I’m Back from Walmart Headquarters!
Posted by Lynnae on October 13, 2008
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Due to a conflict with advertising on my blog (something I completely spaced…my fault), my Walmart HQ trip highlights need to be moved to my other blog, Frugal Mom Reviews. You can find the original post RIGHT HERE, and feel free to carry on the conversation there.
At the moment, I’m not sure how (or even if it’s possible) to move the comments over. If I figure it out, I’ll move the comments, too, so the discussion flows better.
Sorry about the confusion!
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49 Responses to “I’m Back from Walmart Headquarters!”
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Glad you enjoyed your trip. I just can’t make myself go to Wal-Mart, even if they are cheaper. I feel like people often are so focused on low prices they miss what’s most imporant, keeping your local economy strong. We all want to buy things as cheaply as possible, but we all want to make as much as we can (kind of a paradox isn’t it). I don’t want to pay lower prices at the loss of small local businesses and my local food network. That’s why I shop at the Farmer’s Markets and buy my meat, eggs & milk from local farms. Truth be told, if something bad does happen to our economy or food system, I will be able to rely on my small network of farms for food not my local Wal-Mart.
I wonder if they’d characterize their routine, illegal attempts to prevent employees from unionizing as ‘doing right by their employees’ or ‘a mistake’? I suspect it would be more along the lines of ‘the cost of doing business’, which is why I will not shop there… that’s not frugal to me, that’s just plain wrong.
Sounds like a very informative trip. It’s good to hear about the ‘other side’ of a big corporation.
@Suzy - I think that’s a valid point. Walmart is never going to be a local business, and they don’t aspire to be one. They have a totally different goal, and if you’re interested in only shopping your local economy, Walmart definitely isn’t for you, and that’s OK. But I think Walmart does well at what they focus on, which is low prices.
@Georgiana - I think most big box stores aren’t unionized. I worked at Target during college, and we didn’t have a union. Nor does Staples or Office Depot, where I have known employees. I think that’s the nature of a big box store, and honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
@ABCs - It was definitely an interesting experience.
wonderful write up. walmart also really exceeded my expectations as well - and like you i went it into thinking - let’s not drink the walmart koolaid - but truly everyone we met was such GOOD PEOPLE and the efforts they are making with sustainability have the power to be revolutionary for the retail and CPG industry. and it was all “new” news to me. i think any giant corporate organization is going to struggle to do everything right - but i left feeling really positive about the things they are doing right! i loved meeting you and hope we can see each other again soon. colleen
Wow, I can’t wait to hear the rest of your stories about the trip! Thanks for sharing with us. Welcome home!
I was excited to read your post about your Trip to Walmartville. How’d you like the SOUTH? I’m a southern gal, I’ve seen you around the blosphere but now I’m following you b/c I so aspire to be more frugal.
Thanks,
Just wanted to get subscribed to thiS
I definitely want to hear more. Sounds like a good trip. Whether or not you post more, you should definitely keep notes.
Like the photo of you and the CEO - was surprised to see him in just ‘good ol’ boy clothes’ and not a fancy smancy suit
I like that!
Write whatever strikes your fancy about Walmart. I’d like to hear more. Maybe an overview of your classes/meetings. What the reason was for going, was the reason met, did the outcome exceed your expectations. What’s new on the drawing board for the moms group and for walmart. Those kind of things.
I wish we had a Walmart here. The closest ones are over 90 minutes away and over a mountain pass in winter - Not! Or a Target… or something besides the overpriced Freddies. That’s all we have here and there is NO competition at all. But I guess I should just be thankful for the Freddies - as before that there was nothing.
And personally, I prefer to work for a non-union employer. I have a better chance of staying employed that way, as I know I won’t get laid off just for lack of seniority, which has happened, and when based on my performance should not have happened.
With all due respect, I worked at Walmart for 3 years. I’m pretty sure I can state that Walmart ISN’T run by good people(Good people care about their resources). I’m glad you had a good trip to Bentonville but your trip was just a single trip, there are those of us that spent much more than a couple hours in meetings listening to propaganda and probably have a better understanding of what Walmart is and does.
Hi Lynnae!
I live in a smaller town and we just got our second Wal-Mart over on the other side of town. I have noticed a change in the way they have been behaving in the last 5 years or so since I moved here. With no where else to shop I have embraced the “New Wal-Mart” as a welcome addition to my shopping routine.
In a university setting it has been interesting to see peoples options of the Big Box. I have had several teachers tout how many years they have gone without stepping foot inside the retailer due to reasons such as factory wages and outsourcing. But the most interesting was an economic teacher who told us that Wal-Mart had done more to end hunger and poverty in the US than any government program.
How was Bentonville specifically? Did it seem like a great place to raise a family? Are they still saying that they are not tying to go upscale like target? I am really interested in working for Wal-mart in there corporate offices for apparel sourcing and would love to know your options of a working and living environment.
Oh- and my suggestion for the holidays- bring back more craft stuff! Our “New Wal-Mart” doesn’t have a fabric section and hardly any craft stuff (but they do have awesome party stuff!). More do-it-yourself type items, and practical things.
Money is tight here in our house. My husband honestly asked for socks and underwear for his birthday last week!
Looking forward to more details/stories! Sounds like you had a great time!
Walmart is a good, solid business. It is not a villian, attempting to eat up Mom and Pop.Walmart management are for the most part good folks trying to do the right thing in most cases. Sure, they have business objectives - how do you think they grew into what they have become? But I have also seen Walmart employing large numbers of people, and that paycheck has been lifeblood to many people I know personally. No union? So what? Seems to me I’ve heard more problems with unions than solutions. Not in anybody’s best interest, if you ask me. Local businesses? I shop at those places, too. At least I have choice. Glad you’re back, Lynnae. Even more glad you’re one of the eleven. Have fun with it.
Welcome home Lynnae! I would definitely love to read articles about your interactions with the execs. Great job on behalf of all of us mom bloggers!
Homemaker Barbi (Danelle Ice)
The problem isn’t that they don’t have a union. The problem is that they bully their associates into believing unions are evil and fire anyone who believes differently(in order to keep those ol’ payroll costs low). Yes, all unions are not effective. That said, I thank God every day that the company my husband is employed by has one. You don’t see people who are fired for “nonproductivity” during times when payroll needs to be pushed down, rehired months later. You don’t see a push to harass senior folks(meaning the ones who have been employed for years rather than months) because they have a higher tier of pay. You don’t see a push to get people who have medical conditions leave to improve their bottom line. I saw all these things during my time there. Couple that with boneheaded nanagers who believe employees have NO rights(which is how you bully folks into working off the clock, something they have gotten fined for multiple times) and you have a recipe for disaster. But isn’t it swell that they have a lactation room(which is probably a result of the lawsuit they got after another boneheaded manager told a nursing mother to use the restroom to nurse).
What a great write up! (and I love the pic of you with Lee!)
I think you’ve done a great job expressing what we all experienced - the feeling of an open, caring, involved company that listens.
This post has caused me to delete my feed to this blog. After all of the awful, WELL-DOCUMENTED things that Walmart has done to their employees over the years, I really can’t believe that after one well-staged visit you’ve fallen hook-line-and-sinker for the propaganda. Your prerogative, I guess…just like it is mine to not read this anymore.
I’m glad to finally hear someone say something nice about Wal-Mart. My Mom has worked at several stores over the last 13 years and has had good experiences at all of them. She’s also had several positions from cashier to customer service manager (in charge of all cashiers) to electronics and crafts. In the early ’80s when she was diagnosed with Chrones disease my family couldn’t get affordable health care for her - the one person who needed it. My Dad owned his own business and private health care wasn’t an option. Wal-Mart provided us with great health care and recently when my father was ill for several months her managers actually took her aside and asked what they could do for her to make things easier. Whenever she needed to leave they let her no questions asked. Wal-Mart is no different than any other large company - they have a lot of good people but there’s bound to be some bad. This is my first time to your blog but I’ll definitely be coming back. Thanks for being someone that has their own opinion and is willing to state it.
I’m pretty sure that they were on their absolute best behavior with all of you - wouldn’t they want to have their team of bloggers gushing nice things about them? I don’t have a strong opinion about them either way, I just think maybe a little critical analysis here… you kind of work for them now, as an internet ambassador, so they would want the good press as much as they could get.
@K - Oh, I’m absolutely certain they were on their best behavior. That hasn’t slipped by me. At the same time, I was really impressed by their Saturday meeting, and that really wasn’t directed at us at all.
Still, they could have been on their best behavior and bragged about their company in an informational sort of way. But they were asking questions and really listening to us.
@Alyssa - I loved Bentonville, what I saw of it anyway. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!
@A - I have no idea whether Walmart is going upscale or not. And I’m also impressed with Walmart’s philanthropy. That was nothing that was brought up in Bentonville, but our local Walmart did a lot for our elementary school. I didn’t really get to see a lot of Bentonville, so I can’t speak to how it would be to live there. They do have gorgeous brick houses, something we don’t have in the PNW.
@cwaltz - it sounds like you had a horrid manager, and I don’t doubt there are problems in a company this big. All I can speak to is my experiences both with my trip at Walmart HQ, and at my local Walmart, which is fantastic. They have had the same employees for the 7 years I’ve been there, so I don’t think there’s a lot of employee harassment going on at my local store.
@Carrie - I’m sure we’ll probably never agree on this subject. I’m sorry you feel it’s a big enough issue that you can’t read this blog anymore, but that’s your prerogative.
@Beck - I’m glad you had a great experience with Walmart.
Wow…seems like Walmart can really light a fire with some people. Anyhow, I’m glad your trip went well and look forward to reading more about your experience.
“Walmart is also employee friendly.”
I think they slipped you some Kool-aid when you weren’t looking.
Yea, when it comes to being frugal, I have to draw the line at Wal-Mart.
Your blog is really interesting & I’m up for reading anything & everything you want to write about your experiences with Walmart. I had mixed experiences with then as a customer for years, & have known employees who have had completely differing experiences with them. I know there is a lot of negative stuff about them, but I believe they are similar to any big box store, it depends on local management. Glad to hear about the sustainability issues that they are trying to attend to. Your experience seems to have been very positive, & I appreciate your willingness to write about such a controverial place.
Having done a course of study in Employee Benefits, I can not even begin to tell you how many times Walmart has been sued (justifiably) due to their dubious treatment of employees. Some of the lawsuits I have studied would absolutely curl your hair. They are large enough they can fight their employees to the legal bitter end - even if they are WRONG. And they do. If that wasn’t enough to keep me out of their stores, they are well known for taking huge tax incentives to build stores on the outskirts of small towns which then drive in-town moms and pops out of business. They are a form of oligarchy which is not a good thing. I, too, have canceled my feed, but mostly because I’m not getting anything useful from this blog - and, yes, your absolute GLUGGING of the Walmart kool aid is very disapointing. I’m sure ads will start popping up here if they haven’t already adding further insult to your readership.
Regardless of how you feel about Walmart, I think it is pretty cool that a handful of bloggers were selected as a panel representative to provide input for Walmart’s upcoming campaigns, and help share those ideas in the blogging community. Congratulations to Lynnae for being a member of that group. And thanks for sharing that experience with your readers, despite some of our strong feelings one way or the other.
Well, we don’t have Wal-mart over here in the UK, but they have bought one of the 3 largest supermarket chains, Asda.
What’s interesting to me is that despite the fact that Asda is actually cheaper for food, they’re still nowhere near the biggest company Tescos (£1 in 7 is spent in Tescos). Of course, we have more restrictive employment laws in the UK but even so, I think a lot of the flak that Wal-mart gets is probably from being the biggest.
What a great experience this must have been! I guess you could say I have a love-hate relatioship with Wal-Mart. I count on them for over-all low prices on many items, but at the same time I feel they’ve killed the “little guy” over the years ( I always think of that song by Alan Jackson!). I remember it wasn’t that long ago that they prided themselves on carrying products made in the USA… and that seems to have gone by the wayside. I know it’s hard for American companies to sometimes beat prices on products made overseas, but I feel Wal-Mart can do better in this regard. I was pleased when they started carrying their reusable totes for shoppers for $1 a piece, because that shows some commitment to the environment…. but surely they could have found an American company to make these bags? Apparently not, as those too are made in China!
I have mixed feelings about Walmart. I think that a lot of what they sell is landfill fodder. (Then again, I think a lot of what we as consumers buy is useless junk.)
On the other hand, my brother works for them full time. My dear brother is smart (IQ of 140), learning disabled, and slowly losing his vision. With Walmart he has a full time job, health care and a retirement account. It is much more than he would have been able to find anywhere else in the small town where he lives.
@Julie - Funny you should mention the bags. One of the things we bloggers brought up when we met with the executives was that people didn’t think too highly of things that were made in China…specifically the bags.
Glad you enjoyed the trip. My Dad has worked for them for 20 years and has loved almost every minute of it.
WalMart was once a “mom and pop.” It grew, utilized technology, frugally managed its resources, offered items that met the demands of its customers, and obviously took very good care of its people. Businesses that fail to do these things go out of business.
What’s funny is that certain groups of people hate success. They love the government that takes 40% of their money and squanders it, but despise the merchant that employs their neighbors and offers products for sale that make their lives better in some way.
I disagree with the “Walmart are good people” line. Not providing healthcare to their employees is bad for the. USA taxpayer. That is why I go to Costco. They are good corporate citizens and have great deals!
“What’s funny is that certain groups of people hate success.”
True. But that’s not why Wal-Mart is hated.
“They love the government that takes 40% of their money and squanders it”
A chunk of that ’squandering’ goes to subsidizing Wal-Mart and their under-paid, under-insured employees.
“but despise the merchant that employs their neighbors”
They employee our neighbors because they ran the other stores in town out of business.
“and offers products for sale that make their lives better in some way.”
I’m constantly perplexed as to why people shop for groceries at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart moved into my parents home town…or, rather, they moved JUST outside the town line to avoid tax issues. This, of course, happened to be right down the street from the family run grocery. Alas, they went out of business. Now Wal-Mart is the only place.
Which sucks.
But what REALLY suckes is that Wal-Mart just sells really crappy food. I’ve never tasted baked goods worst than what comes from Wal-Mart. Much of their meet and produces is shipped across continents. It’s just a really bad store for food.
Gah. I can’t spell today. Eep!
Walmart is NOT a good company. Look at what they did to the people in Jonquiere Quebec. These people knew that they were being unfairly treated by this company and joined a union. Walmart just closed the store down. The case is now going to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Walmart cares little about ‘doing the right thing’. Walmarts legacy will forever be the Cancer of the business world.
I never said Walmart was a perfect company, and neither did anyone we met with. Though we didn’t get into specifics, like what happened in Quebec, the executives admitted that there have been bad decisions in Walmart’s history.
I can only speak to what I’ve seen at the Walmarts in my town and to what I experienced in Arkansas, and all of my experiences with Walmart have been good.
I live in Bentonville. Good place to live, we have a Blue Ribbon High School (top 500 in nation). A lot of that is thanks to money given by WalMart foundation and former employees. No one in my family is employed by WalMart, but lots of friends are or are employed by vendors who sell to WalMart. They may not be perfect, but they are constantly trying to improve. I know of no one who works there who wants to quit, and a lot of kids of employees end up working there. About living in Bentonville, great place, but as a native, I am tired of people moving here and wanting it to be more like where they moved from!!
@KellyB - I can totally understand that sentiment, even though I don’t live in Bentonville. We have a lot of big city folk moving to Southern Oregon, because it’s so beautiful….but then they want to change it to be more like the big city.
@Lynnae and Kelly B… We also have that problem on the north Oregon coast. Fortunately, we can usually wait them out and they leave… One winter here of endless dreary (to them) cold rain and they have usually had it
@Lynnae - if you have an ‘in’ with Walmart, get them to bring a store to Tillamook! Or even Lincoln City or Seaside would be ok
Even Astoria. There’s one in Newport - but that’s over 2 hrs away.
” Though we didn’t get into specifics, like what happened in Quebec, the executives admitted that there have been bad decisions in Walmart’s history.”~Lynnae
Lynnae you are a person Wal-mart is using for pr.
You must start to do some real research about this company. If Wal-mart really wanted to do what is right their actions would represent their statements. Why are they fighting all the way to the supreme court? Because they don’t really care.
Don’t let yourself be used by Wal-mart Lynnae.
Take care
@Alex - I know that Walmart is getting PR out of this, but my position on Walmart has not changed from before I went there. Yes, I was impressed with the executives we talked with. However, I have always believed, and still believe, that Walmart is no different than any other big box store. There are some strengths, and some weaknesses. A lot of weaknesses are brought on by bad store managers.
I’ve worked at big box stores, and I have family members who have worked in big box stores (none of them Walmart). A lot of the criticism leveled at Walmart happens just as frequently in other big box stores, yet Walmart seems to take most of the flack, because they are the largest.
I’m a person who believes that there are benefits to shopping Walmart, as well as benefits to shopping locally, and I do a lot of both. For me it’s not either or.
However, I also feel that if you’re (and that’s a general you…not directed specifically at Alex) going to paint Walmart as the evil empire, you’d best take a good look at other big box stores, because if that’s the way you feel, you probably shouldn’t be shopping at any of them.
If you lived in a town with only ONE store in it, and that being a Freddies, with high prices, you would be hopeful that WalMart, or any other low cost store, would move on in.
I sure do! Competition is a good thing.
And don’t say they will drive out the Mom and Pops… the Freddies already did that
No more sears, or monkey wards, or penneys, etc…. they’re already gone, so there’s no damage to be done.
And don’t say anything about low wages as people in this economically depressed area would be grateful for ANY wages at all !! We don’t need much here to get by on.
It’s easy to be frugal here - and keeping up with the Joneses is also easy as everyone is in the same boat. We all make do, and we all pretty much do ok
@Marci - I used to live in Roseburg, which is much like you describe. I was there when Walmart came to town, and everyone in the town was SO happy!
The mom & pop businesses that were well run survived. The ones that weren’t doing well to begin with did not. (My husband knew which ones survived & which didn’t as he was in advertising sales, and he covered the whole town).
The store that was hit the worst was the KMart down the street. But the KMart was really run down, so of course everyone wanted to go to the shiny new Walmart.
In the end, KMart survived, but they really cleaned up their store to compete, which was great for the customers.
I know that’s not the story everywhere, but I think Marci is right that Walmart can be really good for recessed communities where for whatever reason, people can’t find work at all. In Roseburg, it was because the timber industry took a big hit.
And I kind of miss the days when everyone was in the same boat. I learned a lot about being frugal there, and even though I still practice frugality here, there’s a lot more pressure to keep up!
Reading the last comment by Lynnae, my gut feeling is that this is more of a Wal-mart apologist site. We all remember the “RVing across America” blog that was sponsered by you know what company and then they got caught.
I bid you a good night.
@Alex - I wouldn’t call my site a Walmart apologist site, as this is the first time I’ve ever written extensively about Walmart in a year and a half. I just don’t hate Walmart. Didn’t before I was involved with them, and I don’t now.
However, I must say, I do completely agree with you about RVing across America. That was not a smart move.
“However, I must say, I do completely agree with you about RVing across America. That was not a smart move.”
Smart move or dishonest move? Your words are more like spin.
This site is truely not interested in truth.
Take care.
This is a great site, one of the best, for frugal living and frugal tips. This Walmart stuff has been controversial for some people, but the whole site should not be judged by just one post that one doesn’t personally agree with. There’s always “some post” that someone doesn’t agree with, but we ride it out and respect the rights of others to say their piece. Then we go on to the next topic!
@Alex - I’m sorry you feel that way. If you knew me, you’d know that I write exactly the way I talk in real life. In real life, I’m always saying “That wasn’t a smart move.” No spin to it. That’s how I talk.
I’m absolutely interested in truth. I think the truth is Walmart put their best foot forward for the visiting bloggers. I think the truth is there are bad store managers out there. I think the truth is there are some very good Walmarts out there as well.
I think the truth is there are a lot of people who hate Walmart, and will never like it, even if they totally changed the way they ran their business. I think the truth is, there are people who look up to Walmart as a great example of how a little guy can build a corporation.
I think the truth is, no, I KNOW the truth is, from experience, that other big box stores can be just as mean to the little man as the examples that have been posted here. I know, because I’ve watched a family member live it. Walmart is not alone in those stories.
I think the truth about Walmart is somewhere between the extremist groups who look to find fault in everything Walmart does, and the other extreme that finds nothing wrong with the company.
A good friend of mine recently said, “It just that so many people, I think, see everything in black and white, good and evil only. And refuse to even acknowledge your own personal experience because it doesn’t fit with the good and evil model. Walmart, and any company is made of of people. People who make mistakes, who are sometimes good, sometimes evil.
Is there no middle ground anymore? ”
And the fact is, I think the truth is in that middle ground.
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/518683
Wal-Mart to close unionized auto shop in Quebec
MONTREAL – Wal-Mart Canada is closing an automobile centre in Gatineau, Que., where employees had formed a union and recently secured their first collective agreement.
The retailer said Thursday it closed the shop because it couldn’t accept salary increases for the store’s five mechanics. Wal-Mart said the higher wages would force it to increase prices by 30 per cent.
The unionized workers and the Tire and Lube Express centre manager won’t necessarily lose their jobs because they can be transferred to another department at the store or to another of Wal-Mart’s auto centres.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union president called Wal-Mart’s decision an attack on its workers and a “blatant disregard” for Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“Wal-Mart thinks a cheap oil change is more important than the Canadian Constitution,” Wayne Hanley said in a news release.
The closure marks the second time Wal-Mart has closed a Quebec outlet after workers decided to form a union.
In April 2005, the retailer closed an entire store in Saguenay affecting more than 200 workers just as binding arbitration for a first contract was set to begin. The retailers said the store wasn’t profitable.
The Supreme Court of Canada agreed in August to hear appeals from a number of workers who lost their jobs.