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                Last Updated:  Monday, June 09, 2008

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walmart subsidy watch.org

WALMART ALERT


Wal-Mart's Healthcare Cost To Taxpayers By State


wakeupwalmart.com

 
walmartwatch.com

sprawl-busters.com

walmartworkersrights.org

warnwalmart.org

walmartwork.org

walmartsurvivors.com

indiafdiwatch.org

lawmall.com/wal-mart

livingeconomies.org

amiba.net

newrules.org

«
VIDEOS


Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices

(walmartmovie.com)

Independent America:
The Two Lane Search
for Mom & Pop
(independentamerica.net)

Big Box Mart
(jibjab.com

Garth Brooks Parody (walmartworkersrights.org)

"Is Wal-Mart Good for America?"
Frontline, PBS Video,
www.pbs.org

The Labor Video Project Fighting Wal-Martization

«
BOOKS

The Case Against Wal-Mart
By Al Norman Raphel Marketing ruth@raphael.com:

Wal-Mart: The Face Of Twenty-First Century Capitalism
Edited By Nelson Lichtenstein
The New Press www.thenewpress.com

The Great Risk Shift:
The Assault on American Jobs, Families, Health Care and Retirement
By Jacob S. Hacker
Oxford University Press www.oup.com

War On The Middle Class:
How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back
By Lou Dobbs Viking,
a member of Penguin Group www.penguin.com

Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age
By Allison H. Fine Jossey-Bass www.joseybass.com:

Big-Box Swindle:
The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses
By Stacy Mitchell,
www.beacon.org
 www.newrules.org

Wal-Mart: The Face Of the Twenty-First-Century Capitalism Edited by Nelson Lichtenstein 
by The New Press www.thenewpress.com

The Bully Of Bentonville
How the high cost of Wal-Mart's Everyday Low Prices is Hurting America
By Anthony Bianco
by Doubleday  specialmarkets@randomhouse.com

How Wal-Mart Is Destroying America (and the World),
By Bill Quinn,
www.tenspeed.com

The United States of
Wal-Mart,
By John Dicker,
www.penguin.com

 Slam-Dunking Wal-Mart,
By Al Norman,
www.sprawl-busters.com

Nickel and Dimed,
By Barbara Ehrenreich, 
www.henryholt.com

Death By Discount,
By Mary Vermillion, 
www.maryvermillion.com

The Wal-Mart Effect
By Charles Fishman www.penguin.com

Megamall On The Hudson
By David Porter and
Chester L. Mirsky
www.trafford.com

«
STUDIES

Big Box Backlash
«
Alachua County Commission
«
Trip Generation Characteristics of Free-Standing Discount Supercenters
«
Shameless: How
Wal-Mart Bullies Its Way Into Communities Across America Study

«
What Do We Know About Wal-Mart? 
«
The Wal-Mart Game
«
The Shils Report
«
PBS Frontline Report
Is WalMart Good For America?

«
Bakersfield Ruling
«
Bakersfield Report
«
momandpopnyc.com
momandpopnyc.blogspot
«
UC Berkeley Labor Center
The Hidden Cost of WalMart Jobs

«
Northern California Big Box Studies 
«
Radio Broadcast
Past Radio Shows
«
The EEOC will hold the companies like Wal-Mart accountable for violating
the Americans With Disability Act. 

read more

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BIG BOX
SITE FIGHTS

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send us your Link at
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, CA
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Chelan, WA

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Contact Us
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Search for:

«JULY 2007

 Article Date Published Newsource
Unpaid Teens Bag Groceries for Wal-Mart July 31, 2007 By Joseph Contreras
Newsweek
Wal-Mart Canada Set to Roll out Clearly Canadian Brands' Healthy Snack July 31, 2007

Businesswre

Doubts cast on Wal-Mart price war July 31, 2007 By Tu Lei
chinadaily.com.cn
Fired Wal-Mart worker protests July 31, 2007 By SCOTT WHIPPLE,
New Britain Herald 
Joint venture with Wal-Mart is imminent July 30, 2007 SiliconIndia
Kicking ass, saving souls: Religious action figures coming to Wal-Mart July 30, 2007 Mary Vallis
The Post
Bredesen Frustrated by Board of Regents Pace on 'Wal-Mart 101' July 30, 2007 By ERIK SCHELZIG
Associated Press
Mom-and-pops strategize vs. big boxes July 27, 2007 By Bryce Benson
Wal-Mart's Seiyu to post H1 operating loss-Nikkei July 27, 2007 by Emi Foulk and
Taiga Uranaka
Reuters
Wal-Mart Apparel Faces Back-to-School Test July 26, 2007 By Reuters,
New York Times
Wal-Mart Project Is Back on for Mall Site ; Retailer Is Required to Find New Tenant July 25, 2007 Thomas J. Prohaska
NEWS NIAGARA BUREAU
Wal-Mart CEO Addresses Hispanic Community July 25, 2007 Chain Store Age
Class Action Sought on Fuel Claim July 25, 2007 Associated Press
High costs low prices: Why Wal-Mart should not be supported July 25, 2007 progressiveu.org
Cities weigh effects of big-box stores July 25, 2007 By J.M. BROWN,
Contra Costa Times
Wal-Mart warns two Chinese suppliers over labour practices July 25, 2007 AFX News
Wal-Mart discounts could spur price war July 24, 2007 Associated Press
Shame and Shoplifting at Wal-Mart July 24, 2007 By Pallavi Gogoi,
Business Week

US: Wal-Mart Cuts Prices Of Over 16,000 Items

July 24, 2007 Namnews
Al Sharpton and Wal-Mart's Lee Scott allies for immigration bill July 24, 2007 The Associated Press
Wal-Mart in price-cutting mode July 23, 2007 By Parija B. Kavilanz,
CNNMoney.com 
Wal-Mart Launches Price-Cutting Plan July 23, 2007 By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
Associated Press
Large retailer faces lawsuit: Case claims Wal-Mart’s leases to optometrists are illegal July 22, 2007 By Lynn Larowe ,
texarkanagazette.com
COVER STORY : better Is bigger ? July 22, 2007 By STEVE PAINTER ,
nwa news
Mid-Michigan Wal-Mart evacuated July 22, 2007 By Gabe Gutierrez ,
WJRT
USA : Wal-Mart apparel top-brass resigns July 21, 2007 By fiber2fashion.com
Not copying Wal-Mart pays off for grocery chains July 21, 2007 By GARY McWILLIAMS,
Kansas City Star
Wal-Mart's Fashion Maven Departs As Trendy Merchandise Languishes July 21, 2007 By Ylan Q. Mui,
Washington Post
Hualian denies Wal-Mart bid report July 21, 2007 By Jiang Jingjing
China Daily
Top Wal-Mart apparel merchant resigns as Wal-Mart struggles to reinvigorate sales July 20, 2007 The Associated Press
Wal-Mart plots bid for Chinese retail giant July 20, 2007 By Mark Kleinman
Wal-Mart to Double Stores in China July 19, 2007 Chain Store Age
Wal-Mart to sell $298 back-to-school PC July 19, 2007 By Jose Vilches,
TechSpot.com
Wal-Mart plans big expansion in China July 19, 2007 By Jean Loo and
Dune Lawrence
Bloomberg News
What's on sale at China's Wal-Marts? July 19, 2007 By Suzanne McGee
Wal-Mart Brings Customer Reviews Online July 19, 2007 by Mike Sachoff
Bharti-Wal-Mart formal pact soon July 19, 2007 N. Anand
The Hindu
Wal-Mart's purchase cut hurts Chinese suppliers July 18, 2007 chinadaily.com.cn
Asda Apologises To Harry Potter Publishers Over Price Slur July 18, 2007 Namnews
Tesco & Asda check abuse claims in B'desh July 17, 2007 By indiatimes.com
Wal-Mart to Test Bible Action Figures July 17, 2007 By MARCUS KABEL
Associated Press
Harry Potter & The Dark Lord Waldemart July 17, 2007 David Nassar
Wal-Mart Watch
Wal-Mart Truck Fleet Rolls Fuel Savings July 17, 2007 By MARCUS KABEL
Associated Press
New Horry County development to include Wal-Mart July 17, 2007 By K Grainger,
WPDE News
Board O Ks? shopping complex, Wal-Mart July 17, 2007 By KRISTIN WILSON-PIKE ,
The Patriot-News
Are shutters closing in India for foreign retailers? July 17, 2007 By Rina Chandran ,
Reuters
Diamond Foods Opens Office for Wal-Mart July 16, 2007 Associated Press
Brown is urged to act over 4p-an-hour sweatshop pay July 16, 2007 By CLAIRE SMITH,
news.scotsman.com
Wal-Mart checks Bangladeshi worker abuses July 16, 2007 By news.com.au ,
Agence France-Presse
The wrong gas at Wal-Mart July 16, 2007 By Linda Paige,
WZZM13 NEWS
Potter publisher halts Asda order July 16, 2007 By bbc,
Reuters
Wal-Mart's makeover: Tega Cay supercenter's design sets it apart from other stores July 15, 2007 Karen Bair
Group continues Wal-Mart fight: Battle focuses on permit for store's oil-change bay July 15, 2007 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Big holes to fill when Wal-Mart moves out July 15, 2007 Omaha World-Herald
Wal-Mart fights Kauai ban on 'big-box' stores July 14, 2007 By Andrew Gomes
Honolulu Advertiser
Wal-Mart won't sue over big- box law: Says it won't push to get partial repeal on city ballot July 14, 2007 Rob O'Dell 
The Arizona Daily Star
Wal-Mart, Moody's and GE Show That Consumers Are Living on Borrowed Time July 13, 2007 By TradingMarkets Research
New program boosting Wal-Mart's online fortunes July 13, 2007 Marc L. Songini
Computerworld
Whither, Whether, Wal-Mart? July 12, 2007 Seth Jayson
Motley Fool
Wal-Mart settles drug death claim July 12, 2007 The Associated Press
Gettelfinger wants help vs. Wal-Mart July 12, 2007 By SVEN GUSTAFSON ,
businessweek.com
Speaker: Retailer has creep element July 12, 2007 By DAVID IRVIN ,
nwanews.com
A Whole New Wal-Mart July 12, 2007 Tom Van Riper
Stores Post Lackluster Sales in June July 12, 2007 By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
Associated Press
San Diego City Council Defeats Wal-Mart Ban July 11, 2007 Chain Store Age
RUSSIA: Property developer to back Wal-Mart July 11, 2007 Progressive Newsletter
Duluth up in arms against Wal-Mart July 11, 2007 By EILEEN DRENNEN,
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Recession in retail sector has started July 11, 2007 Thomas Gomez
Wal-Mart to Prosecute Teen Shoplifters July 11, 2007 By MARCUS KABEL
Associated Press
Shares of Big-Format Stores Fall July 10, 2007 Associated Press
Wal*Mart Selects Knowledge Networks as Online Research Partner to Help Manufacturers Target Key Shopper Segments More Effectively July 10, 2007 PRNewswire
San Diego City Council defeats Wal-Mart superstore ban July 10, 2007 Associated Press
Lawmakers want Wal-Mart tax probe July 10, 2007 By DAVID MILES,
santafenewmexican.com
Wal-Mart report delayed July 10, 2007 By Ian Thompson
Indian retailers to protest against Wal-Mart entry July 10, 2007 The Associated Press
Wal-Mart 'Site to Store' in 3,300 stores July 10, 2007 The Associated Press
Wal-Mart is deaf to its best advisers July 10, 2007 By Ritson, Mark
nexis
Walmex Net Profits Up 7 Percent in 2Q July 09, 2007 Associated Press
Why so nervous about robots, Wal-Mart? July 08, 2007 by Alorie Gilbert
Wal-Mart, P&G Lead a Parade July 08, 2007 IHT
In-Store Marketing Institute
Wal-Mart's problem is one of attitude July 08, 2007 The Arizona Daily Star
The Wal-Mart Weekly: Sourcing almost everything from China July 06, 2007 By Brian White,
blogginstocks.com
Reliance, Beating Wal-Mart to India, Lures Shoppers, Investors July 05, 2007 By Saikat Chatterjee
Bloomberg
Woman Files Beef Lawsuit Against Tyson & Wal-Mart July 05, 2007 By Janie Gabbett,
The Cattle Network
Newberry Twp. officials: Strong support for proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter, strip mall project July 05, 2007 By CHARLES SCHILLINGER,
The York Dispatch
Public process betters Northcross Wal-Mart July 05, 2007 The Austin American-Statesman.
Retail giant seeks a sweeter deal to put a Supercenter in Newtown July 05, 2007 By CATHY ZOLLO,
Herald Tribune 
Sam's Club Taps Finance Chief July 05, 2007 By KRIS HUDSON,
Wall Street Journal
Wal-Mart Critics Leave Group July 05, 2007 Associated Press News
Lawsuit: Ground beef had E. coli July 04, 2007 By DAVID IRVIN,
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Woman Kicked Out of Wal-Mart After 911 Call July 04, 2007 AP
S.E.E. Change? S.E.E. Change Go Slow July 03, 2007 Andrew T. Gillies,
Forbes
Russian property developer poised to bring Wal-Mart to Russia July 03, 2007 RBC
Attorney: Wal-Mart Collected On Deaths July 03, 2007 By ELAINE SILVESTRINI,
The Tampa Tribune
AMA urges probe of in-store clinics July 02, 2007 By Bruce Japsen,
Chicago Tribune
Poisionous trail leads right back to China July 02, 2007 By Kengchi Goah,
taipeitimes.com
The Saga Continues: Wal-Mart Asks Dismissal of Roehm Suit July 02, 2007 By CNN Money,
What’s good for Wal-Mart is good for a lot of suppliers, says a new report July 02, 2007 Internet Retailer
Wal*Mart Has Agreement to Use NPD Data July 02, 2007 Dealerscope
Wal-Mart's 'Rollback' of GLBT Support Draws Praise, Flak July 02, 2007 By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com
Who's afraid of Wal-Mart? July 01, 2007 Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar
The Times of India
How Wal-Mart Got Its Banks July 01, 2007 By Ron Galloway,
Huffington Post
Commercial development isn't worth extinction of species July 01, 2007 By DIANE GLASS,
Universal Press Syndicate,
goupstate.com
Unpaid Teens Bag Groceries for Wal-Mart

Thousands of adolescents work as unpaid baggers in Wal-Mart's Mexican stores. The retail giant isn't breaking any laws, but that doesn't mean the government is happy with the practice.

By Joseph Contreras
Newsweek
July 31, 2007                                           
[back to top]

Wal-Mart prides itself on cutting costs at home and abroad, and its Mexican operations are no exception. That approach has helped the Arkansas-based retail giant set a track record of spectacular success in the 16 years since it entered Mexico as a partner of the country?s then-leading retail-store chain. But some of the company?s practices have aroused concern among some officials and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that Wal-Mart is taking advantage of local customs to pinch pennies at a time when its Mexican operations have never been more profitable.

Wal-Mart is Mexico?s largest private-sector employer in the nation today, with nearly 150,000 local residents on its payroll. An additional 19,000 youngsters between the ages of 14 and 16 work after school in hundreds of Wal-Mart stores, mostly as grocery baggers, throughout Mexico?and none of them receives a red cent in wages or fringe benefits. The company doesn?t try to conceal this practice: its 62 Superama supermarkets display blue signs with white letters that tell shoppers: OUR VOLUNTEER PACKERS COLLECT NO SALARY, ONLY THE GRATUITY THAT YOU GIVE THEM. SUPERAMA THANKS YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING. The use of unsalaried youths is legal in Mexico because the kids are said to be ?volunteering? their services to Wal-Mart and are therefore not subject to the requirements and regulations that would otherwise apply under the country?s labor laws. But some officials south of the U.S. border nonetheless view the practice as regrettable, if not downright exploitative. ?These kids should receive a salary,? says Labor Undersecretary Patricia Espinosa Torres. ?If you ask me, I don?t think these kids should be working, but there are cultural and social circumstances [in Mexico] rooted in poverty and scarcity.?

In a country where nearly half of the population scrapes by on less than $4 a day, any income source is welcome in millions of households, even if it hinges on the goodwill of a tipping customer. And Wal-Mart did not invent the bagger program that, as a written statement from the company notes, pre-dates the firm?s arrival in Mexico, nor is it alone within the country?s retail sector in benefiting from the toil of unpaid adolescents. But in Mexico City, for example, the 4,300 teenagers who work in Wal-Mart?s retail stores free of charge dwarf similar numbers laboring unpaid for Mexican competitors like Comercial Mexicana (715) and Gigante (427). Although Wal-Mart?s worldwide code of ethics expressly forbids any ?associate? from working without compensation, the company?s Mexican subsidiary asserts that the grocery baggers ?cannot be considered workers.? The Mexico City government?s top labor official dismisses that contention as so much corporate hogwash. ?To my mind, that is not an accurate description because the bagger is providing a service on the store?s premises that benefits the company by serving the customer better,? argues Federal District Labor Secretary Benito Mirsn Lince. ?In economic terms, Wal-Mart does have the capability to pay the minimum wage [of less than $5 a day], and this represents an injustice.?

Certainly, Wal-Mart?s bottom line is healthy. Wal-Mart de Mexico reported net earnings of $1.148 billion in 2006 and $280 million in profits in the second quarter of this year, a 7 percent increase in real terms over the same period last year. Buoyed by the handsome bottom-line results of the preceding 12 months, Wal-Mart de Mexico Chief Executive Eduardo Solsrzano announced plans in February to add 125 new stores and restaurants to its existing network of 893 retail establishments during the course of 2007. That ambitious expansion plan will represent new investment totaling nearly a billion dollars, according to company spokesmen.

And in its defense, Wal-Mart says it fully complies with a 1999 agreement covering the teenaged baggers that the Mexico City municipal government negotiated with the Supermarkets and Department Stores Association of Mexico. The company also says it goes beyond the obligations of that accord, awarding bonuses twice a year to baggers who maintain high grades in school and also providing accident insurance that covers the kids not only when they are on duty, but also when they are en route between home and workplace. The company?s written statement cited a study conducted by the Mexican government and a U.N. agency that found that teenagers participating in the baggers? program were less likely to use illegal drugs than peers who panhandled or hawked merchandise on city streets.

Wal-Mart says the bagger program was designed ?in accordance with the International Labor Organization?s (ILO) guidelines.? That?s questionable: Article 2 of the ILO?s Convention 138 specifically prohibits the employment of 14-year-old children. (When asked by NEWSWEEK specifically about this clause, a Wal-Mart spokesman said in a written response: "With respect to your questions about the ILO, I repeat that we subscribe to an agreement signed between the Supermarkets and Department Stores Association of Mexico and Mexican labor officials. I suggest you share your doubts with Mexican authorities as to whether the [1999] accord [with the Mexico City municipal government] is in line with ILO guidelines.") A study conducted by three student researchers at the Autonomous University of Mexico documented violations of the 1999 agreement at a Wal-Mart Supercenter store in southern Mexico City. These included inadequate training and forcing youngsters to work a double shift, thereby exceeding the six-hour limit per day established by the accord. Then again, things could be a lot worse. In February 2005, Wal-Mart agreed to pay the U.S. Labor Department $135,540 in civil money penalties to settle charges of 24 child-labor violations. Some of the accusations involved minors who operated forklifts, chain saws and other potentially dangerous equipment. Stuffing groceries into plastic bags would seem considerably less hazardous.

 [back to top]


Wal-Mart Canada Set to Roll out Clearly Canadian Brands' Healthy Snack

Businesswre                  [back to top] 

Clearly Canadian CCBEF (the "Company") is pleased to announce that its new line of Glengrove Organics dried fruit and nut products will be sold at Wal-Mart Canada stores and all Ontario stores of Sobey's, one of Canada's top grocers.

Brent Lokash, CEO of Clearly Canadian, stated, "Wal-Mart and Sobey's are high volume retailers and provide great consumer exposure for our Glengrove Organics line. This is a significant step toward establishing one of Clearly Canadian Brands' products as a major national organic snack brand in Canada and strengthening our platform to launch this line into the U.S."

[back to top]


Doubts cast on Wal-Mart price war

By Tu Lei
chinadaily.com.cn
2007-07-31                                  
[back to top]

Wal-Mart recently waged its largest ever price war since its presence in China 11 years ago. However, many consumers cast doubts on the real purpose of this retail giant's price campaign.

Beginning July 5, all of Wal-Mart's 80 shops gave a discount up to 20 percent to more than 1,000 items, mainly foodstuffs, according to insiders. It is the first time in Wal-Mart's history that it has cut so many items' prices.

The move suggests Wal-Mart is eager to lure more customers in China, a market in which it has not enjoyed the competitiveness it has at home.

However, the price reductions are not attractive enough, and some discounted products' prices are still higher than those in other markets.

A package of 120-gram Lays potato chips is priced at 7.5 yuan after a 45 percent discount, higher than that of Wumart, another supermarket chain store in Beijing. Meanwhile the price of one package of Qiaqia sunflower seeds is 5.4 yuan in Wal-Mart, but it only costs 4.8 yuan in Carrefour.

"My wife cares about the prices so much, but she was disappointed when back," said a buyer surnamed Li.

"I have been to Wal-Mart twice these days, but hardly found the discounted items," said another anonymous buyer.

Home supplies and home appliances are included in the new pricing package, with lowered rates of 10 and 15 percent respectively.

Miss Wang plans to buy a Midea electrical kettle in Wal-Mart at the new price, but she found the price was 269 yuan after a 10 percent discount, while the product's price in Carrefour is 238 yuan.

Wal-Mart's discounted prices fail to match those of its competitors, which suggests that offering the lowest prices is not part of the company's strategy.

Dong Yuguo, supervisor of the public relations department at Wal-Mart, said the price reduction is the result of controlling costs and our suppliers' efforts to provide better prices in a proper time."

"Our 'Every Day Low Prices' strategy can not ensure buyers get goods at the most favorable prices," said Dong, who emphasized Wal-Mart’s weak distribution system can not help reduce cost.

Wal-Mart's strategy is based on big-dimension purchasing, flexible logistics channels, advanced information technology systems, and sophisticated shop management, which ensure the lowest prices for global buyers. However, according to an anonymous expert familiar with the matter, in China its competitive edge is blunt.

[back to top]


Fired Wal-Mart worker protests

Edwin Lopez, who was fired from the Wal-Mart on Farmington Avenue, talks to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal at a protest outside the store in New Britain on Monday. Lopez claims his termination was racially motivated.

By SCOTT WHIPPLE,
New Britain Herald 
July 31st, 2007                              
[back to top]

NEW BRITAIN - Michael Edwards says he stands up for what he believes.

Edwards could lose his job at the Farmington Avenue Wal-Mart because on Monday he held a sign that read, "You can roll back your prices, but not our rights," as he joined the Connecticut Working Families protest there with about 50 other people.

The protest was sparked by the July 9 sacking of Edwards' best friend and co-worker at Wal-Mart and allegations of ongoing racism at the store.

Edwin Lopez, 47, a city resident, was fired after seven years on the job for charges he claims were fake. He said his firing had more to do with race and that other current and former Wal-Mart employees have also been unfairly disciplined or fired because of race.

His manager, whom he declined to name, used obscene language toward him and laughed in his face, Lopez said. He also said his wife, who still works at the store, is the subject of ridicule by management.

"It's not just Hispanics," Lopez said. "This guy also disrespects Polish-speaking people who work there."

According to Lopez, his former manager, a New York City native, walks around the store muttering: "I hate the f---ing people in New Britain." Lopez said he told his boss "to watch his mouth," and called a district manager to complain as well.

He left a voice mail in which he used the word "freaking," he admitted.

"That's as far as I went," he said. "I would never use the other 'F' word."

In the days that followed, Lopez said, he was the subject of verbal abuse and finally fired.

He said he was told his dismissal was because he swore at someone in the home office, but Lopez insists his firing had more to do with his heritage and because Wal-Mart "doesn't like Spanish-speaking people."

"They need to clean up management and begin with this store," Lopez said. "Workers need to stop being scared."

Edwards, who worked with Lopez in the lawn and garden department, said he has been protective of his friend's wife. On Tuesday, Edwards stood with Lopez at the rally against Wal-Mart although he risks losing his own job.

The corporate folks in Bentonville, Ark., view the situation differently.

"While it is our policy not to comment on personnel matters, I can tell you that the facts surrounding Mr. Lopez's termination are very different than what he suggests," said David Tovar, director of media relations, from Wal-Mart headquarters. "Mr. Lopez's termination had nothing to do with speaking Spanish or ethnicity; it was for disciplinary reasons."

Tovar would not elaborate, saying only that Wal-Mart policy "allows associates to communicate in any language they know. In fact, the policy requires associates to communicate in a language common to the customer if you are able to do so in order to better serve our customers."

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal isn't convinced. He told protesters he will investigate allegations of systematic discrimination against Spanish-speaking employees by Wal-Mart.

"Racism has no place anywhere," he said.

Phil Sherwood, Democratic candidate for alderman in New Britain's 4th Ward, said when he worked for Wal-Mart he saw harassment and intimidation of racial minorities.

"Wal-Mart is currently the target of the largest class-action lawsuit in U.S. history," Sherwood said. "The issue is [sexual] discrimination."

Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. alleges female employees of Wal-Mart are denied advancement and training opportunities, paid less than men for the same or comparable work, steered to lower-wage departments, subjected to a sexually hostile work environment and retaliated against when they attempt to address sex discrimination.

Sherwood believes "the lack of Spanish-speaking manager" could be a problem. "It breeds an atmosphere of insensitivity."

Connecticut Working Families is a coalition of community organizations, labor unions and neighborhood activists "united to fight for a fair economy."

[back to top]


Joint venture with Wal-Mart is imminent

SiliconIndia
Monday , July 30, 2007
                    [back to top]

New Delhi: Telecom-to-retail group Bharti Enterprises Monday said the creation of a joint venture with US retail juggernaut Wal-Mart, which is set to come to India, is very much on the cards.

"Work is on, people are being hired, land is being seen ... launch of a joint venture is imminent with the roll-out (of stores) being slated for next year," Mittal told reporters on the sidelines of a conclave organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

He said both the parties were engaged in various legal and licensing issues, "There are no problems with the legal issues; however, real estate pricing is a concern."

Bharti Enterprises' wholly owned subsidiary Bharti Retail had signed an agreement with the US retail behemoth last year in cash-and-carry segments like wholesale trade and support-related areas like cold chains, logistics and transportation, where the government allows 100 percent foreign direct investment.

[back to top]


Kicking ass, saving souls: Religious action figures coming to Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart has seen the light. It has noted the signs. The dollar signs, anyway.

Mary Vallis
The Post                           
[back to top] 

The world's largest retailer, and the biggest toy seller in the U.S., will be lining its shelves with a series of "Tales of Glory" biblical toys.

The faith-based toy line, which will appear in the pre-school aisle of 425 select Wal-Mart stores in mid-August, is produced by one2believe, a California toy company urging parents to join "the battle for the toy box" by bringing home muscular Samson and Goliath action figures instead of the usual Transformers and Spider-Men.

The toys' release is billed as the first time Wal-Mart has offered a full line of faith-based toys.

"I think parents are dying for something for their young child that they can give them that they know is going to give them a positive image," said David Socha, the company's founder. The company's goal is to "spread the word of God to children throughout America."

"What's nice is that they're real, as opposed to other superheroes that are out there. Kids can relate to people who didn't have superhuman powers, but relied on God's strength."

Not everyone is so optimistic about the plan to stock plastic figures of Jesus, Mary, David and Goliath, however. From the BBC News web site:

One religious leader does not consider Wal-Mart in the fold.

"They'll carry anything that sells," says David Croyle, president of FamilyLife, a non-denominational ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. "This simply signals intelligent buying within Wal-Mart."

For David Socha, CEO of One2believe, it's a dream come true. "Our goal is to give the faith-based community an alternative to Bratz dolls and Spider-Man," he says.

The One2believe web page is a gold mine of unintentional comedy. If you click and drag on this animation you can make Samson repeatedly punch Goliath in the face (if only they had battled it out in "real" life!). I'm waiting for the Moses/Noah grudge match: "I didn't need no damn ark to save my people! I just pointed and the water got the hell out of my way!"

And here's a beautiful full-colour gallery of the creepily robotic Old and New Testament figures (all courtesy of One2believe).

[back to top]


Bredesen Frustrated by Board of Regents Pace on
'Wal-Mart 101'

By ERIK SCHELZIG
Associated Press                              
[back to top] 

NASHVILLE (AP) - It's been nearly a year since Gov. Phil Bredesen announced a proposal to create a community college curriculum designed to prepare students to become managers at big-box retailers like Wal-Mart.

Yet there is no sign that any such "Wal-Mart 101" program will be available at two-year schools across the state anytime soon.

Asked in a recent interview with The Associated Press about what the holdup is, Bredesen responded: "The Board of Regents - and the general difficulty of moving things forward in the educational system."

The Board of Regents oversees two-year schools and public universities that are not part of the University of Tennessee system.

"The Board of Regents on that one has not picked up the idea and carried forward on their own in some fashion," Bredesen said.

Bredesen said he prefers state officials to move aggressively on new ideas. He said he'd rather have to tell officials to slow down rather than have to constantly prod them into action.

The governor said that he sometimes has to ask UT President John Petersen to rein in the pace of new programs, but that that rarely occurs with the Board of Regents.

Board of Regents Chancellor Charles Manning could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Bredesen acknowledged that the Board of Regents may have been distracted by debate during the legislative session over several community-college related subjects like his ultimately doomed proposal to give free tuition to high-school graduates who average a 19 on their ACT college entrance exams. Bredesen has vowed to bring back the community college scholarship proposal next year.

Meanwhile, the state last week announced that as part of Eastman Chemical Co.'s $1.3 billion reinvestment in its Kingsport facilities the state will pour $1 million into tailoring programs at Northeast State Technical Community College to the company's work force needs.

The "Eastman 101" program will address specific job skills for mechanics, lab analysts and chemical operators. The proposal also could benefit other companies in the region because they could hire graduates of the programs.

Although the job training program will be at a Regents college, it won't be available at campuses across the state the way Bredesen envisions the "Wal-Mart 101" program

"We had the opportunity to do the '101' with somebody, so we obviously grabbed that and took it," Bredesen said. "The other one (for big-box retailers) I'm still interested in and we're still pushing for it."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Mom-and-pops strategize vs. big boxes

By Bryce Benson                            [back to top]

"Local businesses—unite!"

That could have been the battle cry of the Chico Independent Business Forum held at the City Council chambers Friday (July 27).

About 25 local business owners were there—instead of at the Friday night concert going on across Main Street—to listen to Jeff Milchen, co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance, outline a strategy for helping local businesses thrive against "big box" stores such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Best Buy. The California Healthy Communities Network and Lyon Books sponsored the gathering.

Nearly 40 cities across the country and one in Canada have implemented the innovative model to strengthen hometown businesses and prevent their displacement by chains.

While groups such as the Downtown Chico Business Association are great at what they do, "not all businesses are located downtown," Milchen said. "But almost all businesses are affected when a giant retailer like Wal-Mart comes to town."

His idea for IBAs started when he lived in Boulder, Colo. He and David Boluc, owner of Boulder Book Store, realized that locally owned business needed to organize in order to combat the growing power of global chains, which Milchen says are "unsustainable and drain communities of their culture and uniqueness."

Started in 1998, the Boulder Independent Business Alliance grew from 10 members to more than 160 within two years. Its success led Milchen, along with BIBA's assistant director, Jennifer Rockne, to start the nonprofit AMIBA in 2001.

Using what they had learned in Boulder, Rockne and Milchen developed a three-pronged approach: public education, group promotion and advertising, and building effective and lasting relationships with local government.

BIBA runs a continuing ad campaign that both creates a brand name and informs the public of the benefits of shopping locally. Along with the ads, BIBA uses marketing tools such as storefront decals, BIBA bookmarks for local bookstores, bumper stickers that instruct people to "Put Your Money Where Your House Is!" and BIBA paper cups for independent coffee shops.

In Chico, where the expansion of the southside Wal-Mart and the addition of a Wal-Mart supercenter on the north side are in the planning stages, Milchen's presentation found a receptive audience.

"This is a critical time in Chico's development," said Heather Lyon, owner of Lyon Books. "Sustaining local ownership and local self-reliance is vital to Chico's long-term economic vitality."

Heather Schlaff, of the Wal-Mart watchdog group Chico Advocates for a Responsible Economy, said Chico's long-term economic vitality would be best served if the addition of another Wal-Mart were rejected. Phil Tucker, of the California Healthy Communities Network, agreed with Schlaff: "With two of these in a town the size of Chico, they'll be competing with each other, lowering prices, until Chico's independent stores are gone."

Tucker, a resident of Napa, said he became interested in the big-box debate after coming across Big-Box Swindle, a book by Stacy Mitchell (available at Lyon Books).

Mitchell is a senior researcher for the Institute for Local Self Reliance. Her home state of Maine in June became the first state to require cities to evaluate the impact of proposed big-box stores (larger than 75,000 square feet) on jobs, local businesses and municipal finances. Only stores that won't adversely affect the local economy can be approved. The Informed Growth Act goes into effect in September 2007.

"Retail is not like other industries like manufacturing because you can't increase how much people spend," Mitchell said from her home in Portland. "So even though stores like Wal-Mart generate a lot of sales tax, all they're doing is taking revenue away from locally owned businesses."

In California, a bill similar to Maine's was passed in 2006 but vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. The Permit Streamlining Act, SB 1523, would have required that economic-impact reports similar to Maine's be prepared for any retail center larger than 100,000 square feet.

"I am unable to support this bill that effectively sends a message to retailers and others that California is 'closed for business,'" Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto message.

But Mitchell thinks just the opposite. The bill would have told California cities that they care about local business and their communities. A study in Maine showed that for every dollar spent at big-box stores, only 15 cents stays in the community, while for every dollar spent at a locally owned store, 50 cents stays in the community.

Local state Sen. Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) voted no on SB 1523. Low prices benefit low-income people, he said, and big-box stores deliver low prices, driving down prices elsewhere. "That's what the free market system is based upon—competition," he said.

Yet no one has been hurt more by Wal-Mart than the low-income family, Mitchell said. "Wal-Mart lowers wages in a community faster than they lower prices."

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Wal-Mart's Seiyu to post H1 operating loss-Nikkei

by Emi Foulk and
Taiga Uranaka
Reuters
Fri Jul 27, 2007                                   
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TOKYO, July 27 (Reuters) - The Japanese unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Seiyu Ltd. (8268.T: Quote, Profile, Research), will post an operating loss for the first half of the year as weak sales sidelined its forecast return to profit, the Nikkei business daily said on Friday.

Shares of Seiyu fell 3.1 percent in late afternoon trade, compared with a 1.6 percent drop in the Tokyo index of retail stocks (.IRETL.T: Quote, Profile, Research).

Seiyu, 53 percent owned by the world's largest retailer, likely suffered an operating loss of 2 to 3 billion yen ($17 million to $25 million) in the six months to June, falling well short of its forecast 2.8 billion yen profit, the newspaper said.

Wal-Mart has struggled since its 2002 arrival in the world's second-largest retail market, leading some analysts to suggest the retailer should pull out of Japan -- as it did from South Korea and Germany last year.

Seiyu has posted five straight years of losses since Wal-Mart first took a small stake in the company, although it has forecast a return to profit this year.

The U.S. company has invested more than $1 billion in the 390-store Japanese supermarket chain, remodelling 70 locations last year, but has yet to see anything more than temporary upswings in sales.

Seiyu's first-half same-store sales fell 1 percent year-on-year, dragged down by weak sales of clothing and electric appliances, as well as poor weather, the Nikkei said.

A spokesman for Seiyu, which is scheduled to announce its results on Aug. 14, said the report was speculation.

The U.S. retailer's strategy of selling discounted products in bulk may not be conducive to shopping habits in Japan, where consumers tend to buy groceries more often and in smaller amounts.

While Seiyu has benefited from Wal-Mart's knowledge of cost-efficient distribution and information systems, its store layouts and product development have failed to impress Japanese shoppers, the Nikkei said.

(C) Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.

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Wal-Mart Apparel Faces Back-to-School Test

By Reuters,
New York Times
July 26th, 2007                                 
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's back-to-school season and that means it is time to see if Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s efforts to revamp its apparel offering can muster a passing grade with shoppers.

The world's largest retailer has struggled with poor apparel sales after its efforts to compete with Target Corp. and sell hipper clothes, like skinny jeans and velvet blazers, backfired with its shoppers, who were looking for basic, classic and affordable clothing.

For the past year, Wal-Mart has been trying to fix its mistakes and has marked down unsold clothing, scaled back its trendy Metro 7 apparel line and said last week that Claire Watts, who oversaw its apparel merchandising, had resigned.

Wal-Mart has said it hopes to show improvements during the back-to-school season. But it remains to be seen whether the retailer can entice shoppers back into its clothing aisles, or if they will head to rivals like Kohl's Corp. , J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Target to buy fashionable but affordable school clothes.

"No one can beat (Wal-Mart) on price, but everyone is eating their lunch on fashion," said Patricia Edwards, a portfolio manager with Wentworth, Hauser and Violich that owns Wal-Mart shares.

"If price is not that different and you get fashion for an extra $1 more, people will pay that dollar" and buy clothes at Wal-Mart's competitors, she said.

STRUGGLES

Last year, Wal-Mart downplayed its discount roots in hopes of convincing shoppers to buy higher-margin goods, like clothes or home goods, that could bolster slowing U.S. sales growth.

It touted its George ME fashion line by guest designer Mark Eisen, and its own Metro 7 clothes that were designed "with the highly stylish, fashion-conscious customer in mind."

But the success that Target has found pedaling cheap-chic clothes, like those by Isaac Mizrahi, was not easy to emulate, and Wal-Mart's core low-income shoppers did not warm to the new styles or higher prices.

Wal-Mart has since admitted that it moved too far too fast. It is now following a "back-to-basics" strategy -- trying to stock items like T-shirts or shorts in a wide selection of colors and sizes that emphasize its low prices.

But winning back-to-school clothing dollars may be tough.

"One of the challenges at Wal-Mart has been how do you promote the cross-shopping behavior among customers?" said Craig Johnson, president of retail consulting firm Customer Growth Partners.

Moms may buy toothpaste and toilet paper at Wal-Mart, but he said they often buy clothes at Kohl's or J.C. Penney, which have recently revitalized their apparel departments.

He also noted that Wal-Mart has become an acceptable place for children and teenagers to buy electronics, but it does not have the same cachet when it comes to clothing.

A kid will brag about a new tech gadget he got, Johnson said. "Nobody says: 'Hey! Look at these great denim jeans I got at Wal-Mart'."

BACK ON TRACK

Improving its apparel sales could help Wal-Mart jump-start same-store sales, a key retail gauge that measures sales at stores open at least a year.

Last fiscal year, its U.S. same-stores sales rose at their lowest level since Wal-Mart began reporting such figures in 1980. This year, it has continued to struggle, with its April same-store sales falling 3.5 percent -- its largest ever publicly reported decline.

Edwards said apparel and home sales account for 15 pe