Usually I steer clear of "political" discussions on BF, but I'm simply astonished by how uninformed many BF members appear to be on this matter. Wal-Mart's singularly corrosive impact on the US national and local economies and local communities, and its leading role in economic globalization's "race to the bottom," is thoroughly documented, widely available and really not disputed by anyone other than Wal-Mart itself. For anyone interested -- but esp. if you believe Wal-Mart "plays fair," is "good for the economy/ community," "treats its workers well," etc. -- you can read the following for starters. FYI, Glen
Is Wal-Mart Too Powerful?
Low prices are great. But Wal-Mart's dominance creates problems -- for suppliers, workers, communities, and even American culture.
By Anthony Bianco and Wendy Zellner, Business Week Online, October 6, 2003
Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town (Micha Peled, PBS, 2001)
Wal-Mart Watch
For those interested in a book-length study, see:
Bob Ortega, In Sam We Trust: The Untold Story of Sam Walton and Wal-Mart, the World's Most Powerful Retailer (NY: Crown Business, 1998). (
Amazon link)
Still widely accepted as the best account of the rise of Wal-Mart and its model for success, including (among other innovative economic strategies) its slashing of production costs by contracting with China to use its prison population as a labor pool. (Over 85% of its goods are made overseas; Wal-Mart is the world's largest seller of Chinese-made products.) Extremely well-researched by Wall Street Journal reporter Bob Ortega.
For those with access to NewsBank, ProQuest or other archive databases, you can find literally countless articles on particular topics via simple searches like "wal-mart illegal immigrant," "wal-mart child labor," "wal-mart sex discrimination," "wal-mart [insert local city/region name here]," etc. Some random samples with excerpts:
Lara Jakes Jordan, "Wal-Mart Settles Illegal Immigrant Case," Associated Press, March 18, 2005:
"Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, has agreed to pay $11 million to settle federal allegations it used illegal immigrants to clean its stores, attorneys in the case said Friday.
"...Many of the janitors--from Mexico, Russia, Mongolia, Poland and a host of other nations--worked seven days or nights a week without overtime pay or injury compensation, said attorney James L. Linsey. Those who worked nights were often locked in the store until the morning, Linsey said.
"...On Oct. 23, federal agents raided 60 Wal-Mart stores across 21 states, netting the alleged illegal aliens working in the stores. Almost all the workers were in the employ of subcontractors paid to clean the stores. About 10 of the workers were employed by Wal-Mart.
"Officials said at the time of the raids the investigation involved wiretaps that revealed Wal-Mart executives were aware that the subcontractors used illegal workers."
Steven Greenhouse, "Wal-Mart Agrees to Pay Fine in Child Labor Cases," New York Times, February 12, 2005:
"Wal-Mart Stores, the nation's largest retailer, has agreed to pay $135,540 to settle federal charges that it violated child labor laws in Connecticut, Arkansas and New Hampshire.
"...Labor Department officials said most of the 24 violations covered by the settlement involved workers under age 18 operating dangerous machinery, including cardboard balers and chain saws. In the agreement, Wal-Mart denied any wrongdoing.
"...Wal-Mart has faced previous child labor charges. In March 2000, Maine fined the company $205,650 for violations of child labor laws in every one of the 20 stores in the state. In January 2004, a weeklong internal audit of 128 stores found 1,371 instances in which minors apparently worked too late at night, worked during school hours or worked too many hours in a day."
Nancy Cleeland, "Women Recount Pervasive Inequality at Wal-Mart," Los Angeles Times, June 23, 2004:
"...The names and locations vary, but the complaints are consistent: lower pay for women in comparable jobs; inadequate training and coaching for aspiring managers; a word-of-mouth hiring network that made it difficult for women to learn about open positions; and dismissive, even crude, remarks by male managers. A few alleged that they were groped or sexually harassed in other ways.
"Statistics compiled by plaintiffs' attorneys, based on payroll records submitted by Wal-Mart and which the judge found credible, show that on average, men earned more than women in each job category.
"In higher management positions, the difference was extreme. For instance, in 2001, male store managers on average earned $105,682, while women earned $89,280. Male district managers earned $239,519 that year, while women in the same position earned $177,149.
"The numbers also put Wal-Mart far below the retail average, at least when it comes to promoting women. The attorneys claim that overall, in general merchandise stores, about 60% of management positions are held by women. At Wal-Mart, the number is only about 35%."
and my so far unsuccessful hunt for at least a glimpse of the elusive Wal-Mart Native. 
