The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works–and How It’s Transforming the American Economy

I don’t why I waste my time reading these supposed documentaries that are so predictable based solely on their title. This one is no different, however, this supposed documentary was just a terrible attempt at spreading propaganda. The half-baked facts that were presented were terribly done and the author did a poor job of providing any balance of the facts.

What this author failed to point out is that Walmart is a corporation that is in the business of making money for themselves and for their stock holders. They are not in the business to provide socialized medicine for all of America. Since when has any retail store provided great paying jobs with health benefits so that the average employee could support a middle class family? Retail jobs are a good for; 1) to supplement a family’s income and 2) to provide entry level jobs for people with no work experience who are trying to better themselves. Just like thousands of other people, I put myself thru college working various low paying retail jobs and the experience obtained in the retail industry (along with my education) help me better myself to enter the business world.

Walmart is so successful because they save consumers so much money and give back to the communities they are in. All of the Walmart haters should walk thru one of their stores and be observant. They carry the same brands that Kroger,Target, and Home Depot have and they sell them a lot cheaper. Unfortunately, a lot of our original US based brands are now made overseas.

Unfortunately, the American consumer has forced most of our manufacturing base out of the country. The east and left coast consumers are the worst. They pass laws to keep Walmart out of their communities and then the consumers on the coasts are the largest buyers of foreign made cars. America’s auto industry is one of the last major manufacturers left in the USA. The US auto companies are the largest private providers of health care in the world and they provide strong middle class wage to their workers. The US auto market share is down to about 50% in the US, however, on the Walmart hating coasts, the US Auto market share is around 20%. The big three automakers have had to slash 100′s of thousands of their jobs from their workforce as American consumers have quenched their thirst for foreign products. I think its time for the hypocrites to look in the mirror because it isn’t Walmart ruining this country, it’s the large group of ill informed hypocitic American consumers (concentrated on the east and left coast) who talk out of one side of their mouth abouting hating Walmart, as they drive around in their foreign cars. It becomes quite obvious that the Walmart haters not only dislike American companies that sell some foreign products, they also hate American companies that sell American products!

Rating: 1 / 5

Ironies abound

Walmart is seen and accepted as a haven for the poor to shop at

So it is the poor than who are supporting Walmarts drive to keep sweatshops going

So if we say that we ahould have Walmart STOP its sweatshops then we are imposing our views and isnt it the lefts viewpoint that it is consevatives who want to impose their views on others especially in other countries!

Yes it is

Why would Jesse Jackson and others stop Walmarts from openning in poor parts of towns which would bring jobs and goods etc

For the unions who Walmart fights against

AS we know payroll is any companies BIGGEST EXPENSE, so unions would have payroll go higher and then prices go higher and then Jackson would complain that Walmart is abandoning the poor

When Walmart opens, many more shops open in the shopping centers and with general knowledge of Walmarts quality , these other stores flourish, despite the scare put out by the media or mom and pops who cant or wont compete with Walmart

The curse of the unions is being seen right now with GM and others as the common person is shut out and the unions gain the taxpayers money

Walmart offers dirt cheap ( and yes, maybe dirt quality to some) but serves a great purpose

Detractors wont be swayed by logic, so not much will change

But I see people who work at Walmart SOME, NOT ALL, who might not get hired elsewheres

I would rather there be WalMarts than none at all

Rating: 3 / 5

This book’s purpose is to argue that Wal-mart is an evil empire. Fishman throws in some positive facts to try and seem neutral, but throughout the book he shows his socialist stripes and lack of understanding of basic economic principals.

The sections of the book that I most enjoyed and found most interesting were the great in-depth anecdotes about companies that have a relationship with Wal-Mart.

I had trouble finishing this book because his diatribe against Wal-Mart becomes more intense near the end, but at the same time his arguments have so many gaping holes. Those who understand basic economic principles will shake their head in disagreement many times as they turn the pages of this book.

Overall, I feel quite dismayed because I think he will be successful in convincing many uninformed readers that Wal-Mart’s impact is more harmful than beneficial.

Rating: 2 / 5