Colonialism

Welcome to India, birthplace of Ghandi, largest populated country, one of the most historical countries in the world and now the new home of Wal-Mart. India's labour force contains 496.4 million working people, 60% of which are employed in agriculture-related industries. The service sector accounts for 23% of GDP. Wal-Mart has been trying to enter India for the last few years and has encountered internal opposition from India as well as opposition from Americans. The Traders forum recognizes the effect Wal-Mart will have on India's economy

"Stores like Wal-Mart being quite in large numbers across the world will source will source products of lower quality from any part of the world because of their giant size and will dump products in their country," he said

World-wide expansion only makes a reality scarier of Lee Scotts dream having "A Wal-Mart within 5 miles of every American...and every Country" This will destroy business forcing terrible low-paying no benefit jobs on our workers, as well as pushing only their products on us. The Wal-Mart effect.

Wal-Mart sales, still on the decline

Dispite their new aggressive advertising campaign, Wal-Mart's sales again didn't meet expectations and isn't expecting a change.

The world's largest retailer said over the weekend that it expects to report a 0.1 percent decline in November sales in stores opened at least a year, slightly below its projections for flat sales, compared with the year-ago period. The results cover the four-week period through Friday, the first day of the holiday shopping season.

Wal-Mart and other major retailers are expected to report final same-store results for November on Thursday.

Wal-Mart shares fell $1.29, or 2.7 percent, to $46.61 in New York Stock Exchange trading.

It seems as all of the national campaigns to Change Wal-Mart are in fact working, and the public is now learning who Wal-Mart really is... the largest most irresponsible employer in the world.

Top Stories

Here are last weeks top stories...

Wal-Mart may face holiday boycotts
Boston Globe - United States
NEW YORK -- A conservative group that had called on supporters to boycott Wal-Mart's post-Thanksgiving Day sales to protest the retailer's support of gay ...

Wal-Mart Comps Down in November
Wal-Mart Stores here said Saturday that same-store stores were expected to be down 0.1% for November, marking a slow start for the holiday season at the world's largest retailer. That follows comp-store sales gains of less than 1% in October, a number that also fell short of the company's expectations.


Wal-Mart Mexico gets go-ahead to operate new bank
Reuters - USA
MEXICO CITY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Mexican retail leader Wal-Mart de Mexico said on Wednesday it received final authorization to begin operating its new bank ...


Wal-Mart steps in as Tesco quits
Economic Times - India
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart is believed to be close to striking a deal with the Sunil Mittal led-Bharti Industries, after UK ...

On the Blogs:

Somebody at Wal-Mart must have a headache
Houston Chronicle - United States
I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart's business practices, but I feel sorry for the folks in their public relations department right now. The ...


Edelman: The Wal-Mart Flogs
MediaPost Publications - New York,USA
PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY EDELMAN WILL likely need to completely overhaul its online blogging strategy for its large retail client Wal-Mart if it hopes to ...


Also check out http://workingfamiliesforwalmart.com/, a parody site launched by Wal-Mart Watch

Newsday covers Lond Island Wal-Mart event

Newsday along with Long Island's News 12, covered a press conference at the Wal-Mart in Uniondale. The press conference was sponsered by WakeupWalmart along with many other local Unions that see the need to change Wal-Mart... Here is the entire article.

New York Business Report: "Wal-Mart’s management is in total denial"

The New York Magazine has highlighted Wal-Mart's recent ineffectiveness in James Cramer's column, Attention, Wal-Mart Shoppers. Cramer sheds light on the consistent failures of the Wal-Mart company. He highlights what he calls the obvious reasons "low wages, shoddy benefits, predatory pricing versus mom and pop outfits" He even goes as far as saying Wal-Mart and their "anti-union stance that makes Henry Ford look like a Shop Steward for the United Auto Workers." All and all it's great to hear the point of view on Wal-Mart from Wall Street's perspective

Despite the dismal financial performance, which has produced a horridly under performing stock that has flatlined for seven years now, Wal-Mart’s management is in total denial. Almost every month, CEO Lee Scott starts afresh with an optimistic prediction of how the next five weeks will go. Then routinely, at the end of almost every month, the company misses its projections. The worst part is, no one seems the least embarrassed by this performance, least of all Scott himself. Going into October, Wal-Mart predicted 2 to 4 percent sales growth. Then, in early October, the company lowered its projection to 1.3 percent. When it finished the month, Wal-Mart turned out to have gained only half of one percent. This at a moment when almost every other major retailer was meeting or exceeding its higher targets. There was a time when such an overpromise-and-underdeliver phenomenon at this once-smartest of all retailers would have been unthinkable. Now it’s a given. That’s why, for the first time since Sam Walton could visit all of his stores in his beat-up old pickup, it’s worth asking if we are not seeing the twilight, not of the consumer—as so many media pundits speculate because of the incredibly low single-digit growth from Wal-Mart—but of the largest American retailer itself.

The rest of the column rips Wal-Mart's pathetic attempts to fight back from all the terrible press they receive "...Wal-Mart's attempts to fight back have been pathetic, to say the least..." It's a breath of fresh air to know that Wal-Mart isn't fooling anyone, whether it be their projections or attempts to be more "hip" or trying to go "organic", their problem lies at the roots, still the largest employer, still a billion dollar company who is discriminating and underpaying workers, still makes no sense how the world's largest retailer doesn't provide or make a reasonable attempt to provide health care for their employees.

Supermarket News Highlights our 30 Rock Protest

Supermarket News Highlights Local 1500's actions against Wal-Mart

(Taken From Supermarket News November 6, 2006)
The United Food and Commerical Workers Union is trying to dim the "green" glow of Wal-Mart.
As Wal-Mart Stores, Bentonville, Ark., increasingly seeks to position itself as an environmentally friendly retailer concerned about sustainability its foes are stepping up efforts to draw attention to what they see as the company's shortcomings in terms of wages and benefits.
At an event last month in New York City where Lee Scott, chairman and chief executive officer, received an award for his leadership on the environment, UFCW Local 1500 organized a protest near where the award was presented. The presentation included a performance by rock group The Eagles, which inked an exlusive promotional agreement with the retailer based in part on Wal-Mart's proactive stance on environmental issues, the company said.
The next day, as Wal-Mart was conducting its annual analysts' meeting in near by Teaneck, N.J., the union conducted another protest in which scantily clad male and female models bearing painted-on slogans such as low wages and poor health care were painted over with green paint, symbolizing Wal-Mart's alleged efforts to hide its labor problems behind publicity over its efforts on behalf of the environment.
A video of the protest was uploaded onto video-sharing website www.YOUTUBE.com and circulated to the media. The video is available for viewing Here.
Wal-Mart can't cover up these real issues with a little bit of green paint, a narrator in the video said.
At the analysts' meeting Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart's recently appointed vice president of consumer affiars said Wal-Mart's strategy in counter such attacts is to stay on the offensive.
We are part of the solution, and our goal is to tell that story on our terms every day, he said. Politicians and the public know that [our opponents] are not part of the solution America wants to see. He cited polls of union households indicating that a clear majority disagree with the union's campaigns against Wal-Mart, and that 'nearly two-thirds think Wal-Mart is a good place to shop.
Among the company's efforts on behalf of sustainability, he listed the offering of seafood with the National Marine Fisheries seal, Fair Trade coffee and organic clothing. The company also said it has set goals to increase its use of renewable energy and reduce waste.

Wal-Mart's last minute donations to the Right Wing....

As we have previously reported, contrary to what Wal-Mart wants you to believe, Wal-Mart is constantly backing republican politicians. January of last year Wal-Mart donates $5,000 to Vito Fossella the under fire congressman from Staten Island. We actually supported a demonstration in front of his office asking him to return the generous donation citing that, "When no Wal-Mart lies within your jurisdiction, nor do any of your constituents work for Wal-Mart we must question your reasoning for accepting the campaign finance" That being said and the election 2 days ago we'll go through a few GOP candidates that have accepted Wal-Mart's money, released by WakeupWal-Mart.

"After launching a voter education campaign to attack Democratic candidates fighting for a better America, Wal-Mart is now pouring money into key races to support its anti-family, anti-employee agenda," says WakeUpWalMart.com in a press release issued today.

The release listed examples from recent weeks where Wal-Mart donated to the GOP candidates in "hotly contested races." Among them:

• $10,000 total to Tom Kean, GOP candidate for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, trailing in the latest polls against incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez;
• $5,000 to embattled GOP Rep. Tom Reynolds of New York, in a tight race for re-election against Dem challenger Jack Davis;
• $5,000 to Michael Steele, GOP candidate for U.S. Senate from Maryland, battling Dem candidate Ben Cardin;
• $2,500 to Mike DeWine, incumbent GOP Senator from Ohio, trailing in a re-election race against Dem challenger Sherrod Brown.

The release notes that these and other donations follow a half-million dollar donation by Wal-Mart to the Republican Governors Association in September.

"Wal-Mart's last minute contributions to Republicans proves that Wal-Mart is not only a right wing company but supports an anti-family, anti-employee agenda which ships U.S. jobs overseas, denies workers a living wage and fails to expand health care to hard-working families," said WakeUpWalMart.com's campaign director in the release, which is viewable in full at their website.

Also we're sure it's no coincidence in an unrelated story....
Wal-Mart shares drop after Democrats win
Shares of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N) slipped on Wednesday as some investors worried that big political wins by Democrats could bring higher payroll costs and derail the retailer's efforts to open a bank.

Wal-Mart,Top News of the week

Today we look at how Wal-Mart expects the worst results in a decade. How the grinch I mean Wal-Mart ruined Christmas for one family in Oregon
How Wal-Mart's new attendence policy has workers dialing 800 numbers to explain tardiness.
And finally how Christians across America are now boycotting Wal-Mart for doing business with the Corporate Advisory Council of the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and how over 62,000 people have signed an online petetion ordering Wal-Mart to end their relationship with the council.



Abolishment of Wal-Mart layaway policy affects family
Statesman Journal - Salem,Oregon,USA
The late Sam Walton, founder of the Wal-Mart empire, wrote in his autobiography that the secret to successful retailing is always giving customers what they ...


Wal-Mart Expects Worst Results in Decade
New York Sun - New York,NY,USA
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ... The estimate means Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is headed for its worst monthly performance since April 1996. ...

Wal-Mart's Reputation Crisis

A Must Read:
Wal-Mart: A 'Reputation Crisis'
BusinessWeek - USA
... One of the most surprising targets of criticism, however, has been Wal-Mart (WMT). The retailer didn't have any hand in the ads attacking Ford though their reputation stands on thin ice. ...

This editorial serves as proof that all of our efforts, whether it be through Blogs, or Media our efforts are making people aware of the affects Wal-Mart has on communities...Keep up the fight, and Wal-Mart will change.