Welcome to our new forum! All existing NW Cryobank forum users will need to reset their passwords. Click forgot password and enter your email address to receive the link. Email us at info@nwcryobank.com with any questions.
NW Cryobank community boards and sibling connect groups will no longer be available after December 20th, 2023.
Options
Walmart Haters -completely OT-
Flowergirl
Posts: 2,040
The reason for this post is simply this - after taking the time to post a (I had hoped helpful) reply to a thread about Black Friday sales at Walmart, the only response I got was a short post that basically dissed Walmart and supporting it by shopping there. That response got me thinking...
I'd like to start by saying, I understand if you (and by you, I mean anyone reading this) feel that Walmart is a horrible place and should be avoided and/or boycotted at all costs - why wouldn't you after everything you hear and read since Walmart opened. I might very well feel the same way if I didn't work there and see first hand that many of these ridiculous alagations are false.
I have worked for several different businesses, starting at my Aunt's floral, gift shop & greenhouse when I was 17. She was a small business owner and employeed 3 people, including me. I worked for her for 7 years, after which I worked a couple different jobs, but all for larger corporations, like JC Penney, a commercial sign shop, etc. Later, I worked for other small business owners, a professional photographer with 2 employees, and also another floral shop with 3 employees. At one point my husband was in a bad car accident and unable to work for about a year. I went to work at Walmart as a second job to help pay the bills. Once he was back to work, I stayed on at Walmart because we wanted to extra money to help our TTC fund.
Of all the jobs I had, Walmart has by far treated me the best. Working only part time, I was offered full health insurance after 1 year with the company, something I had never had before. The cost of it was a mere few dollars a paycheck - totally worth it. I also received paid vacation hours, sick time, and Holiday pay during that first year while only working part time. Regular uninterrupted break times and an hour long lunch break for a full shift are mandatory no matter how backed up it is or how busy. At all my other jobs we took time to eat only if there was time - I worked many, many days without eating and will never forget holiday season at the JC Penney portrait studio where I worked, we did not eat, drink or go to the bathroom the entire 9 hours we were there. It was horrible.
One summer I worked 3 jobs, trying desperately to save up money for donor IUI's etc. One of my jobs was cooking for a large golf course. I loved it but it was incredibly hard work in a kitchen that was often over a hundred degrees during those summer months. Breaks were few and only if we had time - I didn't even make what I was making at Walmart and the work was incredibly much harder, but I kept thinking about the baby I wanted so badly. One night I collapsed there after a especially hard, hot night. I ended up in the ER and thankfully I had insurance to cover the battery of tests I was given, because of Walmart.
That incident forced me to reevaluate and I went to my store manager at walmart and explained my situation. I told him all about our TTC and how the third job at the restaurant had taken its toll on me. I asked if there were any full time openings for me with Walmart so I could quit my restaurant job. They created an opening for me and hired me on full time the next day. A week later, I applied for a front end management position and got it. Walmart has treated me with nothing but respect and kindness. In the 5 years I have worked for them, I have seen many people come and go, and heard countless horror stories. Every single horror story comes from the mouth of a dead beat who got fired for one legitimate reason or another, like never showing up to work, stealing, etc.
So this is just a shout out to Walmart - because of Walmart, I have excellent full coverage insurance that paid thousands towards my TTC efforts and ultimately made it possible for me to have my precious son. Because of Walmart, I have a full 12 weeks off to spend with my new son, while getting paid to do so. If I decide to go back only part time after my maternity leave, they have already said they will make sure to work it out for me. Other awesome things Walmart supports - hiring of minorities, hiring and mentoring for the disabled, help and support for furthering education, breastfeeding mothers... the list could go on.
And finally, this is a reminder to everyone, myself included, that things are not always as they seem. Remember we should only believe half of what we see and none of what we hear. Unless you have been on the inside at Walmart, to judge it based on the hundreds of disgruntled deadbeats who thought they could work there, do whatever they wanted and still get paid, is unfair and uneducated. This could go for any number of things that we see and hear on a daily basis. Until we know the FACTS, we should really not make judgements. Because of Walmart, I have fought past infertility and have a beautiful, amazing son and because of Walmart I get to spend the holidays with him!
I'd like to start by saying, I understand if you (and by you, I mean anyone reading this) feel that Walmart is a horrible place and should be avoided and/or boycotted at all costs - why wouldn't you after everything you hear and read since Walmart opened. I might very well feel the same way if I didn't work there and see first hand that many of these ridiculous alagations are false.
I have worked for several different businesses, starting at my Aunt's floral, gift shop & greenhouse when I was 17. She was a small business owner and employeed 3 people, including me. I worked for her for 7 years, after which I worked a couple different jobs, but all for larger corporations, like JC Penney, a commercial sign shop, etc. Later, I worked for other small business owners, a professional photographer with 2 employees, and also another floral shop with 3 employees. At one point my husband was in a bad car accident and unable to work for about a year. I went to work at Walmart as a second job to help pay the bills. Once he was back to work, I stayed on at Walmart because we wanted to extra money to help our TTC fund.
Of all the jobs I had, Walmart has by far treated me the best. Working only part time, I was offered full health insurance after 1 year with the company, something I had never had before. The cost of it was a mere few dollars a paycheck - totally worth it. I also received paid vacation hours, sick time, and Holiday pay during that first year while only working part time. Regular uninterrupted break times and an hour long lunch break for a full shift are mandatory no matter how backed up it is or how busy. At all my other jobs we took time to eat only if there was time - I worked many, many days without eating and will never forget holiday season at the JC Penney portrait studio where I worked, we did not eat, drink or go to the bathroom the entire 9 hours we were there. It was horrible.
One summer I worked 3 jobs, trying desperately to save up money for donor IUI's etc. One of my jobs was cooking for a large golf course. I loved it but it was incredibly hard work in a kitchen that was often over a hundred degrees during those summer months. Breaks were few and only if we had time - I didn't even make what I was making at Walmart and the work was incredibly much harder, but I kept thinking about the baby I wanted so badly. One night I collapsed there after a especially hard, hot night. I ended up in the ER and thankfully I had insurance to cover the battery of tests I was given, because of Walmart.
That incident forced me to reevaluate and I went to my store manager at walmart and explained my situation. I told him all about our TTC and how the third job at the restaurant had taken its toll on me. I asked if there were any full time openings for me with Walmart so I could quit my restaurant job. They created an opening for me and hired me on full time the next day. A week later, I applied for a front end management position and got it. Walmart has treated me with nothing but respect and kindness. In the 5 years I have worked for them, I have seen many people come and go, and heard countless horror stories. Every single horror story comes from the mouth of a dead beat who got fired for one legitimate reason or another, like never showing up to work, stealing, etc.
So this is just a shout out to Walmart - because of Walmart, I have excellent full coverage insurance that paid thousands towards my TTC efforts and ultimately made it possible for me to have my precious son. Because of Walmart, I have a full 12 weeks off to spend with my new son, while getting paid to do so. If I decide to go back only part time after my maternity leave, they have already said they will make sure to work it out for me. Other awesome things Walmart supports - hiring of minorities, hiring and mentoring for the disabled, help and support for furthering education, breastfeeding mothers... the list could go on.
And finally, this is a reminder to everyone, myself included, that things are not always as they seem. Remember we should only believe half of what we see and none of what we hear. Unless you have been on the inside at Walmart, to judge it based on the hundreds of disgruntled deadbeats who thought they could work there, do whatever they wanted and still get paid, is unfair and uneducated. This could go for any number of things that we see and hear on a daily basis. Until we know the FACTS, we should really not make judgements. Because of Walmart, I have fought past infertility and have a beautiful, amazing son and because of Walmart I get to spend the holidays with him!
After 9 yrs & 1 devastating loss, we got our BFP at 9DPO ~ and welcomed our beautiful son on Halloween! Best treat ever!!
0
Comments
I still avoid shopping there because of my personal moral beliefs about my actions and their potential harm to other people. There is too much irrefutable evidence of the unsafe and unfair labor practices used by Wal-Mart and plenty of other retailers for me to choose to use my consumer dollar power in that way. (Even if I pretend that the issues you're addressing don't exist, Wal-Mart has still caused permanent damage to mom and pop small businesses in our own country and sells products that are primarily produced in other countries using labor practices that most Americans could not stomach to think about)
They regularly make headlines on black Friday for fighting customers and it seems like nearly every year (except this one) someone gets trampled to death at their stores. I can't/won't support a company that encourages greed and consumerism to the point that people risk their lives to save a buck. I get that when you're flat broke you need to make every penny count, but is it really fair for you to save a quarter on a pack of hamburger at the expense of sweat shop workers, safe working conditions in factory farms, humane conditions for animals at the slaughterhouses, unemployed American factory workers, local business owners who lost a lifetime of work when Walmart ran them out of business, or taxpayers who supplement Walmart's low prices with tax subsidies, food stamp contributions and medicaid payments for employees who are refused full time hours? There's no such thing as a free lunch....other people are suffering for you to save a dime on bread.
So true. We all know what we signed up for when we applied to work in retail. Like I said, more than meets the eye in every situation.
It is great that you love your job, some people can't say that.
Together since 10/28/2005, married since 03/07/2009, TTC #1 02/08/12 - BFN. TTC #2 10/9/12 - BFN. TTC #3 June 2013 - BFN
It worked! Two clomid cycles and two IUI's with injectables all BFN, on to IVF! 3dt of 2 perfect embryos on 12/15/14, BFP 7dp3dt! Frederick Lars born at 37 weeks on 8/15/15!! FET for #2 on 9/29/16 - BFP 5dp5dt!! Bertram Wilder and Mabel Moon born at 28.4 weeks on 3/29/17!
BTW Flowergirl your son is gorgeous.
I just turned 50 and fabulous!!! Enjoying life with my amazing family!!
Mom to Rachel 33, Bethany 30, Rebekah 30, Zachrey 20 and several angel babies
Grandma to Larissa 11, Brittney 11, Trevor 11, Destiny 7, Jayvin 6, Jackxon 3, Kaleb Joshua Rian 1. Grandbaby #8, Sariah Grace born 11-17-16
All that aside, Walmart has the lowest prices for so many items that sometimes I just have to get past the nuisance factors and let capitalism win. Like Doritos. Publix sells them for $3.99. Walmart has them for $2.50. If all I need is one bag of chips, I'm going to Publix. But if I need 20-30 items ... the savings add up!
Sadly, since the recession the job has gotten worse and worse. My mom has no staff in her department, she has been required to keep two departments fully stocked on her own. Her hours have changed and she now has to work nights and weekends all year long, not just holiday season. The managers keep changing and all the people she worked with for the past 20 years are basically being fired or asked to step down because they cannot keep up with a workload that one person is not able to do.
I know that Walmart has been good for small communities where manufacturing and other jobs have dried up. They have allowed people to get jobs that give them access to health insurance (some people with this access choose to remain on medicaid, and that is a different issue). Many corporations do things to avoid paying health insurance and hiring people on full time -- they call them "temporary" workers even though they have been there for years, they hire lots of part-time people and many people have to work more than one part-time job. It sucks, but Walmart isn't the only one doing this. I am not condoning all Walmart has done, but I think the US has a corporate climate that needs to change. The policies of the US and how it treats workers are abysmal, and this is many corporations, not just walmart.
I just wanted to throw in that over the past few days I've stopped at two different Walmarts and talked with about 20 different employees. Every one I tried to show condolence for having to work the day before (on thanksgiving) replied in ways showing me that they were happy to work the day because they got paid extra for it. Similarly down here Disney is open on holidays and in past years my DW has always worked because it's worth the extra money to do so. I alsoworked at movie theater for my first job, and they were not only open on thanksgiving but it's one of the busiest days of the years - a 24 plex that sold out EVERY SINGLE movie from open to close! I knew what was going to be asked of me when I got that job - they mentioned they were open 365 and required holidays. It was worth it because I was able to always make the extra money I needed to afford Christmas.
So ya, I can definitely see both sides to this, but just wanted to throw out there the info I've come across recently.
TTC #1 5/16/11 = BFP 14 DPI / TTC #2 11/16/12 = No O; 4/12/13= BFN; 6/9/13 = BFP!! (11 DPI) - MC 5wk5dys / TTC#3 3 BFN's and 4th try 10/21/13 = BFP!!!! (Squinter at 10dpi!)
I will say I agree entirely with charcoaleyes about this problem being one that stems from deeper issues in American culture and our need for instant gratification and excessive materialism. Our Corporate climate does desperately need change and we the people should fight to support that cause in my opinion. We live in a very unbalanced society and our economy reflects that, that is what concerns me.
It simply isn't a Walmart issue...they are just part of this widespread problem.
October 2014
regarding what scifimom said about children in sweatshops, i'm not sure if what she is referring to is the kathy lee gifford walmart clothing line sweatshop issue that popped up a few years ago or what, but i am just really fearful of that kind of rationale. yeah, the kids in india are better off having food in their mouths than starving on the streets exposed to the elements and dangers of street life as an indian beggar. ask those kids if they would rather have a steady income than be a beggar and they will likely 9 times out of 10 tell you yes, no matter how abhorrent the factory working conditions are. but i don't think we should use that fact as a way to justify using products made in a sweatshop. if a company wants to invest in a developing nation, there are far better ways to go about it than by exploiting that nation's children.
Together since 10/28/2005, married since 03/07/2009, TTC #1 02/08/12 - BFN. TTC #2 10/9/12 - BFN. TTC #3 June 2013 - BFN
http://www.katu.com/news/national/Fire-kills-112-workers-at-Bangladesh-garment-maker-180849291.html
I also have concerns about how and where some items are made. As a small business owner I like to point my buying dollars toward other small local businesses. I'm also at a stage in my life where I want less junk around. So the tons of stuff Walmart is selling is unappealing.
Obviously you didn't read the whole article.. It states several times that they do not know if they are even still in contract with Walmart, and that Walmart will stop orders with any company that consecutively doesn't pass the fire safety inspections. And the company also makes items for Ikea, a business I know that many many people who hate on Walmart support. This fire (and others like it) are absolutely not Walmart's fault. When they clearly state that if the safety isn't up to code, they will pull their orders, Walmart is obviously not to fault for them not having proper safety measures in place in order to cut costs TO get Walmart's contract.
Everyone is entitled to support or not support any business they choose to, and like I originally said before, I can even understand why many people feel the way they do about Walmart and even if I don't necessarily agree with everyone's reasonings, I can certainly respect them when backed by facts, but not ones that are simply picked from select bits of an article that clearly states it doesn't even know if Walmart still has a contract with the company in question because of previous failed safety audits.
I'm not trying to be confrontational here - I'm just pointing out that an article about a fire in a building owned by a company that Walmart may or may not even be currently affiliated with, is certainly not going to convince me that Walmart is the devil. This is, actually, exactly why I posted this topic in the first place - because of all the people who hate on Walmart for reasons that don't even have any substance.
I guess I should have known that I would need to clarify - I was simply putting a different viewpoint of Walmart out there... for those who feel to not support Walmart for whatever reason, I understand. I refuse to shop at a local shoe store of mine because I went there once and the lady insisted she had to help me try on my shoes
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/26/world/asia/bangladesh-fire-kills-more-than-100-and-injures-many.html
http://www.eco-business.com/news/hot-water-for-walmart-supplier-over-bangladesh-factory-fire/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eco-business-articles+%28eco-business.com+news%29
http://www.thenation.com/blog/171451/walmart-blames-rogue-supplier-apparel-found-site-deadly-factory-fire-updated
http://corporateactionnetwork.org/2012/11/26/walmart-unsafe-worker-conditions-and-human-rights
In case you're interested in your meat supply: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/walmart-christensen-farms-mercy-for-animals-video_n_1683119.html
Is this enough substance for you?? I could go on. I'm not saying that Walmart is the only company who engages in shady business practices, but that they notoriously disregard human rights...both their employees, and suppliers, in favor of profits. Their reputation for this type of treatment is notorious. I think one of the articles mentioned the Gap and other stores also have suppliers in this country and are equally guilty of ignoring known safety issues. Hopefully this will be a wake up call. I find it particularly galling when factory jobs are outsourced and the prices remain the same. I recently bought a crib sheet from bambinoland. They charge $40 for it because it's organic and bla bla bla. I bought it during a half price sale. When it arrived it stunk to high heaven...even have two washes, and it was made in India. Why oh why do they charge $40 for a sheet made in India for probably $1-2. Isn't the point in outsourcing to make products cheaper? I guess walmart at least got the cheap part right...but really folks...like Isaid earlier, there's no such thing as a free lunch. If something is cheap, think about why it's cheap. Who is REALLY paying for it? That is why I posted about the fire...to underscore what I had said earlier about sweatshop workers suffering so we can have cheap goods. 112 people lost their lives and many many more were injured. Many families may have even lost their sole income...we will never know the full extent of the devastation this caused so many families. Why? So we greedy, selfish, spoiled Americans can have artificially low prices.
I just turned 50 and fabulous!!! Enjoying life with my amazing family!!
Mom to Rachel 33, Bethany 30, Rebekah 30, Zachrey 20 and several angel babies
Grandma to Larissa 11, Brittney 11, Trevor 11, Destiny 7, Jayvin 6, Jackxon 3, Kaleb Joshua Rian 1. Grandbaby #8, Sariah Grace born 11-17-16