The March 2004 NEA Today Magazine has an interesting article focusing on the damaging effects of Walmart to their employees and to the citizens around them. Focusing on several teachers families and how Walmart has adversly effected their lives, it made me think of the Nickle and Dimed book. The article explains how founder, Sam Walton, endorsed school vouchers and how the company has successfully kept out the union which in turn has held down wages and benefits for their employees. I wonder why I am just now seeing this "side" of Walmart? Do you have to go to graduate school to have your eyes opened? ---or are people just too busy and caught up in their own problems to see what's going on around them?

Penny,
People are too busy and caught up in their own problems to see what's going on around them. This is part of the nickle and dimed syndome. Most people are trying to think about the future and what is in front of them. I have difficulty seeing some problems until someone points them out to me. I tend to trust most people unless they give me reason not trust them. We don't always know what large companies support unless someone else we associate with knows and informs us.

I believe that their is always two sides with several different perspectives to every story. How we handle our perspective can affect others positively or negatively.

I agree that some people get so caught up in today that they don't think about tomorrow or the future beyond that. I never knew these things about Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is really good at deceiving the public by portraying themselves as a good old-fashioned American company committed to family. In their ads, the models are employees or the family members of an employee. Capitalism at its finest!!!! Why is this one of my favorite stores?

Wal Mart is one of my favorite stores also, but I wonder, would we continure to shop there if the employees were paid more, which in turn would rise the prices of the products? I guess it is what we, as consumers, are willing to pay for.