmart and there will be somebody more than willing to fill that void and accept the products from China that Walmart no longer buys.

The answer is to elect a President and Congress who want a strong manufacturing base and vigorous commerce and industry here in the United States and who will create a regulatory and tax environment that makes it attractive and desirable to make things and do business here more than anywhere else.

It's not the kitsch or charm of small town life at stake. It's people's basic freedom to compete in a free Capitalist marketplace. Multi-nationals like Wal*Mart have an unarguably unfair advantage in this marketplace.

For all the hubbub about Obama's 'socialist agenda', there are those who shout about it and then shop at Wal*Mart and think it's just dandy!

How can people claim to love the 'free market' also love the way it has been co-opted by giants and foreigners? I can't square that rationalization at all!

That's why I don't shop at Wal*Mart and encourage as many folks to do likewise. I love this country too much to allow one retailer to call the tune for every potential entrepreneur.

 

[Samson]

That's why I don't shop at Wal*Mart and encourage as many folks to do likewise. I love this country too much to allow one retailer to call the tune for every potential entrepreneur.

Meh...I've yet to see a town with only a Wal-mart, and no other entrepreneur's business

 

[Nosmo King]

That's why I don't shop at Wal*Mart and encourage as many folks to do likewise. I love this country too much to allow one retailer to call the tune for every potential entrepreneur.

Meh...I've yet to see a town with only a Wal-mart, and no other entrepreneur's business

Granted. But how many small retailers survive after Wal*Mart opens?