The Purpose of my Last Argument (Wal-Mart is a disease spreading across America and the world)

Royce S. Moore

Channing Grigsby

English 200

Wed, 8/24/05

The Purpose of my Last Argument

My last argument, in the Bruno's Foods’ break room, with a “fish department” member, was for the most part about Wal-Mart. I was reading, How Wal-Mart is Destroying America (and the World) and What You Can do About It, by Bill Quinn, when John (FD, for short) said, “A Wal-Mart is better than a K-Mart.” Wal-Mart may have a “better,” variety of merchandise to choose from, however, Wal-Mart's goal is not to bring bigger and better things to our neighborhoods, it's to drive out all other businesses making you dependent, then once you're completely dependent their always low prices begin to rise. Wal-Mart destroys the down-town area, the community, and the livelihood of any town it invades.

The downtown area dies in a Wal-Mart infected town. “...:Wal-Mart builds on undeveloped land away from both a town's established center and/or business district,” (Quill, 12). Wal-Mart will draw people away from the downtown area by offering a convenient alternative. With people doing all their shopping at Wal-Mart; out side the down-town area, the private businesses within the downtown area will see a loss in sales due to the thinning traffic on, “main street.” “The Save Historic East Aurora (New York) Association projected that a new Wal-Mart would 'strip our retailers, and especially our Main Street business district, of 68 percent of their existing sales' ... Scary!”(12). With this information fresh in my mind I naturally respond to FD's comment;

RSM: “Wal-Mart is in many ways far worse than K-Mart, yeah, Wal-Mart has more to sell and

for lower prices, but K-mart is not out to kill the local community, K-Mart is not trying to destroy the downtown area, K-mart does not send people in to local shops every week and see what they’re selling and for how much so they can sell the same for cheaper and drive them out of business, and K-mart how bad it may be, does not have a person in the back room who's sole job is to write off an amount of damaged goods for every in coming load, telling deliverers, “you had better believe us or we'll drop you as a supplier!” K-mart is bad but Wal-Mart is the worst.... Wal-Mart’s down right blatant about cheating and stealing.” FD didn't have anything to say for a while so I kept reading on....

RSM: “Wal-Mart employees are treated as merchandise and are used in whatever way is cheapest for Wal-Mart.”

FD: “What makes you say that?”

RSM: “I'm reading, '...An interview... ... with a former Wal-Mart manager... Joe [not his real name]...'”

FD: “And?”

RSM: “Did you know that Wal-Mart keeps non manager employees under 28 hours a week with no health insurance, and no benefits.”

FD: “What?”

RSM: “ Want proof? I can read it to you.”

FD: “Sure.”

RSM: “'BQ: ''Hourly Workers, I've been told, are held to a minimum?''”

'Joe: ''You won't believe how they are treated. managers try to keep employees' hours under twenty-eight a week so they won't be eligible for benefits,''”(Quinn, 35).

FD: “they get paid well though, right?”

RSM: “Haven't you been listening? 'Kept to a minimum!', that means minimum wage and hours.”

FD: “Oh, yeah... sorry keep reading.”

RSM: “ 'Joe: ''If business slows on any day, managers are instructed to send workers home any time after they have four hours on the clock. Even department heads who are supposed to be regulars can be sent home, often times working less than the eight hours they are entitled to,”(Quinn, 36)

FD: “ What about Managers? I bet they get paid a lot.”

RSM: “Not really, listen to this... 'Joe: '' but before I quit in the 1980s, I made $15,000 a year, but I could draw up to $15,000 against my annual bonus, which I normally had to do. Most I ever made was $35,000. and I was considered one of their better managers, constantly on the upgrade, getting better stores.'' Sounds appealing doesn't it?”

FD: “Not really.”

RSM: “And on top of all that when he had to move to the 'better stores' he paid for everything out of his own pocket, no money or help from Wal-Mart, if he did not want to move, then he was told in 'strong terms' to get packing, or lose his job.”

FD: “You’re kidding!”

RSM: “Nope it's right here in the interview.”

FD: “Well it's better now, isn't it?”

RSM: “ Actually he says it's worse that ever.”

FD: “Wow”

RSM: “ I have a saying now after reading some of this book: If you shop at Wal-Mart, pretty soon you'll have to work at Wal-Mart because there won't be anything else.”

FD: 'Sounds that way to me too.”

I feel I have a pretty strong argument: that Wal-Mart is a disease spreading across America and the world, destroying small towns and small businesses, causing job loss and creating poverty everywhere it breaks out. Ignorance is Wal-Mart's host and the only way to fight Wal-Mart is to fight ignorance, through education and enlightenment. Help fight Wal-Mart and buy Bill Quinn's book, How Wal-Mart is Destroying America (and the World) and What You Can do About It, read it and give it to a friend.