3 ms·

I avoid Walmart because of their absolutely terrible treatment of their employees, the fact the have failed to provide decent wages or benefits for their worker

I avoid Walmart because of their absolutely terrible treatment of their employees, the fact the have failed to provide decent wages or benefits for their workers, drove a race to the bottom in retail and did this almost entirely to the benefit of five children who were lucky to be born with the last name Walton and are now the richest family in America. The corporation is seared in my mind as the ugliest side of American corporate greed with a total disregard of social responsibility. Only very recently did Walmart even attempt to bring up wages, and it's not because they felt some accountability for decimating small towns and family owned businesses, but because they were becoming a dinosaur and suddenly had to compete for workers who would rather work someplace that paid more, even if only marginally and exploited them a little less brazenly.

galgalesh 5y ago
When I visit other countries, I always visit the Cheapest supermarkets, just to see the people working there. Zwitserland was amazing: happy, healthy people who clearly loved their job. The US much less so.
frankish 5y ago
To your point, Dan Price recently posted some related stats and perspective: > Minimum wage > Costco: $16 > Walmart: $11 > > Average pay > Costco: $24 > Walmart: $15 > > Employees on food stamps (subsidized by you) > Costco: Virtually none > Walmart: More than any other company > > Founder net worth > Costco: not a billionaire > Walmart: $220+ billion; up $30 billion in the pandemic > > Both companies have similar business models and charge the same low prices. One decided to treat its employees like humans and forgo enormous profits, and the other one took the opposite track. > > Business is about choices.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  Costco’s customers are the top 3 socioeconomic quintiles, Walmart’s customers are the bottom 3 (or middle 3). Either way, Costco’s customers are richer, and they have a different business model. They are objectively a good employer, but a lot of that has to do with their customer not being extremely price sensitive and being able to afford to buy large quantities, which also results in less loss due to theft. You can find the richer parts of any town by searching for Costco. As for founder net worth, it’s not very meaningful if a founder owns it or others own it in 401k. Divide the Walmart founder net worth by employees and it still would not give them a meaningful improvement in wages for long. They’re simply a low margin business selling to customers who cannot afford to spend extra.
- anonu 5y ago
  Those numbers are pretty stark. But the missing part of the equation here is the customer. How much value has been created for them by driving prices down? I'm not suggesting it's a good thing to underpay employees. I'm only saying let's get a full view of the landscape to be informed...

galgalesh 5y ago

When I visit other countries, I always visit the Cheapest supermarkets, just to see the people working there. Zwitserland was amazing: happy, healthy people who clearly loved their job. The US much less so.

frankish 5y ago

To your point, Dan Price recently posted some related stats and perspective: > Minimum wage > Costco: $16 > Walmart: $11 > > Average pay > Costco: $24 > Walmart: $15 > > Employees on food stamps (subsidized by you) > Costco: Virtually none > Walmart: More than any other company > > Founder net worth > Costco: not a billionaire > Walmart: $220+ billion; up $30 billion in the pandemic > > Both companies have similar business models and charge the same low prices. One decided to treat its employees like humans and forgo enormous profits, and the other one took the opposite track. > > Business is about choices.

lotsofpulp 5y ago
Costco’s customers are the top 3 socioeconomic quintiles, Walmart’s customers are the bottom 3 (or middle 3). Either way, Costco’s customers are richer, and they have a different business model. They are objectively a good employer, but a lot of that has to do with their customer not being extremely price sensitive and being able to afford to buy large quantities, which also results in less loss due to theft. You can find the richer parts of any town by searching for Costco. As for founder net worth, it’s not very meaningful if a founder owns it or others own it in 401k. Divide the Walmart founder net worth by employees and it still would not give them a meaningful improvement in wages for long. They’re simply a low margin business selling to customers who cannot afford to spend extra.
anonu 5y ago
Those numbers are pretty stark. But the missing part of the equation here is the customer. How much value has been created for them by driving prices down? I'm not suggesting it's a good thing to underpay employees. I'm only saying let's get a full view of the landscape to be informed...