Wal-Mart comes into a city or town (generally a low income area), slashes its prices, selling below cost until all competition is eliminated. With 4,400 stores to supplement this action Wal-Mart can affectively eliminate competition with its bottom line left intact. Sadly, smaller stores cannot pool from such resources. Therefore, a Wal-Mart in your community almost surely means the death of any and all local businesses. Local businesses contribute to their communities, spending approximately $1 for every $2 earned. They also empower regular people to take their destiny into their own hands. Becoming your own boss gives people a sense of pride as well as a chance for financial growth In contrast, Wal-Mart spends little of its profits in the communities it takes over. They only offer low income, dead end jobs, robbing the community of its tools for success and robbing the American people of our dreams.

On average Wal-Mart workers make $11,000 to $15,000 a year (try raising three kids on that!)

Wal-Mart has no pension plan and practically no health benefits

Wal-Mart rabidly opposes unionization

With all of their flag toting, Wal-Mart has 1,200 international operations. This penny-pinching, fortune #1 company sucks out every last nickel from employees both abroad and at home.

In the Qin Shi Factory, according to the National Labor Committee, where Wal-Mart produces its Kathie Lee handbags, its employees work for slave wages, earning on average $.03 an hour. They work 14-18 hour shifts, sleep 16 to a room and are docked their meager wages over every little infraction. See the National Labor Committee’s article.


According to Thieves in High Places, by Jim Hightower, many former Wal-Mart employees have reported that it is “common practice” to work an extra hour or two off the clock. One former employee said she often put in an extra 15 hours without pay!

Wal-Mart will not reveal its 1,200 factories, citing that it’s a “trade secret,” although you can find their factories listed on their clothing labels in China, is that because we would be appalled at what we saw in these factories?

In step with their avaricious practices, Wal-Mart (and about 100 other companies, Bank of America being one of them) took out life insurance policies on their employees, unbeknownst to the employees, claiming themselves as the sole beneficiary to any death benefits. Not only did these companies profit from the deaths of these unknowing workers, but they also used the premium paid each month as a tax write off!

*Because of the controversy, Wal-Mart has stopped the “Dead Peasant” insurance policies