Preview

the high cost of low prices

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1109 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
the high cost of low prices
The High Cost of Low Prices
Summary
The activist Robert Greenwald produced a documentary named Wal-Mart: High Cost of Low Prices to enlighten Americans of the effects this major company has on society. In this documentary, Greenwald interviews former employees from different ranks. Greenwald also uses crime rate statistics to demonstrate the lack of surveillance in the parking lot of the store. The producer also interviews the Chinese factory workers who are exploited in China. He also points out facts of the lack of healthcare and this company’s effects on society. The main purpose of this documentary was to show Americans why they get low prices at Wal-Mart. These low prices are available to people after many others have suffered in return, starting with Chinese workers and ending with the US employees. This documentary shows how employees are treated at Wal-Mart. Many of the Wal-Mart employees were not allowed to work overtime and their managers would change their payroll. Wal-Mart employees were also encouraged to work off the clock or they would face termination. Most of their employees don’t have health care benefits and are encouraged to go on welfare. Wal-Mart also encourages its employees to “use taxpayer’s dollars” by going on food stamps, WIC, and Medicare. Nearly 1 out of every 2 children of Wal-Mart workers are either uninsured or on public health care. Many of Wal-Mart’s commercials have a family orientated foundation, but their actions are contradicted with the facts. The documentary also shows footage of illegal immigrants cleaning the store for half of the minimum wage. These illegal workers were locked inside the store until the next morning. Wal-Mart also discriminates against women by neglecting their promotions because of their sex. Like women, other minorities have also suffered the same discrimination. The documentary also demonstrates how as Wal-Mart moves into towns and cities, small businesses move out. The documentary shows

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Labouring the Walmart Way

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages

    2 One of the most frequent complaints about Walmart, which employs 1.4 million people worldwide, is its failure to pay workers a living wage. Store employees are paid 20-30 percent less than the industry average, making many of them eligible for social assistance. It is estimated that American taxpayers fork out $2.5 billion a year in welfare payments to Walmart employees (Head, 2004). Because the retailer hires hard-to-place workers, like recent immigrants, seniors, and single mothers, its employees are often afraid they will not find work elsewhere. The kind of work Walmart does offer is gruelling: stores are intentionally understaffed-the strategy behind the company's legendary productivity gains-so that existing employees will work harder (Head, 2004). It is alleged that systemic discrimination against women within the corporation has denied the majority of Walmart workers the chance at promotion, a charge that is now the subject of the largest civil-rights suit in U.S.…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The only thing to figure out now is whose responsibility it is to change these conditions. Should it be Wal-Mart’s responsibility? The governments of these countries? The workers themselves, or the consumers who buy these products like you and I? First and foremost I believe it’s the governments of these countries responsibilities to ensure that their citizens make at least a minimum wage and if they already are, then that bar needs to be set higher to ensure people will get paid more. At the same time it’s Wal-Mart’s responsibility as well, they should know it’s immoral to pay so little and they should have the common civility to pay their employees more. I wouldn’t go as far to say that it’s the workers responsibility because they are just doing the only work that is readily available to them; I also don’t think it’s the consumers’ responsibility because we are not responsible for Wal-Mart’s actions or the actions of those countries governments or the actions of the workers themselves. Although we are in a way supporting Wal-Mart by…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dead Peasant Policy

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages

    With huge companies gaining dominance in the market and smaller businesses being run out of town, large corporations are becoming more influential in the lives of the American people. Americans are relying on these companies by taking lower-level jobs in these trying times. One of these major companies is the multinational firm, Wal-Mart. While much criticism follows Wal-Mart’s unethical policies in third world countries, few consumers are aware of certain questionable practices that occur on their home soil. This company currently employs one percent of America with paychecks averaging slightly above minimum wage, yet benefits are only offered to full-time employees. However, Wal-Mart still takes a life insurance policy out for its lower-level employees, referred to as the Dead Peasant Policy. This policy names Wal-Mart as the beneficiary of these employees, mostly cashiers and janitors. Upon an employee’s death, the insurance is often sourced to executives’ incomes as a bonus; meanwhile the decedent’s family will receive nothing. In Texas, for example, a pregnant woman lost her Wal-Mart-employed husband and eight years later discovered the $102,000 insurance benefit that Wal-Mart also received following his death. She, along with many families nationwide, was disgusted by the news that the company had benefited from her family’s loss. Ironically, the wage sum in a low-level job, a national average of $11.75 per hour, is radically less than the life insurance payout Wal-Mart receives. No laws prior to 2006 required companies to reveal this insurance to covered employees, therefore long-time employees can’t be sure if they are included in this policy. With the recent publication of this practice, Wal-Mart has felt the pressure from angry workers and has recently paid over $10.4 million to 380 families in compensation. With Wal-Mart sitting in the spotlight on this issue now more than ever, they may need to reconsider a policy that…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The film makes use of firsthand information from interviews conducted by Greenwald on individuals that have faced the impact of Wal-Mart’s reign. Since its establishment, Watson had promised customers and workers great services by offering goods at low prices. According to the film, Wal-Mart has established its retail business in local areas where large retailers are not available to avoid competition. As a result, they drew attention of many small community consumers because of their cheaper prices and variety of differentiated products. This has caused havoc to small business, which have been wiped out because they lack the potential to compete with this retail giant. Lack of competition has enabled Wal-Mart to dominate its business at low prices because they have captured all customers (Fishman 23).…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Walmart Impact On Society

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As the largest retailer in America, Walmart has been called “one of the most impactful organizations in the history of humanity” (Roberts 1); however, we must ask ourselves what type of impact Walmart is making. Because they are such a large corporation, Walmart has the power and ability to greatly influence our society either for the good or for the bad, and most people agree that their impression on our current society is a negative one. There is lots of controversy over the ethical and economic repercussions our country faces because of Walmart. It is evident to most people that Walmart negatively impacts communities, treats employees unfairly, and facilitates child labor in American and abroad.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Up against Wal-Mart

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Karen Olsson believes that Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer company, under pays their employees for the amount of work they do daily. They do not offer good working conditions for their employees or enough medical benefits to support themselves and their families. Sebastian Mallaby says that Wal-Mart is not wrong for the way that they run their business; he feels as though Wal-Mart does their consumers a favor by keeping the wages low and offering “low prices” (620). It’s just business! They have to do what it takes to remain the world’s top retailer and continue to, “enrich shareholders, and put rivals out of business” (620). Karen Olsson and Sebastian Mallaby both address the topic of big business in today’s economy, but I find Karen Olsson’s argument to be the most persuasive because she has more information and quotes to support her opinion and views of the way that Wal-Mart treats their workers, while Sebastian Mallaby’s article is quite the opposite. Their opinions are very different but they share common interests which are: Wal-Mart, their customers, and their workers.…

    • 1555 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Walmart is the world’s largest retailer and private sector employer. They employ over 2.2 million employees. With tons of money, locations, and power, they have been the target for thousands of law suits. As we all know, Walmart has replaced thousands of mom and pop businesses by carrying the same items at much lower prices. They not only made businesses shut down due to undercutting competitor prices but they also made lots of people lose well-paying jobs in the process only to pay employees poverty wages and benefits and encouraged them seek government assistance in order to supplement their incomes (Logan, 2014). Walmart experienced many external social pressures but the one that’s being addressed in this paper focuses on the external social pressures they received due their effect on the economy. Since Walmart plays such an important role in our economy many people look to them for help and hope. However, Walmart not only failed the economy by not providing well-paying jobs they also provide unsafe…

    • 836 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Greenwald, R. (Director). (2005). Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price [DVD]. Available from www.walmartmovie.com…

    • 3172 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Up Against Wal-Mart” by Karen Olsson, she finds the truth about how Wal-Mart treats its customers and more importantly how the million dollar company treats its employees. In this essay, Olsson strongly believes that Wal-Mart keeps its stores understaffed and their employees overworked and underpaid, with minimal options for reasonable benefits.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Former bureau chief for the Economist, Sebastian Mallaby writes in defense of a large retailer in his essay, Progressive Wal-Mart. Really. Through his essay he explains that through the continual campaigns against the large corporation, Wal-Mart has been and still remains a benefit to working Americans seeking affordable goods. He elaborates on the crusade of Anti-Wal-Mart campaigns looking to paint the business as a detestable parasite, when all the company has done is keep costs low and earnings for its shareholders high while trying to defeat competitors, just as any company would.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price . Dir.Robert Greenwald. Brave New Films Disinformation Company,2005. DVD.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The article “Up Against Wal-Mart” by Karen Olsson is the detailed explanation of how Wal-Mart treats their customers and more importantly how the million dollar company treats their employees. Olson kicks off the article by telling a story about Jennifer McLaughlin, who is a twenty-two year old Wal-Mart employee. She goes on to explain the daily work tasks that she completes. She complains how Wal-Mart runs their business, and also how terrible the company treats her as an employee. Jennifer is forced to work over time, is underpaid and also treated unfairly. Employees say that they cannot say no after being asked to work off the clock. The workers at Wal-Mart also started to try to create a union which highly concerned Wal-Mart. A union at Wal-Mart was never formed due to the company’s anti-union group that was started and created by Wal-Mart. In ten separate cases, Nation Labor Relations Board has ruled that Wal-Mart repeatedly broke the law by interrogation of workers, confiscating union literature, and firing union supporters (Olsson). The issue of creating a union was not the only concern of the Wal-Mart workers. They also were concerned with how they would pay for health insurance. In Jennifer’s case, for her to have Wal-Mart covered health insurance it would cost her a $85 dollar chunk out of her pay check. The work force does not understand how a company that is account for 2 percent of America’s domestic product and has had 200 billion dollars in sales cannot give their hard working employees good health insurance. This article does make Wal-Mart sound like the bad guy, but I do not think that is completely true. Wal-Mart is running a business, and sometimes running a business means cutting resources.…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Wal-Mart Good or Bad?

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The largest corporation in America with $378,799 million in revenues and employing 2,055,000 employees, Wal-Mart has become one of the greatest success stories in American history, but also one of the most controversial stories since Standard Oil (Fortune). But with all big business comes critics. Today’s critics suggest Wal-Mart unfairly uses it power of size, which is goliath, to exploit employees and impoverish nations, ruin competition, and place undue pressure on the government. However, one item most critics fail to mention is that Wal-Mart creates consumer welfare. Throughout this paper, I will analyze each criticism of Wal-Mart and sufficiently cite evidence proving the greater good that is realized with the existence of Wal-Marts worldwide.…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Low Wage Work in America

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As well known to all Americans Wal-Mart pays low wages. They often hire people for 30 hours a week rather than 40 hours a week and provide minimal health care benefits. For the past few years, issues concerning the company have become important as well and have begun dominating the news. In particular, Wal-Mart treatment of its employees has raised many issues in public and business discussions. Wal-Mart refers to its employees as associates a term intended to bestow a more lofty status than the term employees. Many different employee-related issues with respect to Wal-Mart have been the focus of much news coverage, the company has been accused of hiring too man part-time workers; offering jobs that are actually dead-end jobs; paying low wages and poor benefits; forcing workers to work off the clock, that is to work overtime without overtime pay; and taking advantage of illegal immigrants. There are also issues with regards to gender discrimination against women, who occupy most jobs at the company. Coupled with these allegations of employee mistreatment, the company which currently is not unionised has fought unions and unionization everywhere it locates.…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The mass produced items and in large bulk, for a low price have driven our quality of life down the drain. Wal-Mart’s are being built in small rural areas and running the “Mom & Pop” shops out of business. The small town and simple way of life is no more once a Wal-Mart moves into town. Fisher stated, “The public image Wal-Mart projects may be as cheery as its yellow smiley face mascot, but there is nothing genial about the process by which Wal-Mart gets its suppliers to provide tires and contact lenses, gun and underarm deodorant at everyday low prices. (Para…

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays