Small Business and Market Materialism Uber
Labouring The Walmart Way
Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer. It's the world's largest company--bigger than ExxonMobil, General Motors, and General Electric. The scale can be hard to absorb. Wal-Mart sold $244.5 billion worth of goods last year. It sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year. And in its own category of general merchandise and groceries, Wal-Mart no longer has any real rivals.Wal-Mart wields its power for just one purpose: to bring the lowest possible prices to its customers.Deenu Parmar presents the fact as people will still continue shopping at Walmart without being concerned about their policies for their employees.Wal-Mart is a success because it sells products that people want to buy at low prices, satisfying customer's wants and needs. However, Wal-Mart critics argue that Wal-Mart's lower prices draw customers away from other smaller businesses, hurting the community.Those comments momentarily make me wonder if I am hurting the economy and the society's norms in the long run by shopping at Wal-Mart.Areas of criticism include Labour wages,Relationship with unions, treatment of product suppliers. Although Wal-Mart denies doing anything wrong and maintains that low prices are the result of efficiency.I have researched few points as a consumer through which i can argued against Deenu Parmar's statement.
The reality of Wal-Mart's practices is fairly simple while at the same time it is wrong. They move into cities and drop their prices causing the clientele to shop at their store. As consumers start running to Wal-Mart instead of the Mom and Pop grocer down the road, the small businesses are forced into bankruptcy. As these small business owners are forced to liquidate their remaining stock and permanently close their doors, options are removed from the shopper's list. When the majority of competing stores have shut down, Wal-Mart immediately raises their prices to a level that wouldn't be considered a
Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest retailer. It's the world's largest company--bigger than ExxonMobil, General Motors, and General Electric. The scale can be hard to absorb. Wal-Mart sold $244.5 billion worth of goods last year. It sells in three months what number-two retailer Home Depot sells in a year. And in its own category of general merchandise and groceries, Wal-Mart no longer has any real rivals.Wal-Mart wields its power for just one purpose: to bring the lowest possible prices to its customers.Deenu Parmar presents the fact as people will still continue shopping at Walmart without being concerned about their policies for their employees.Wal-Mart is a success because it sells products that people want to buy at low prices, satisfying customer's wants and needs. However, Wal-Mart critics argue that Wal-Mart's lower prices draw customers away from other smaller businesses, hurting the community.Those comments momentarily make me wonder if I am hurting the economy and the society's norms in the long run by shopping at Wal-Mart.Areas of criticism include Labour wages,Relationship with unions, treatment of product suppliers. Although Wal-Mart denies doing anything wrong and maintains that low prices are the result of efficiency.I have researched few points as a consumer through which i can argued against Deenu Parmar's statement.
The reality of Wal-Mart's practices is fairly simple while at the same time it is wrong. They move into cities and drop their prices causing the clientele to shop at their store. As consumers start running to Wal-Mart instead of the Mom and Pop grocer down the road, the small businesses are forced into bankruptcy. As these small business owners are forced to liquidate their remaining stock and permanently close their doors, options are removed from the shopper's list. When the majority of competing stores have shut down, Wal-Mart immediately raises their prices to a level that wouldn't be considered a
Cited: Hagloch, Susan B. "WalMart: The High Cost Of Low Price." Library Journal 131.3 (2006): 152. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. Neff, Jack. "Wal-Mart Lets Everyday Low Prices Rise A Bit." Advertising Age 76.19 (2005): 4-83. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Aug. 2012. Parmar,Deenu."Labouring The Walmart Way."Essay Essentials With Readings. Eds. Sarah Norton and Brian Green .Toronto, Nelson,2011.317-319.Print. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price . Dir.Robert Greenwald. Brave New Films Disinformation Company,2005. DVD. Woodman, Spencer. "Labor Takes Aim At Walmart--Again. (Cover Story)." Nation 294.4 (2012): 20-23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Aug. 2012.