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Wal-Mart a corporate giant, ait IF
Ofifamily-owned businesses? We weigh in on the merits of this American landmark.

 

For the love of God, anything but Wal-Mart ....,s:..:..

The bottom line of Wal-Mart is that the organization is all about thrifting the
Wy: hell out of every aspect of shopping culture, and I for one don’t like it! Do yourself

Why would you degrade yourself to the level of a Wal-Mart shopper? Cruising —_a favour, and don’t go to Wal-Mart; if not for your own decency, then do it for your
the aisles of one of these god-forsaken buildings is about on par with walking quality of living. Just remember: the rich get richer, and the poor shop at Wal-Mart!
around rows shelving units full of the world’s cheapest-made crap while feeding the
capitalist dragon.

How do I begin to describe my hatred for this organization? How about
we Start with the massive capitalist side of things? I’m all for business, but it
really grinds my gears when it gets out of hand to the point of controlling other
businesses. For example, Wal-Mart had an agreement with Columbia records
that when AC/DC’s latest album came out in the United States, it was available
exclusively through the Internet or Wal-Mart. What if I wanted to buy the CD
elsewhere? Have the arts become such a controlled business that we are now told
exactly where to purchase our music? While they’re at it, America should just
change their national anthem to “Formerly the land of the free and home of the
once brave.”

Looking at things on a more skin-deep level, everybody working at Wal-Mart Ww
obviously doesn’t want to be there and really doesn’t care whether or not you buy
that salt shaker they helped you find. Although, to look at things a different way,
the reason they’re probably not happy working at Wal-Mart is because their small
business was run into the ground by competition from Wal-Mart. How can anyone
compete with a superstore that is visited by an average 100 million people per
week?

With thousands of lawsuits over poor working conditions, unfair treatment of
workers, and lower-than-average pay, it’s no wonder that over 70% of Wal-Mart
employees quit within the first year. Wal-Mart’s merchandise isn’t much better and
has the longevity of a pair of chopsticks that you picked up from that sushi place
you had lunch at.

 

Wa K = Ma rt heaven By Wendy A. Case

te biggest thing that Wal-Mart has going for it is affordability. Nobody, not even
Superstore, can beat its rollback prices. For students on a budget, Wal-Mart is an amazing
wonderland of everything I need.

When I think of Wal-Mart, I think of a commercial featuring televisions, clothing, orl : A cm come
food, etc. with a voiceover announcer saying, “Small budget? Large family? NO WAL*MART
PROBLEM!” somewhat akin to those credit commercials. Essentially, that’s what Wal- sila
Mart is for. It’s a suburban family’s dream. Growing up in a family with five kids and two ;
adults, Wal-Mart was a godsend. We bought everything there from school supplies and
clothing, to family pictures and music.

For me, music is an important aspect of Wal-Mart. In a family with five kids, a parent
can’t buy something for one kid and not for the other four. This makes buying cassette
tapes, CD’s and what-have-you, expensive ventures. The fact that I went through worn out
tape decks and a stereo while my siblings let theirs gather dust is a moot point. If I got a

 

 

 

10 Continued Pgll