How Wal-Mart is Destroying America (and the World) and What You Can Do About It

How Wal-Mart is Destroying America (and the World) and What You Can do About It, Bill Quinn, Ten Speed Press, 2000

This is the revised and updated edition of a book that gives quite a chronicle of pure, penny pinching greed on the part of Wal-Mart.

When Wal-Mart first enters a town, they heavily advertise in the local paper, and everything seems wonderful. Later, after the local stores have been driven out of business (a conscious Wal-Mart policy), the advertising dries up, and their prices start heading upwards. When Wal-Mart becomes (literally) the only game in town, sometimes they will close that store, and open a bigger store 10 or 20 miles away.

In the average store, items are stacked to the ceiling because Wal-Mart is too cheap to afford warehouse space. If a customer is injured in a store, even if Wal-Mart is obviously guilty, they will delay any payment for as long as possible.

One store manager told of a person on his staff whose job was to call suppliers and demand discounts because the shipment arrived damaged or incomplete, even if it actually arrived undamaged or complete. In accounts payable, it is standard to take a 2% discount if the payment is made in a short time, like five or ten days. Wal-Mart will wait thirty days to pay, and still take the discount.

Employees are worked as cheaply as possible. The hourly pay is low, and even "full-time" employees are sent home if business is slow. They are encouraged to belong to local civic organizations, but on their own time, and the employee pays all expenses.

Remember Wal-Mart's "Made in America" campaign, the one that was shown to be nonsense?

The best thing an individual shopper can do is comparison shop; frequently Wal-Mart doesn't have the lowest prices.

This is a scathing, and much needed, chronicle of Wal-Mart's business practices. It is highly recommended for everyone, but especially for those who choose to shop at Wal-Mart. Read this book, and see just what your money is building up, and destroying. Is saving a few cents worth it this much?

How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and What You Can Do About It

How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and What You Can Do About it, Bill Quinn, Ten Speed Press, 1998

This book is pretty self-explanatory. The author, a small-town Texas newspaperman, has seen first-hand how Wal-Mart really works.

When they first enter a town (small towns are picked intentionally), they heavily advertise in the local newspaper, and everything seems wonderful. One by one, the local retailers close, because Wal-Mart has undercut their prices, again intentionally. Once the local Main Street has become a ghost town, Wal-Mart's prices start to drift upward and the newspaper ads dry up to almost nothing.

In an interview, a former store manager reported that he had a person on staff whose job was to call suppliers and demand discounts because shipments arrived damaged or incomplete, even if they actually arrived undamaged and complete.

Did you know that going into a Wal-Mart to jot down prices for comparison shopping purposes is against store policy?

Items are stacked nearly to the ceiling in the average Wal-Mart because they are too cheap to afford warehouse space, according to Quinn.

This might not be so bad if the Walton family were in the habit of giving money to charity. Looking through the major lists of corporate donors, the Walton family are not just low on the lists, they aren't on the lists at all.

This short, Wow of a book presents quite a chronicle of pure, penny-pinching greed on the part of Wal-Mart. It is very strongly recommended.