Boycott Wal-Mart

Essay by oshypapayaCollege, UndergraduateA+, February 2004

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The smiling yellow face of the Wal-Mart logo radiates and "aw-shucks-we're-just-folks-from-Arkansas" image that leaves most shoppers ready to drop their last dime in to the Wal-Mart piggy bank. Behind its down-home, family oriented ads, however, is what one union worker called "this devouring beast" of a corporation that ruthlessly stomps on workers, neighborhoods, competitors, and suppliers. Having passed Exxon Mobile for the top slot, Wal-Mart is now the world's largest corporation. That smiling face brings in over $220 billion a year in revenue, more than the entire GDP of Israel and Ireland combined. While it is the corporate leader in revenue, it is also the largest contributor to human rights violations in this country. Its deplorable treatment of employees, vicious company policies, and complete disregard for the law are only a few of the reasons one should boycott Wal-Mart.

Of the ten richest people in the world, five are Waltons-the ruling family of the Wal-Mart Empire.

In fact, according to London's "Rich List 2001," S. Robson Walton is the wealthiest man in the world with more than $65 billion in personal wealth.

According to Jim Hightower of the Independent Weekly, "Wal-Mart and the Waltons got to the top the old fashion way--by roughing people up." The guiding corporate ideology coming form the Bentonville headquarters is the same for all managers: "Extract every last penny possible from human toil and squeeze the last dime from every supplier." While many may say it is impossible to get this far in life without stepping on a few feet, it is hard to understand the sheer magnitude in which Wal-Mart does this. With over one million employees, Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the United States. They also offer some of the worst wages and working conditions. With an average of fifty percent...