Spring Break
Wall to wall Wal-Marts
Lara Oliver
Issue date: 10/28/08 Section: Opinion
I have to give a great big thank you to the Wal-Mart Corporation right now.
You see, I've always enjoyed fighting through crowds every weekend in the parking lot with the highest crime rate in Greenville. And, I've always loved shopping in a store that manages to not only smell of disinfectant but also human waste. Between that and being yelled at by store employees for being "in the way" and never being able to truly know what the price of anything outside of a $9.98 DVD is until I get to the register, going into a Wal-Mart store is always such an adventure.
You see, my problem is that I don't feel like I have any kind of options--only being able to shop at just one Wal-Mart in town. Now that there's going to be two Wal-Marts within 15 minutes of each other, I feel like I've been transplanted to some kind of metropolitan shopping paradise!
OK, so I was being a little bit sarcastic there.
Truth be told, I loathe Wal-Mart. I know, what a surprise, right? But, I can't see how anybody can not be opposed to there being one--let alone two--Wal-Marts inside their city limits.
I won't even bother trying to win any numbers to my side in the anti-Wal-Mart debate. If you shop at Wal-Mart despite their cruel hiring/firing practices, poor wages, lack of health insurance for employees, questionable product origins, tricky pricing to deceive consumers into paying mark-ups for products they believe are cheaper and other atrocities, then you're probably not going to stop shopping there just because an opinion columnist at a local college paper doesn't like them.
But, I can hope you won't shop at the second Wal-Mart they're building in town and prove that people will not be fooled.
Supporters of the second Wal-Mart say that with a new Wal-Mart will bring new jobs. Yet, I never hear of any of these supporters actually working at a Wal-Mart. From reports online about the massive turnover Wal-Mart participates in to avoid paying health care, to it's rare to non-existent pay raises, I'm left wondering if people really think that a three-month stint at Wal-Mart making minimum wage is really worth it.
You see, I've always enjoyed fighting through crowds every weekend in the parking lot with the highest crime rate in Greenville. And, I've always loved shopping in a store that manages to not only smell of disinfectant but also human waste. Between that and being yelled at by store employees for being "in the way" and never being able to truly know what the price of anything outside of a $9.98 DVD is until I get to the register, going into a Wal-Mart store is always such an adventure.
You see, my problem is that I don't feel like I have any kind of options--only being able to shop at just one Wal-Mart in town. Now that there's going to be two Wal-Marts within 15 minutes of each other, I feel like I've been transplanted to some kind of metropolitan shopping paradise!
OK, so I was being a little bit sarcastic there.
Truth be told, I loathe Wal-Mart. I know, what a surprise, right? But, I can't see how anybody can not be opposed to there being one--let alone two--Wal-Marts inside their city limits.
I won't even bother trying to win any numbers to my side in the anti-Wal-Mart debate. If you shop at Wal-Mart despite their cruel hiring/firing practices, poor wages, lack of health insurance for employees, questionable product origins, tricky pricing to deceive consumers into paying mark-ups for products they believe are cheaper and other atrocities, then you're probably not going to stop shopping there just because an opinion columnist at a local college paper doesn't like them.
But, I can hope you won't shop at the second Wal-Mart they're building in town and prove that people will not be fooled.
Supporters of the second Wal-Mart say that with a new Wal-Mart will bring new jobs. Yet, I never hear of any of these supporters actually working at a Wal-Mart. From reports online about the massive turnover Wal-Mart participates in to avoid paying health care, to it's rare to non-existent pay raises, I'm left wondering if people really think that a three-month stint at Wal-Mart making minimum wage is really worth it.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
ECU Student
posted 10/28/08 @ 10:09 AM EST
With the amount of people in Greenville, a second Wal-Mart is greatly needed. I'm pretty sure there are other organizations with similar practices as Wal-Mart but Wal-Mart is the only one that has a documentary about it so everyone joins in on the bashing. (Continued…)
walmart employee
posted 10/28/08 @ 1:38 PM EST
I'm an ECU student and I work at a Walmart in Rocky Mount. I have been working at Walmart since February 2008. The store did not open until March, so I was there to help set up the store. (Continued…)
Poor wages...PLEASE!
posted 10/28/08 @ 4:44 PM EST
Poor wages? Have you ever worked in fast food? People who work there don't even make close to what Wal-mart employees are paid, unless they have been there for years. (Continued…)
Wal Fart
posted 10/28/08 @ 6:15 PM EST
There are good reasons to be concerned about Wal Mart.
Too bad the author doesn't know about or how to express them.
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