What? Wal-Mart Improves Its Reputation

Update :

CNBC has a new channel of content about WalMart highlighting its forthcoming program about the changes at WalMart here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/18803817/

This is an interesting development in itself: visitors to CNBC’s pages can see a slideshow and a preview of the programme, take a poll about WalMart and even buy a DVD of the program. You can see the program on CNBC on a number of occasions until October 5th.

I just started at a Wal-Mart supercenter in Texas. I must say that everything I’ve ever heard about Wal-Mart’s reputation is right on the mark. Their training program is unorganized, confusing and doesn’t concentrate on the most important parts of the job description, so they wasted hours of valuable time on insignificant issues. As an employee, we are supposed to get a 10% discount on many items (excluding most food), but you must work there for 3 months to begin getting that discount. Unlike any other employer I’ve ever worked for…they require you to work there for ONE YEAR before getting health insurance. They want to make sure “you’re devoted to the company” before they will devote anything to their most valuable assets. They stated that for every $1.00 in sales, Wal-Mart only nets 4 cents. They teach and force certain “ethical” practices down your throat, yet many of the managers and other employees don’t practice them. I.e. – “Respect for the Individual” — they respect their customers, yet reprimand and degrade employees in front of other employees AND customers. By the way, I’ve only been working there for 6 days and have already been flabergasted by some of the things I’ve seen. In the loading dock area, boxes are pulled off trucks and allowed to crash to the ground (including DVD players, vaccum cleaners, other electronics, glass jars of food). No wonder so many items are damaged. I’m gonna stick it out through the holidays, because I told them I would. However, Wal-Mart is definitely NOT a place in which I wish to risk my own sanity and “real” moral ethics. Next time you go to any Wal-Mart, look around and see just how many “smiling” faces you see. A majority of the staff is visibly unhappy, sad, and rude. I could go on, but I’ll give it a few more days and see what else I can witness.

Hi John,

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments.
Sorry to hear about your experience. I do shop at Wal-Mart and I my experience is that I find the employees very helpful. My only complaint is the long lines at checkout.
You might try discussing the problem with management.

Ed