I think a large past of the anger against Walmart is not about their products; it's about their poor economic practices - underpaying people, being effectively subsidized as their workers are on food stamps, and the deleterious effect they have on local neighborhood stores.
underpaying people, being effectively subsidized as their workers are on food stamps
Bill applies for a job at Costco, but Costco only hires a fraction of the number of workers that other retailers do per square foot or dollar of revenue, so they turn him down. In the future, Costco will be paying Bill $0/month. As he continues to hunt for a job, Bill goes on food stamps.
A month later, Bill later applies for a job at Walmart, where he's hired making just above minimum wage at $8/hour. Since he's only earning $8/hour and only working ~30 hours/week to start, Walmart will be paying Bill about $900/month. Bill will continue to receive some food stamps, but less than he was receiving in the month that Costco turned him down.
Explain to me why Walmart is being "subsidized" here.
How are they underpaying people? They pay what the market supports. If you get an $8/hour job as a greeter and you think that's less than you're worth, then you are welcome to not work there. If the supply of labor becomes scarce, then the wages will rise. The thing is that there are some jobs that just don't warrant high pay. If I can teach you your job in an hour and it requires no skills or experience, then why should I pay a huge wage? It's like buying a netbook and paying Mac Pro prices. It's silly. While I know Wal Mart people generally work hard, the work itself is on a level of difficulty on par with collecting aluminum cans. If you find yourself working for 10 years as a Wal Mart cashier, then it's your own fault. There are so many government programs for workforce education, technical training, university, etc. Instead of watching Dancing with the Stars or keeping up with the Kardashians, it might behoove some of these career low-wage earners to try to work a little smarter and learn a skill that they can monetize at a better rate than they currently earn.
For a short stretch in 2008, I was actually living out of my car, making barely $200 a week DJing at some shit clubs in Houston. I knew how to use a computer, but I certainly didn't know how to code. Here it is in 2014 and I make more money in a day than I did in an entire month back then. I taught myself, reached out to complete strangers who where experienced to recruit them as mentors and in 2010 I started getting paid to code. I'm not saying everyone should learn to code, but there is a way out of shit-paying jobs -- but it involves taking initiative instead of blaming everyone and relying on the "system" to help.
I have little sympathy for folks who continue to make minimum wage for years -- it's their own fault. That's not a popular opinion, but it's true. There is nothing stopping that Wal Mart greeter from spending his after work time learning something new.
Poverty is a choice. Maybe not a conscious one, but a choice nonetheless. I see plenty of satellite dishes when I drive past the public housing complex. I see plenty of $200+ sneakers using food stamp cards at the grocery store. I see a lot of blame, but very little personal responsibility -- it's always the "Evil" corporation's fault. It's the government's fault, it's Wal Mart's fault -- it's everyone's fault but the person who is actually in the situation.
Randian worldview detected. Continued oppression of the downtrodden assured. Society must reserve resources for professional PowerPoint makers. All hail Status Quo.
Comments
I think a large past of the anger against Walmart is not about their products; it's about their poor economic practices - underpaying people, being effectively subsidized as their workers are on food stamps, and the deleterious effect they have on local neighborhood stores.
underpaying people, being effectively subsidized as their workers are on food stamps
Bill applies for a job at Costco, but Costco only hires a fraction of the number of workers that other retailers do per square foot or dollar of revenue, so they turn him down. In the future, Costco will be paying Bill $0/month. As he continues to hunt for a job, Bill goes on food stamps.
A month later, Bill later applies for a job at Walmart, where he's hired making just above minimum wage at $8/hour. Since he's only earning $8/hour and only working ~30 hours/week to start, Walmart will be paying Bill about $900/month. Bill will continue to receive some food stamps, but less than he was receiving in the month that Costco turned him down.
Explain to me why Walmart is being "subsidized" here.
How are they underpaying people? They pay what the market supports. If you get an $8/hour job as a greeter and you think that's less than you're worth, then you are welcome to not work there. If the supply of labor becomes scarce, then the wages will rise. The thing is that there are some jobs that just don't warrant high pay. If I can teach you your job in an hour and it requires no skills or experience, then why should I pay a huge wage? It's like buying a netbook and paying Mac Pro prices. It's silly. While I know Wal Mart people generally work hard, the work itself is on a level of difficulty on par with collecting aluminum cans. If you find yourself working for 10 years as a Wal Mart cashier, then it's your own fault. There are so many government programs for workforce education, technical training, university, etc. Instead of watching Dancing with the Stars or keeping up with the Kardashians, it might behoove some of these career low-wage earners to try to work a little smarter and learn a skill that they can monetize at a better rate than they currently earn.
For a short stretch in 2008, I was actually living out of my car, making barely $200 a week DJing at some shit clubs in Houston. I knew how to use a computer, but I certainly didn't know how to code. Here it is in 2014 and I make more money in a day than I did in an entire month back then. I taught myself, reached out to complete strangers who where experienced to recruit them as mentors and in 2010 I started getting paid to code. I'm not saying everyone should learn to code, but there is a way out of shit-paying jobs -- but it involves taking initiative instead of blaming everyone and relying on the "system" to help.
I have little sympathy for folks who continue to make minimum wage for years -- it's their own fault. That's not a popular opinion, but it's true. There is nothing stopping that Wal Mart greeter from spending his after work time learning something new.
Poverty is a choice. Maybe not a conscious one, but a choice nonetheless. I see plenty of satellite dishes when I drive past the public housing complex. I see plenty of $200+ sneakers using food stamp cards at the grocery store. I see a lot of blame, but very little personal responsibility -- it's always the "Evil" corporation's fault. It's the government's fault, it's Wal Mart's fault -- it's everyone's fault but the person who is actually in the situation.
They pay what the market supports.
Randian worldview detected. Continued oppression of the downtrodden assured. Society must reserve resources for professional PowerPoint makers. All hail Status Quo.