Is Walmart Evil?

Evil?? no. Underpricing all competerors = Unfair. Not taking care of employess benifits = Bad. Importing 99% of products from countries with sweat shops = okay maybe evil. Either way they have so much junk there for so cheap. its like a redneck mall.

I guess Exxon-Mobile are the good guys?

Yes, one time I went in with my 16 month old son (at the time). This old lady at the door stuck a smiley face on his forehead. I thought, "OMG, she has marked him for sacrifice"!

no, it just has a bunch of idiots running it...now that the owner and his children are dead

it is really a good company

yes, EVIL. it will eat your face off and suck out you heart. and then it will raise its prices. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

My husband and I vary greatly on this subject . he calls walmart the evil empire due to the way they treat their employees . well I for one have shopped there like for eons even before I met him and I happen to like wal mart . so I guess it depends on your opinion of wal mart .

Well, they saw the demise of Canada's greatest department stores, and a large part of our heritage.

No more Woolco

No more Eaton's

The Bay is no longer Canadian-owned

WALMART SUCKS, AND BESIDES WHO WANTS THEIR "MADE IN AMERICA" BULLCRAP ANYWAYS?? ONLY THING WALLY WORLD IS GOOD FOR IS CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT. WALK AROUND THE STORE FILLING YOUR BUGGY UP WITH STUFF, AND THEN JUST LEAVE IT IN THE AISLE SOMEWHERE. THAT WILL GIVE THOSE POOR SAPS THAT WORK THERE SOMETHING TO DO. CAN WE ALL SAY UNDERPAID, SUCKY BENEFITS???

Ni MADRES......NO ITS NOT ITS JUST THEM RACEIST MANAGERS THAT THEY GOT....LOL....

Ex-Wal-Mart Marketing Chief Accuses Executives of Taking Gifts[H Lee Scott]

By Lauren Coleman-Lochner and Margaret Cronin Fisk

May 27 (Bloomberg) -- Julie Roehm, the marketing specialist Wal-Mart Stores Inc. fired for alleged conflicts of interest, said the retailer's executives accepted free plane travel and concert tickets, while Chief Executive Officer H. Lee Scott received discounts on yacht purchases and a diamond.

Roehm, 36, said in court papers filed in Detroit May 24 that she never put her own interests first, ``although other executive employees of Wal-Mart did on a frequent basis.'' Wal- Mart fired Roehm in December, less than a year after hiring her.

The filing follows Roehm's lawsuit for breach of contract and fraud in December and a counterclaim by Wal-Mart in March that accused her of taking gifts from DraftFCB, an advertising agency she hired, and having an affair with a subordinate.

``Her document shows how weak her case is,'' said Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley. ``This lawsuit is about Julie Roehm and her misconduct.''

Scott bought yachts and a ``large pink diamond'' at a ``preferential price'' from companies run by Irwin Jacobs, the complaint said. Roehm also accused Scott of traveling to Las Vegas and Florida on jets owned by Jacobs.

One of Jacobs' companies, Plymouth, Minnesota-based Jacobs Trading Co., buys and sells returned and leftover merchandise from stores including Wal-Mart, and employs Scott's son as a consultant.

``We will address these issues in court,'' Simley said. ``Certainly we dispute the allegations involving our CEO and Irwin Jacobs.''

Wal-Mart shares rose 26 cents to $46.91 in composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange on May 25.

`Outright Lying'

Jacobs denied giving preferential prices on at least two fishing boats and a diamond to Scott, 58, and said Scott has never been in any of his planes. He doesn't sell diamonds, he said.

``Wherever she's getting her information from is either wrong or from someone who is outright lying,'' Jacobs, 65, said in an interview by mobile phone from Turkey last week. ``If they don't retract it, I'm going to sue them personally.''

``What bothers me about this whole thing is how hard he tries to make sure the things he does are done just the right way,'' Jacobs said of Scott. ``He made it very clear he did not want preferential treatment. He said that to me in person.''

Roehm attorney Sam Morgan said he would depose Jacobs, ``and we'll see what he has to say under oath.''

Separately, the state of Rhode Island has asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to look into whether Wal-Mart adequately disclosed a possible conflict of interest concerning Scott's son Eric's employment by Jacobs Trading.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Treasurer Frank Caprio urged the SEC in a May 21 letter to probe whether Eric ``may have had a material interest in the transactions that investors would consider significant.'' Companies are required to disclose dealings that benefit directors' immediate family members.

Rhode Island has a $21 million stake in Wal-Mart in its pension funds.

The concern is baseless because none of Eric Scott's work or compensation involves Wal-Mart, said Jacobs. Scott rents office space from Jacobs Trading and contacts other companies to arrange purchases of their leftover merchandise, he said, noting the arrangement was approved by Wal-Mart attorneys.

``There are rules for what you should disclose, and we follow all of them,'' including in this case, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams said.

``It would probably be different if Eric Scott were a high- level executive officer with Jacobs Trading, but he is not. He has no interest, much less material interest,'' in two companies' transactions, she said.

SEC spokesman John Nester declined to comment on what action, if any, the agency will take.

Vodka Case

Wal-Mart didn't initially disclose the reasons why the retailer fired Roehm.

After Roehm filed the lawsuit for breach of contract and fraud, Wal-Mart accused her of taking gifts, including meals and a case of vodka, from DraftFCB, which was competing for the company's $580 million annual advertising budget.

Roehm denied those accusations in her filing last week. She also said other Wal-Mart executives, including her supervisor John Fleming, the company's executive vice president of marketing, accepted from vendors free tickets, backstage passes and souvenirs from an Eagles concert in Spain.

Roehm's lawsuit was initially filed in state court in Michigan in December and transferred to federal court in January. A trial is scheduled for May 2008, Morgan said.

The lawsuit is Roehm v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., No. 07-CV- 10168, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (Port Huron).

To contact the reporters on this story: Lauren Coleman-Lochner in New York at llochner@bloomberg.net ; Margaret Cronin Fisk in Southfield, Michigan, at 2947 or mcfisk@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: May 27, 2007 00:13 EDT

I find it entirely hilarious that people consider Wal Mart so "evil" and boycott it and don't want it in their neighborhoods, etc etc.. Wal Mart is a shining example of capitalism.

What I find so strange is that people living in a capitalist society complain so much about one of the prime examples of what most in a capitalist society want to obtain.. supremacy in their field.. large amounts of profit.. etc etc.

While it may not be "perfect", Wal Mart certainly isn't this terrible evil that everyone should avoid either. And, actually, what I find even funnier is that when you have a Wal Mart come into a place, generally you find that it is very busy. So, for all the people that say that they don't want it there, there are obviously many people that do... Also, I've even seen people that complained about it coming into their area and then afterward say "oh, well I shop there because the prices are good" etc.. Not to strong in their convictions are they?

Anyway.. I would definitely say that Wal Mart is not "evil". Yes, it's made mistakes, but so does everyone. It's not "perfect", but it's obviously hungered for by the American public, otherwise it would not be so successful.

-- I just read someones comments, and had to make a comment too... They said...

"Well, they saw the demise of Canada's greatest department stores, and a large part of our heritage."
"No more Woolco"

(Well.. problem with that statement is that Woolco itself was owned by F.W. Woolworth company of New York anyway. SO, it wasn't Canadian really anyway.. and nothing about our heritage either was involved there).

"No more Eaton's
The Bay is no longer Canadian-owned"

Yes, this is true.. but is this Wal Mart's fault? Not in my opinion.. Eaton's and The Bay are both higher priced stores. They are not "discount" stores like Wal-Mart and Zellers. Eaton's I believe just wouldn't embrace consumers wants... It was trying to exist as the old store of decades ago. The Bay (including Zellers, etc) being sold again I think was based on management choices, etc. They try to make The Bay more pricey, etc.. People like all in one shopping places where they can get low prices, etc.. And that's just not The Bay. They felt they needed to sell off the company, and it was an American company that felt they could turn some it around... And good for them if they do.

I personally like to go to Canadian owned places if and when I can, but I also realize that, while the profits may go South to Arkansas, the benefits are still here.. Great prices, loads of products, oh.. and of course JOBS..

I worked there for like a week and they are so cheap to their workers.
Also they make all the mom and pop shops have to shut down.

Will Samuel Robson Walton ever get investigated as to why he has deviated from the vision of Sam M Walton and James L Walton

is H Lee Scott of Wal Mart Stores, Inc is legal trouble ? Read on

Los Angeles Times Saturday, May 26, 2007 Business
From the Associated Press

Fired Wal-Mart exec claims CEO got perks from vendor

New York – The relationship between the chief executive of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and entrepreneur Irwin Jacobs, a vendor to the world’s largest retailer, is taking some heat.

Fired Wal-Mart marketing executive Julie Roehm, in the latest salvo aimed at her former employer, claimed in a court filing that CEO Lee Scott misused the company’s ethics policy and accepted trips and received preferential prices on yachts and jewelry from Jacobs.

Jacobs owns a number of companies, including Genmar Holdings Inc., a builder of recreational boats, and Jacobs Trading Co., which purchases unsold merchandise from Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart.

In the documents filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Roehm – who is challenging Wal-Mart’s charges of improper conduct, including accepting gifts from vendors and having an affair with a subordinate – also attacked other senior executives for accepting trips, concert tickets and other gifts from vendors.

Roehm’s suit contends that Scott and his wife frequently used private airplanes provided by Jacobs to travel to their residences in Longboat Key, Fla., and Las Vegas. Through his relationship with Jacobs, Scott was able to purchase a large pink diamond for his wife at a preferential price, she claims. Scott, the suit says, maintained a relationship with Jacobs that goes “beyond a business relationship.”

Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley dismissed Roehm’s charges, saying “This lawsuit is about Julie Roehm and her misconduct. Her document shows how weak her case is.”

He continued: “We will address these issues in court. The allegations of impropriety involving our CEO, Lee Scott, are untrue.”

Jacobs flatly denied all of Roehm’s charges.

In a telephone interview, he called “Roehm’s attacks untrue and “outrageous” and vowed to sue her and her lawyer if she refuses to retract her charges.

Roehm’s lawyer, Sam Morgan, said he planned to depose Jacobs and would subpoena records from all of Jacobs’ businesses.

Wal-Mart’s ethics policy forbids company officials from accepting gifts or gratuities from vendors and those who are seeking to do business.

Roehm’s filing follows a move by Rhode Island’s state treasurer, publicized Thursday, to ask the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Wal-Mart violated securities laws by not disclosing that Scott’s son, Eric, works for Jacobs Trading. Wal-Mart has maintained that there is no requirement under the law for a disclosure and no conflict of interest. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams said the question was a “nonissue.”

Rhode Island’s state employee pension fund has substantial holdings in Wal-Mart shares through index funds that group large corporations.

As someone who worked in retail for a long time, let me tell you that Walmart's pay and benefits are typical for the ENTIRE retail sector. Trust me, Target doesn't offer a better package to their employees. If you want to bash Walmart's pay and benefits, at least be fair and bash all retailers.

I used to manage a big box retail store and our associates were all paid less than $8/hour and we were instructed to staff our stores with 70% part time and 30% full time employees. (The 30% included all the managers so we only had a couple of full time associates.)
Only full time employees had benefits and the health insurance was WAY expensive compared to the pay. I used to pay $52 every two weeks for my health insurance. (Single coverage, not family) Then, I had a $400 deductible before the insurance even covered anything.

Walmart isn't evil. It is just reacting to the shareholders who prize profit over all else.

No. Walmart is not a living thing and is therefore incapable of being evil. If you don't like their policies, don't shop there.

I don't know about evil, it sure is cheap.

It provides many jobs, to people that otherwise would not have them. It offers goods and services to people who need the lower prices to be able to live. I don't think it's an evil company. Running mom and pop shops out of business is the way it's going, EVERYWHERE! The economy is so horrible (thanks George!) with out walmart, we'd be in trouble. It's business, and allthough many don't like it, Walmart is in it to make a buck too, most are just jealous they don't have a stake in the company!

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