[lbo-talk] Walmart

[John Thornton]

Many years ago I was employed at an optical manufacturing facility that was 
purchased by Wal-Mart. The first change they implemented, other than 
replacing the senior manager with an inexperienced kid who was basically a 
Wal-Mart cheerleader, was to begin a heavy pro Wal-Mart propaganda program. 
Meetings about how much they gave to the United Way (mostly through 
employee contributions), allowing fund raisers to use their unused parking 
lot space, sob stories of some employee whose hardships allegedly ended 
with being hired by Wal-Mart, etc. I quit not too long after the buy-out 
mostly because I couldn't take the new attitude. Anyone critical of 
Wal-Mart was either fired, made part-time so they seek employment 
elsewhere, or given shit work until they left. The company goes out of its 
way to generate good will towards itself on a level I have never 
experienced before or since. There is a good chance that a member of 
management or a stooge for management who will report back attended that 
meeting. Anyone looking for a promotion at Wal-Mart knows that attending 
this meeting and defending Wal-Mart will go a long way towards helping that 
goal. At the very least it will be considered in their next round of 
raises. I don't doubt that many of their employees are grateful for the 
job, it beats being unemployed. Wal-Mart does a good job in hiring too. 
They don't waste their time hiring anyone who may question the work 
environment they have created. I think it's tough for most people to hate 
their workplace in an environment like Wal-Mart. Everyone is too disposable 
and they know it. It's not like a union job or skilled profession where you 
may be kept on if you're good at your job but a little difficult to get 
along with. Almost every job at Wal-Mart is interchangeable with another as 
are the associates who do them, at least at the store level, but frequently 
at the lower end of the corporate level. Wal-Mart really pushes 
"associates" to participate in the profit sharing plan. This makes many of 
the employees feel empowered as part owners and they consider their fate as 
intertwined even more tightly with the company. The optical facility was a 
new experience for Wal-Mart. They couldn't fire and easily replace 
experienced manufacturing personnel like they could most of their 
associates. Management was and still is a revolving door job there but many 
of the most experienced employees there have mixed feelings towards 
Wal-Mart but keep their mouths shut. Anyone who even says the "U" word is 
immediately terminated however so that lesson was taught to employees 
really quickly. If you've never experienced an associate meeting with the 
compulsory Wal-Mart cheer you're missing out on one of the joys of life. If 
you've never been to Bentonville AR to see the pro Wal-Mart attitude of an 
entire town you're also missing out. I doubt Chico has anything on 
Bentonville or Fayetteville.

John Thornton


>This last weekend I participated in a forum on Wal-Mart.  A large number
>of Wal-Mart workers showed up to vigorously defend their employer.  They
>were obviously working-class people and not professional spokesman.
>
>Several mentioned their salaries.  I responded that given their obvious
>intelligence, they deserved a far better income.  Their answer was that
>Wal-Mart was the only job that they could find.
>
>Is the Chico behavior that common -- that Wal-Mart confined a retinue of
>such devoted workers who would volunteer a Sunday afternoon to defend
>their employer?
>
>--
>Michael Perelman
>Economics Department
>California State University
>Chico, CA 95929