I tend to watch news about Walmart pretty closely (for obvious reasons) so I’m fully aware of the knocks against them. The claims of unfair wages and miserable working conditions are a constant drumbeat from certain corners of the press. Today I was forwarded an excellent article from the Daily Camera of all places that pretty closely captured how I feel about most of these issues so I’d like to take a minute to tell you my story. (Stop reading this and go read that, it’s that good. Then come back, I’ll be here.)
My Food Lion Days
Many years ago, Food Lion (a major supermarket chain out of North Carolina) entered my local Dallas/Fort Worth area and I got a job there working as a stocker. At the time I was newly married and going to college and depended on that income to keep the lights on and the rent paid.
One of the things we had to agree on when we were hired was that we wouldn’t unionize. I had no problem with this because I was being paid fairly and the benefit package was about what you would expect for the position I had. I don’t remember the details but I had some insurance options and a few other benefits. After about 6 months or so, we all started getting pressure from outside sources to unionize. We received mailings, phone calls and a few employees were approached in the parking lot. When it was made clear to them that we had no interest in a union (and I can only assume this was repeated at multiple Food Lions around the area) the tactics changed.
ABC PrimeTime did a big piece on how Food Lion had unsafe sanitary practices and were not paying for overtime. As the battle went through the courts, ABC had to release unaired footage that showed the undercover reporters pushing other employees to commit unsanitary acts but the employees refusing. The reporters had to take matters into their own hands and commit the unsanitary acts themselves but by the time all this came to light, the damage was done.
That’s when we started getting flyers in the mail with graphic pics of spoiled meat mailed out that were paid for by unions and “spontaneous protests” outside of stores that were just union members in Food Lion uniforms. Before too long, Food Lion was gone and I was out of a job.
What Does That Have To Do With Walmart?
I say all of that to get to this, these “spontaneous protests” outside of Walmarts are the same thing. I’m not saying there are no employees out there but I can say with some degree of certainty that these “protests” are union-led and driven. Please understand, I’m under no illusions that Walmart is a perfect company, all I’m saying is that it isn’t the Devil Incarnate it’s being made out to be.
You should definitely read the article I link to above but one of the best quotes actually comes from the comments having to do with the claim that Walmart’s low prices are bad for the local economy.
On the face of it, this starts out as an odd argument since it suggests that we could all love Walmart a bit more if they would just raise their prices
If Walmart raised their prices above the competition, they would be accused of gouging their customers. If they set their prices the same as their competitors, they would be accused of collusion. And if Walmart charges less than the completion, [sic] that’s unfair competition. In the eyes of the anti Walmart crowd, Walmart is an evil profit hungry corporation no matter what their prices are.
This is a point I’ve made many times, Walmart’s low prices are a GOOD thing. That’s how I can afford to buy the things I need for my family. Every time someone points to their pricing as evidence that they are doing something wrong, I point to my wallet and my blog and show them that they are doing something right.
Every week I put up my price match lists, if Walmart was cheaper on every single item then those lists wouldn’t exist. But every week I find about 150 or so items that are cheaper at another store. On average, they are cheaper than almost anything around but there are always a few items that are a little cheaper somewhere else.
Overall, whenever you read a story or watch some talking head on TV talking about how Walmart is bad for the country, take a step back and think about why they are doing it. Are they pro-union? Do they have a vested interest in a competitors store? etc. Then look at your own pocketbook. Have you saved money by shopping at Walmart? Would it hurt you and your family if they had to raise prices? I think if you do that, you will see that Walmart isn’t the Devil it’s being made out to be.
