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Wal-Mart Asks Workers To Donate Food To Its Needy Employees

I don't see anything wrong with it. Do you really think all the people who work at WalMart are poor? I think you're wrong. It's a nice gesture, but leave it to the masses to look for the worst possible interpretation one can put on it.

Think of it as a convenient location for a food bank branch... Maybe a year round operation would be good.
 
Because cash isn't food, food is non taxable, and the donor gets a tax deduction. I think Michael Scott would call that a win, win, win.

So instead of getting cash that you can spend on food you prefer, you get a random mix of food that you may or may not like. Our local food bank was collecting the other day; the list they handed out at the grocery store was pasta sauce, noodles, rice, cereal, peanut butter, dried beans...can't remember what else. I'm sure hungry people are grateful for anything they can get, but with cash they can pick what they like.

And given WalMart associates' low pay, that bonus isn't going to have much in taxes taken out of it. Let's see... $100 that's maybe $80 after taxes vs random canned food...I'd take the money.

As far as getting a tax deduction -seriously? do you track how much you spend when you put a couple cans in the donation bag and deduct it later? I don't. And yes, I bought stuff for the food bank based on their list (think I went with two kinds of pasta sauce - organic; two kinds of pasta - both organic, one gluten free; and a huge jar of peanut butter - Skippy - smooth, which is "MY" favorite PB but for all I know the person who eats it prefers chunky Peter Pan....) and No, I don't have a separate receipt to use for taxes.

Seriously? you deduct a couple cans of food?
 
Nope, not true in my experience. I make as much as, or more than any man I know, who does the same job that I do.

I used to think that I was paid equally. Then there was a class-action lawsuit against my company. And my friends who saw the data (their lawyer was doing the suing) said the pattern was clear - women were paid less across the board, we just didn't know it.

Maybe it's different for you; if so, great.
 
I spoke with a FedEx representative who handles arranging cargo containers and shipments from China, including for WalMart vendors. He explained that every year at contract time, WalMart expects suppliers to reduce their wholesale cost by 2%. When it reaches a point the vendor/supplier can't afford to lower prices and quality anymore, WalMart reps will guide them on how to shift their production from the USA to China. Of course, increasingly WalMart is opening up it's own factories in China.

It is not JUST that WalMart buys from China. WalMart proactively moves American company operations to China - and increasingly itself is a Chinese manufacturer.

Exactly! WalMart "lowers all boats" by pushing its suppliers to cut costs and by cutting its own employees' wages. The suppliers in turn have to cut wages and push THEIR suppliers to charge less.

Instead of Ford's "I want everyone who works for me to be able to buy one of my cars" we get a rush to the bottom. To compete with WalMart other stores have to cut wages and cut what they pay suppliers. The spiral downward continues...and yes, people take the jobs because in this economy, what else can they get? And they shop at WalMart because their wages are so depressed that they can't afford elsewhere.

It's really sad. It's made the Waltons rich. In my opinion, it hasn't been good for the rest of the country.
 
Of course not, you're a woman and are predetermined to need and be worthy of only ... what is it 76% of what a man makes doing the exact same job, even though you're more likely to be a single parent than a man.

Care to provide a link for that bold assertion?
 
Their employees are paid so little that many of them qualify for food stamps and sometimes other government benefits, that is a taxpayer subsidy for Walmart.

So Walmart is supposed to pay its workers a market-inefficient wage just so they don't qualify for certain government benefits? I'm sorry, is Wal-mart no longer a private enterprise anymore? Does the government own them?

Your argument is absurd.
 
Their employees are paid so little that many of them qualify for food stamps and sometimes other government benefits, that is a taxpayer subsidy for Walmart.

No that is a taxpayer subsiby given to all low wage workers that have dependents. Walmart pays no less than many mom & pop shops. Pay is based on what is required to attract and maintain qualified workers - not upon how many people they expect to be able to support on that paycheck.
 
good to see you back at it for Wal-Mart Gipper

Nice try. I personally don't care for Wal-mart. I shop there, but mostly be necessity. I think the customer service is lousy, I think the way they bust unions borders on the paranoid, and I think that they exact a certain level of social death through their perceived policies.

I also think that they should be able to legally perform duties of commerce through state and federal policies, and pay their workers a wage that allows them to do business while staying above a set minimum wage that I don't agree with anyway.

What do you have? Some empty claims based on "ew, Wal-mart is yucky"? If you want to make a fiscal or economic argument as to why they are oh-so-evil, without getting into stupid, non-economic terms that the economically challeged use like "fair", "slavery", and "livable wage", I'm listening.

Otherwise, you can leave. I don't need exposed to hysterical cries and temper tantrums.
 
Not all that work for Walmart's low wages are poor. A quick look at the federal poverty level will confirm that. For many of these workers that low wage Walmart job is a second or even third income in their household. For those few low wage Walmart workers that have large families and little or no other income this is likely a welcome helping hand as they can then afford to feed their extended family and guests too. Why is private charity seen as bad by those constantly demanding that ever more charity be given by the gov't?

I don't have anything against private charity, but if this is so important to Wal-Mart, maybe it would help if they paid their employees more. Or if it's so important to the corporate office, why don't they put these together and take care of their employees?
 
I don't have anything against private charity, but if this is so important to Wal-Mart, maybe it would help if they paid their employees more. Or if it's so important to the corporate office, why don't they put these together and take care of their employees?

I suppose that same argument is made for celebrities that support private charities. Why don't they just give their own money and shut up? Why does any business pay only enough to attract and maintain qualified workers?
 
Honestly this is where I kind of side with Libertarians (and hardcore socialist). Take away social safety nets and those employees will burn down their stores and unionize like crazy when they can't feed their families. WalMart is a ward of the state the amount we subsidize their low costs.
 
Honestly this is where I kind of side with Libertarians (and hardcore socialist). Take away social safety nets and those employees will burn down their stores and unionize like crazy when they can't feed their families. WalMart is a ward of the state the amount we subsidize their low costs.

Was that how it was before the FLSA and the great society programs? ;)
 
I suppose that same argument is made for celebrities that support private charities. Why don't they just give their own money and shut up? Why does any business pay only enough to attract and maintain qualified workers?

I'd agree. Of course many celebrities do support private charities with their own money.

I just find it a little distasteful that that Wal-Mart doesn't pay employees enough then ask customers for charity so there's a decent Thanksgiving meal. Certainly, I'd think they had the resources.
 
Yes. Sooner or later Walmart will have to show people that they're ready to not only be financial leaders, but leaders in doing what is right as citizens of a community and quit acting like they're standing in a soup line while the chauffeur waits at the limousine.

And I most certainly believe that this is going to happen in the near future after this report starts circulating in the media.

By cracky I can't control how much they pay their workers but you watch me contact my local and state representatives and give them my :twocents: ;)
You DO know why city and locals clamor for WalMart businesses...right? You DO understand how much money their revenue stream brings to local, city, county, and state governments, to say nothing of the jobs they provide to undereducated unskilled workers in those communities, right?
 
I'd agree. Of course many celebrities do support private charities with their own money.

I just find it a little distasteful that that Wal-Mart doesn't pay employees enough then ask customers for charity so there's a decent Thanksgiving meal. Certainly, I'd think they had the resources.
1st, its not "WalMart" it is that particular WalMart and they are doing it for employees that have faced recent severe hardships. Second...out of curiosity...do you donate the buck at the local grocery store or convenience store or wherever to contribute to the cause of the day?
 
For those keeping track:

Forcing Wal-Mart to increase their wages so that unskilled labor is paid on par with skilled labor, driving up the cost of goods at Wal-Mart: A-OK.

Asking shoppers to voluntarily increase their own cost of shopping at Wal-Mart via contributions to help Wal-Mart employees: OUTRAGEOUS!!

Further proof of two truths about liberalism:

1) Liberals don't care what you do so long as it's mandatory.

And

2) Liberals are all about helping the little guy so long as they don't need to be involved.
 
You DO know why city and locals clamor for WalMart businesses...right? You DO understand how much money their revenue stream brings to local, city, county, and state governments, to say nothing of the jobs they provide to undereducated unskilled workers in those communities, right?

That is just so silly. Retail businesses (and I own one btw) do not "create" jobs in the way you claim because there is a finite amount of business to be had in the first place. Consumers have so much money to spend and they spend it. All that happens when Walmart moves to town is that instead of spending it in more traditional, family run businesses (that also employ people -- like, duh), they spend it at Walmart. There is no net gain, and in fact, there is a net LOSS because Walmart concentrates the employment into fewer positions vis a vis the myriad independents.

This isn't rocket science here, fella. All it takes is a little understanding of how things work and some basic reasoning skills.
 
That is just so silly. Retail businesses (and I own one btw) do not "create" jobs in the way you claim because there is a finite amount of business to be had in the first place. Consumers have so much money to spend and they spend it. All that happens when Walmart moves to town is that instead of spending it in more traditional, family run businesses (that also employ people -- like, duh), they spend it at Walmart. There is no net gain, and in fact, there is a net LOSS because Walmart concentrates the employment into fewer positions vis a vis the myriad independents.

This isn't rocket science here, fella. All it takes is a little understanding of how things work and some basic reasoning skills.
Why thats just horse****, son. First off...when a WalMart comes to town they arent displacing tons of mom and pop stores...thats a myth. The stores they DO displace? They dont hire NEAR the volume of personnel a WalMart does. Second...you arent thinking macro. That isnt just brok-azz Jenny from the block that is shopping at WalMart...the WalMart parking lots are FULL of people from surrounding communities as well...and those trips invariably including a good number of people stopping and buying gas nearby, buying a meal at a local restaurant nearby, getting coffee, or stopping at any other businesses along the way.
 
Why thats just horse****, son. First off...when a WalMart comes to town they arent displacing tons of mom and pop stores...thats a myth. The stores they DO displace? They dont hire NEAR the volume of personnel a WalMart does. Second...you arent thinking macro. That isnt just brok-azz Jenny from the block that is shopping at WalMart...the WalMart parking lots are FULL of people from surrounding communities as well...and those trips invariably including a good number of people stopping and buying gas nearby, buying a meal at a local restaurant nearby, getting coffee, or stopping at any other businesses along the way.

You must be awfully old if you are calling ME son.

Just because you are ignorant and dogmatic, that doesn't mean everybody is. I actually run my own business. How about you?
 
1st, its not "WalMart" it is that particular WalMart and they are doing it for employees that have faced recent severe hardships. Second...out of curiosity...do you donate the buck at the local grocery store or convenience store or wherever to contribute to the cause of the day?

Sometimes. It depends. I'm just saying that if Wal-Mart cares that much, they have the tools to do something.
 
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