Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Filed under Economics, 38 Comments,
Wal-Mart has become one of America’s most successful retail chains by offering everyday goods at low prices for working families.
But just how is Wal-Mart able to charge less than many of their rivals, and what has their success done for their employees?
Documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald takes a look inside the discount retailer’s empire in Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, and discovers a company short on scruples and long on shabby treatment of the people who work for them.
Watch the full documentary now
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July 3rd, 2009 at 17:54
real stunner. professional presentation.
September 19th, 2009 at 04:15
I really couldn’t finish watching this because I couldn’t take any more footage of crap Wal-mart was and is doing to workers. It’s a big realization for me and I probably wouldn’t shop here anymore knowing how many tax dollars and subsidies are being wasted on Walmart. What’s worse is that the documentary offers no hope in what can be done to stop walmart except reporting to the media. More people must watch this.
September 20th, 2009 at 11:39
My brother worked for Walmart for a short time, and he said it was like working for a small communist country. No joke! He said the perfect Walmart employee has an I.Q of about 85; smart enough to work and do a good job but it is difficult for them to find something better and they know it. Kinda sad. There are exceptions of course.
September 23rd, 2009 at 05:19
I worked for Walmart when I was in high school. I started there three weeks before I turned 18. The schedule that went up right after i turned 18 had me scheduled 37 hours a week and most of those times while i was in class. When i brought it to their attention they told me i should have filled out a new availability. Then said, “why do i need school when i could make a future at Walmart.” I told then i would be there as soon as i got out of class. They didn’t push the point anymore.
Fast forward years latter and a friend of mine was walking through a walmart and slipped and fell onto a broken Sobe bottle. Glass went into her arm and she had to go to the emergency room. They wouldn’t even cover her hospital bills. I hope walmart goes under. They don’t care about their employees and they don’t care about their patrons.
September 25th, 2009 at 04:46
A ‘Mallwort’ was built in a community about 20 minutes away from me in the year 2001. The small community it was chosen to be built in was composed mainly of migrant workers and lower class individuals. Many people really did not oppose and took positions in the store. Today it is obvious how much economical devastation it has caused small businesses in the surrounding areas. I have worked for a couple of companies that did not survive. The kind of places that are mentioned in little stories containing phrases like “…when I travel up state I always stop in to a little cafe that makes the best…” and “…”the piano player that plays during dinner is amazing”. Mallwort makes me sick.
September 25th, 2009 at 21:44
I’m boycotting Walmart. This is absolutely outrageous. I knew this was going on, but I had no idea as to the extent of the problem. Walmart is destroying America and we the people need to rise up against it. It’s hard to believe we’ve let this happen.
Ashleen, if you had finished the video you would have seen that it does offer a message of hope. The last 5 or 10 minutes documents numerous cities that have succeeded in keeping Walmart out of their communities.
September 26th, 2009 at 02:12
MONEY is all walmart is about,the arrogance and disregard 4 people is sickening. Glad to see people r still Uniting.
September 29th, 2009 at 15:47
No more Walmart in Germany! Great decission. You can too. Freedom for the People and prosperity for your comunities. Your constituion wasn’t written for major coorperations like Walmart. I wish you all of luck!!
September 29th, 2009 at 18:40
I sure hope wal-mart won’t enter australia. Will spread a viral campaign if they do!
September 30th, 2009 at 10:30
Though it is an entertaining documentary, and quite informative, one cannot help but be disgusted by the incredible bias forced down our throats in this “happy music/EVIL music” film. Not once was there any narration, which is supposed to instill a “this is a very objective documentary!” thought in our mind; however, every time a good Mom ‘n’ Pop family was shown, sappy acoustic chords are sure to be stuffed in there! African-focused community happens to topple the wicked giant? Uplifting soul music, right on cue.
Eye-opening film, but presented in a very mediocre fashion.
November 17th, 2009 at 19:42
I live in Toronto, Canada
Does this also apply to Walmart’s here?
November 30th, 2009 at 21:21
this is the america that people strive to get into what a joke.
have these people no sense its been proven that people power works time and time again,the people that handed over funds (that could have been better spent) to get walmart into town must have been elected and should and can be held accountable.
although i feel for these people they must help themselves because most people dont care unless it really affects them
November 30th, 2009 at 21:32
these multi millionaire owners have no moral’s they must realize how much pain and hurt their pure and unashamable greed causes and to you the middlemanagement you will realize one day that you are only pawns in their game and that you are disposable.
December 9th, 2009 at 00:55
unreal that they can get away with this!
December 9th, 2009 at 02:37
I’ll never shop at a Walmart or a Sam’s Club.
December 9th, 2009 at 02:37
I’ll never shop at a Walmart or a Sam’s Club.
December 9th, 2009 at 21:31
I love how while watching this I noticed 2 “ads by google”.
1. “Wal-Mart Job Application”
2. “walmartvendor.com”
December 11th, 2009 at 00:07
This reinforces why I do not shop at walmart, and why I try to shop as locally as possible. I do not like financially supporting the beast that would treat people this way, and the environment this way. More people need to watch this documentary, more people need to support local business (which may in turn create lower prices on local product, less people should apply for jobs there and try to work somewhere else. There are so many things that we should be doing instead in order to reverse the progress of this company. Good work and my undying support to the people out there who make it their mission to keep Walmart OUT!
December 11th, 2009 at 00:10
oh, and for renee, yes it does apply to walmarts in canada. walmart just shut down a store in quebec for attempting to unionize and left something like 170 people out of jobs.
December 12th, 2009 at 12:42
i used to work as a truck driver, delivering at times to walmart thru out the states. they treated the truckers in general as scum, we had to pay out of our own pockets to have walmart unload their own merchandise, we weren’t allowed on the docks to unload ourselves or even do an inventory on what we delivered. if their was a discrepancy, we had no way to verify it, only accept their word for it. the guard shack was gestapo like to enter their premisses. this movies explains alot & if/ when i ever shop again in the USA, i wont be doing it at any walmart.
this can only happen because the U.S. Government as a whole is as corrupt, as what society calls, a 3 rd world country.
December 15th, 2009 at 01:28
Where’s Teddy Roosevelt when you need him?
He’s rolling in his grave!
I’m never shopping at Wal-Mart again.
December 26th, 2009 at 21:26
We can each do our part by supporting small businesses in our respective areas!
Their prices are higher than Wal-Mart because of WM's buying power, however, we CAN make an impact as a unified voice that says "NO MORE" to WM.
Folks, one voice can make a difference because others will join that voice. Even if your family & friends refuse to stop feeding the corporate machine, won't it feel good knowing that you're standing for something, instead of falling for anything?
One of my favorite quotes is: Curse the darkness if you must…but damn ya if you don't light a candle!!!
One candle may not light a dark canyon, however, that candle will serve to ultimately light millions of candles. LET'S LIGHT SOME CANDLES, ALREADY!!!
December 26th, 2009 at 21:33
Yes. It applies to all of WM as a corporation
December 26th, 2009 at 21:36
Sadly, this is still one of the greatest countries in the world.
Try Russia, China, etc…in fact, give it ten years and this country will be just as communist / socialist as the others. Our society uses its voice for a bunch of non-sensical foolishness.
STOP BEING SHEEPLE!!!
December 27th, 2009 at 14:31
lets boycott wall mart.. well me personally i wont got there anymore knowing how they treat people and get profit out of them
January 7th, 2010 at 10:33
Here in quebec, 2 Wal-Mart tried to unionize. One succeeded and is the only Wal–Mart with a union in North America as far as I know. The other succeeded also but a couple of weeks later it closed due to “being unviable economically”… They then opened a new one a few blocks away! What a bunch of overly greedy liars!
January 7th, 2010 at 20:24
I can understand Mandarin and some of the Chinese people were talking about something else. It is hard to judge whether those people were employee actually worked for Wal-mart.
January 7th, 2010 at 20:36
And why was there Japanese music when showing the Chinese people?
January 8th, 2010 at 14:59
i had no idea about this all
i’ll never shop at WM again
January 18th, 2010 at 19:13
Wal-Mart is America’s future, if we let it be. Is it difficult to believe that enough Americans will get so fed up with the abuses of corporate capitalism that we will rebel against the corrupt political system that enables these abuses? Unfortunately, Obama is not as sympathetic to the average family’s plight as we were led to believe. Wal-Mart has nothing to fear from either political party. The truth is, the American people are being marginalized politically and economically by a system rigged to favor the elites. Time for a BIG change, I think!
February 20th, 2010 at 08:21
It is sickening to see how this unregulated village stomping dragon is ruining communities, controverting democracy, and leaving the masses essentially subservient to its demands.
Evl triumphs when good people do nothing. There are more of us than there are of them, & if we consciously collaborate our efforts to change what this conglomerate is doing, fundemental alterations can be made to guarantee worker respect and dismantle the entire “wealth above all” sentiment capitalism engenders.
In the quest for profits, human needs (such as food, water, education, saftey) are neglected. Wal-Mart is a prime example of this
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:53
WM isn’t a uniquely American phenomenon. In the UK and all over Europe we have supermarkets and hypermarkets crushing small businesses, and big corporation turning the main streets into clones. We may have better union and employee protection laws but the goods are all bought as cheaply as possible; often from china, india etc.
WM has also bought up our third biggest supermarket – Asda however the prices don’t seem to be any different.
February 26th, 2010 at 19:58
I have to say I worked at a Walmart in Oshawa, Ontario for 2 years during college and the things I went through are ridiculous. Without getting into detail I wouldn’t recommend anyone take a job at any Walmart store nor will I ever shop there again.
February 26th, 2010 at 20:53
Michelle please go into detail. Personal experiences make these discussions much more interesting.
March 9th, 2010 at 20:53
I currently work at walmart. We are understaffed… In fact, today we got called useless… We have a meeting before we go to work (i work overnights as a stocker) and supposedly the store manager was very displeased with his “walk”. And the next night we got chewed out, and got called worthless, going against their own code of “respect for the individual”. My dad use to boast working the hardest at his job, but i can’t see trying my best here if I am going to get yelled at whether i do or not. I have developed a non-personal attachment to my job. I will be their slave until 6:30, but I will not stay after that. Management, has you always doing something other than what your job is, there just isn’t enough people to do do you job. In fact 3 people quit this week… and that is just on overnights. The management at walmart gets treated like c^ap, and/or are c^ap. It is a really dreadful place to work. But if you can just not care about your job, it isn’t so bad.
March 9th, 2010 at 22:54
Fricken hell Joe – tell em to stick their job where the sun don’t shine. Go fishing instead. Walmart cannot possibly be the only way to extract a crust surely?
Hell Vlatko will give you a job I`m sure!
March 16th, 2010 at 02:53
Where are you, Oprah…..