Wal-Mart and homeland security- you can't make this stuff up

Let me say this, for what it is worth. I know two people, one who used to work for Publix, one works for Wal-Mart. Both had health issues, both were looking for workplace accommodation. I assure you, Publix pitched a much more high and tight hardball than did Wal-Mart and in fact, the Wal Mart employee continues to happily work for Sam, while the Publix employee is gone. By the way, Sam's employee had a Blue Cross policy, not medicaid. Exceptional case? Maybe, maybe not, just what I have seen personally.

I know we're getting into possible HIPPA violations here, but was exactly was the request? Were these the same type of request in the same field? Lets not compare apples to oranges and then declare victory that the oranges were easier to juice.

I can think of a couple differently-abled Publix employees at the Destin store that have pretty much been there since the store opened.

Publix - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Publix is currently ranked No. 86 on Fortune magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For 2010[3] and was ranked No. 9 on Forbes' 2009 list of America's Largest Private Companies and is the largest in Florida.[4].....Publix operates in 5 states. There are many long time Publix employees made millionaires purchasing their private stock through payroll. From butchers to managers. How many on the Wal Mart side? How has your life been improved by saving a buck made by treating it's employees as slaves? When Wal Mart figures how to ship milk from China, they will.

Bob, I fully understand what you are saying and not arguing that point. Publix charges customers to pay for more employee benefits and higher wages. Walmart supposedly doesn't and they pass those "savings" along to the customers.

We were talking about shopping at Walmart equating to sending jobs overseas. I buy nothing at Walmart that I wouldn't buy at stores like Publix. If by shopping at Walmart, I'm sending jobs overseas, when I shop at Publix, I also send jobs overseas, because I'm buying the exact same products at each, the same name brand goods often at half the price. I don't think I've ever bought a Walmart brand anything, but if I did, how different would it be than the name brand? During the peanut butter scare, we found out that Walmart's peanut butter was made in the same factory using the same peanuts as Peter Pan. For clothing, they carry many name brand, American company products like Wrangler, OP, Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, all of which I'm guessing are still made overseas. Is any clothing still made in the USA?

I get what you are saying about Walmart being mean and evil compared to pretty stores like Publix. I just cannot get past the part about Walmart having any employees if they are so evil. Going to work at Walmart is a choice for employees. If it is so terrible, they should use their skills to get jobs elsewhere.

Thanks for the comprehensive explanation of the term. Sorry for being obtuse, but I'm still not getting the analogy to Publix' employee relations :idontno:

He's saying Publix is meaner than Walmart.

News Headlines Publix is good to it's workers...Wal Mart could be a good place to work too, but isn't

News Headlines Publix is good to it's workers...Wal Mart could be a good place to work too, but isn't

Then why don't the Wal Mart employees simply go work somewhere else?

Then why don't the Wal Mart employees simply go work somewhere else?

Many do - which is why Wal-mart has the highest turnover rate in the industry by far. (It's also part of their business model to have a high turnover rate to avoid paying benefits.)

But it can be hard to find another job when Wal-mart has systematically run their local competition out of business and has sent many jobs overseas.

Many do - which is why Wal-mart has the highest turnover rate in the industry by far. (It's also part of their business model to have a high turnover rate to avoid paying benefits.)

But it can be hard to find another job when Wal-mart has systematically run their local competition out of business and has sent many jobs overseas.

So you are saying Wal Mart develops skills in people they can parlay into better employment for higher wages elsewhere? And the problem with this is....?

I can see how getting a job in rural America other than at Wal Mart might be tough. But think about it, it is time to get people back into cities. What a great opportunity to get people back into cities, get cars off the roads, etc, etc, etc.

No, I am saying that Wal-mart being a bad company to work for is not just my opinion - it's documented fact.

Thank you for the comment about them developing workforce skills - I needed a good laugh! :lol:

Slave labor, child labor, prison labor, discrimination against women, minorities, and people with disabilities, screwing with endangered species and archeological sites, predatory pricing, sending jobs overseas, tainted products, you name it, if it's bad, Wal-mart does it to make a profit................and our country and communities pay for it.

No, I am saying that Wal-mart being a bad company to work for is not just my opinion - it's documented fact.

Thank you for the comment about them developing workforce skills - I needed a good laugh! :lol:

Slave labor, child labor, prison labor, discrimination against women, minorities, and people with disabilities, screwing with endangered species and archeological sites, predatory pricing, sending jobs overseas, tainted products, you name it, if it's bad, Wal-mart does it to make a profit................and our country and communities pay for it.

Scooty, do you monitor your blood pressure?:wub:

It appears that the evil Walmart was the hero of Hurricane Katrina relief


Wal-Mart at Forefront of Hurricane Relief - washingtonpost.com

scooterbug, you have repeated mentioned that Walmart is evil because it sends jobs overseas. Which jobs does Walmart send overseas? Is it manufacturing? If so, is Target, Best Buy, etc, also guilty? Is it production of foods? If so, is Publix also guilty? Publix sells many of the same brands of foods that Walmart sells, and Best Buy sells many of the same electronics sold at Walmart. Local sporting goods stores sell the same sporting goods sold at Walmart. I'm just curious to know how, in your mind, Walmart gets the finger for sending jobs overseas yet they sell many of the same goods produced overseas as many other stores which get the thumbs up?

Okay Joe, here is how it works. A company approaches Walmart with a product they hope Walmart will want to sell. Walmart will negotiate an initial cost they are willing to pay and then order a set number of the product to sell. As time goes on they will continuously renegotiate the cost down in their favor. The supplier will begin to have to start making production concessions to keep making money. It reaches the point where they can either move their manufacturing overseas to continue making a profit or fold. Walmart sucks.

He's saying Publix is meaner than Walmart.

Thanks. I just wasn't getting it.
I have a very good friend (70yrs old) who has worked for Publix in the 'Aprons program' for several years and thinks they're a great company and is thrilled with the available health coverage for 30 hour week.

Okay Joe, here is how it works. A company approaches Walmart with a product they hope Walmart will want to sell. Walmart will negotiate an initial cost they are willing to pay and then order a set number of the product to sell. As time goes on they will continuously renegotiate the cost down in their favor. The supplier will begin to have to start making production concessions to keep making money. It reaches the point where they can either move their manufacturing overseas to continue making a profit or fold. Walmart sucks.

Walmart is far from being the lone perpetrator of this. As a former buyer/product sourcer for a very large retailer, I can knowledgeably say virtually every large retail company (not just big box retailers) has operated on this business model for 25yrs+.

I agree that this has hurt our U.S. manufacturing communities. After fighting (and winning) the domestic sourcing debate with my various management teams for over 15 years, I finally felt compelled to leave the industry when internal management pressures DEMANDED I move "my" domestic sourcing base overseas.

But despite my personal commitment to domestic manufacturing sourcing, test marketing results consistently proved:

when given equivalent product choice, the consumer ALWAYS bought the cheaper $20 price over 'Proudly Made in USA' marketed product at $22.00 (which 15 years ago was the retail price difference for equal bottom line profit... but that differential was increasing when I departed the industry).