Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Wal-Mart's Assault on Duluth Continues in Appeals
Wal-Mart battle continues with appeals board
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, Duluth, planning board, appeals
Wal-Mart Gets Victimized By Its Own Success
On Wednesday night, the six-member citizen board will hear four appeals to several rulings about a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
Three come from residents challenging decisions made by Shelley Stiebling, former Interim Director of Planning. One comes from Wal-Mart itself, contesting the city's refusal to issue it a building permit.
"We don't think the city's planning department had the authority to reject this application," Sheppard [Wal-Mart's hired gun attorney] said.I mean, really, how dare the town decide to deny a special variance for Wal-Mart to build a huge box store when the town's zoning laws require pitched roofs and particular building materials. Don't they know that Wal-Mart is always right? Silly citizens, I'm sure the high priced attorney from Wal-Mart will set them straight. Or not.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, Duluth, planning board, appeals
Labels: appeals, planning board
Del.icio.us It
Digg It!Wal-Mart Gets Victimized By Its Own Success
Watch out for falling technology: Wal-Mart’s IT issues
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, information technology, competition, innovation
Friday, October 19, 2007
Always Low Prices? Sort Of
“Wal-Mart today is caught between two worlds: Sam Walton’s, where a zealous commitment to ‘everyday low prices’ is enforced (despite Walton’s skepticism about computers) by IT-assisted decisions made in Bentonville, and a new global marketplace in which the retailer’s sheer size is not as big an advantage as it once was. Competitors such as Target and Tesco can match Wal-Mart in technological sophistication and surpass it by innovating in new retailing segments with higher-margin goods.”Looks like it's time for a complete computer overhaul and upgrade. Not that it'll happen since the cost would run into the billions and the stockholders would never stand for it. So other retailers with better and more up to date systems will continue to chip away at Wal-Mart. Which is, of course, fine by me!
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, information technology, competition, innovation
Labels: competition, information technology
Friday, October 19, 2007
Always Low Prices? Sort Of
Wal-Mart Price Differences
This is a good illustration of what a weasel company Wal-Mart is. The guy bought a DVD player at his local Wal-Mart for $139 and then found it on the Wal-Mart.com website for $127 with free shipping. He went back to ask for a price adjustment and they refused because, well, they already had his money.
Try doing the same thing at Target or another major retailer and they will almost certainly refund you the difference. Why? Because its good business to treat customers fairly.
Wal-Mart doesn't care about good business, they care about their profit margins.
Wal-Mart Seeks to Impose Itself on Canadian Town
This is a good illustration of what a weasel company Wal-Mart is. The guy bought a DVD player at his local Wal-Mart for $139 and then found it on the Wal-Mart.com website for $127 with free shipping. He went back to ask for a price adjustment and they refused because, well, they already had his money.
Try doing the same thing at Target or another major retailer and they will almost certainly refund you the difference. Why? Because its good business to treat customers fairly.
Wal-Mart doesn't care about good business, they care about their profit margins.
Labels: price differences, weasels
Wal-Mart Seeks to Impose Itself on Canadian Town
Stratford, Wal-Mart facing fight
The story is familiar, the people in Stratford don't want Wal-Mart to build a store there. Wal-Mart could give a damn what the people want. Only this time, Wal-Mart wasn't able to buy off the city council and they will very likely vote to uphold the recommendation to deny the building.
And Wal-Mart will likely appeal and try to fight their way in where they are not wanted. As usual.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, Canada, city council
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Wal-Mart Doesn't Want Employees to Pee On or Off the Clock
The story is familiar, the people in Stratford don't want Wal-Mart to build a store there. Wal-Mart could give a damn what the people want. Only this time, Wal-Mart wasn't able to buy off the city council and they will very likely vote to uphold the recommendation to deny the building.
And Wal-Mart will likely appeal and try to fight their way in where they are not wanted. As usual.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, Canada, city council
Labels: imposition
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Wal-Mart Doesn't Want Employees to Pee On or Off the Clock
Wal-Mart's labour practices face trial yet again
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Indians Send Message to Wal-Mart: GO AWAY!
In the Minnesota case, as in 30 other attempted or successful class actions around the country, plaintiffs say Wal-Mart knowingly hired too few people to do too much work. To fill the gap, managers pushed hourly workers to skip a lunch here, a rest break there, and sometimes stay a few minutes after clocking out, the lawsuits claim. Basic human functions took a back seat to the work, the workers say.and there's this rationalization.
Shaving one-tenth of 1% off Wal-Mart’s payroll would save the company $138 million, Wal-Mart’s then-chief executive officer, David Glass, said in 2001 while exhorting managers to cut back on labour costs, the Minnesota plaintiffs’ lawyer, Justin Perl, said in opening statements.Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, class action, lawsuit, exploitation
Labels: class action, exploitation, lawsuit
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Indians Send Message to Wal-Mart: GO AWAY!
Indian Retailers Take To Streets Against Wal-Mart
They've been watching what Wal-Mart does in American towns and they want to avoid suffering the same fate.
I wish them good luck in their battle.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, India, protest, march
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Cascading Lawsuits
They've been watching what Wal-Mart does in American towns and they want to avoid suffering the same fate.
I wish them good luck in their battle.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, India, protest, march
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Cascading Lawsuits
Philadelphia verdict against Wal-Mart good for KC plaintiffs
A win in one part of the country can invoke more wins in other, similarly jurisdicted, areas. The suit in Kansas City has many similarities to the Philly lawsuit (posted here that saw not one but two awards handed down, seperately but to the same plaintiffs.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, cascading lawsuits, Kansas City, Philadelphia
Monday, October 08, 2007
City Council with Misplaced Loyalties
A win in one part of the country can invoke more wins in other, similarly jurisdicted, areas. The suit in Kansas City has many similarities to the Philly lawsuit (posted here that saw not one but two awards handed down, seperately but to the same plaintiffs.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, cascading lawsuits, Kansas City, Philadelphia
Labels: cascading lawsuits, exploitation, lawsuit, worker abuse
Monday, October 08, 2007
City Council with Misplaced Loyalties
DailyBulletin.com - City Council's loyalty should be to Ontario, not Wal-Mart
Basically, the Ontario, California city council has approved a Wal-Mart construction that is going to seriously and deleteriously effect the area it is going into. They did this despite an Environmental Impact Report that advised against the approval and against the wishes of the city's populance.
Crazy me, I thought the City Council was supposed to act in the best interests of the city.
Chicago Blows Wal-Mart Off
Basically, the Ontario, California city council has approved a Wal-Mart construction that is going to seriously and deleteriously effect the area it is going into. They did this despite an Environmental Impact Report that advised against the approval and against the wishes of the city's populance.
Crazy me, I thought the City Council was supposed to act in the best interests of the city.
Chicago Blows Wal-Mart Off
Wal-Mart strategy stumbles in taking over a major metropolitan area like Chicago.
They expected an easy conquest but have learned that it won't be quite so easy to steamroll through The Windy City.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, Chicago,
Friday, October 05, 2007
Always Big Settlements. Always
They expected an easy conquest but have learned that it won't be quite so easy to steamroll through The Windy City.
If Wal-Mart can't succeed in Chicago, the retailer's urban strategy will have suffered a critical blow at a time when investors have grown increasingly frustrated with Wal-Mart's lack of growth. Its stock now trades around $45, down 25 percent from March 2004 compared with a 35 percent gain in the Standard & Poor's 500 index in the same time period.Boo-friggin'-hoo.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, Chicago,
Labels: Chicago
Friday, October 05, 2007
Always Big Settlements. Always
Wal-Mart Workers Win $62 Million for Off-the-Clock Labor
Sure, it breaks down to a mere $500 per worker they abused. But its the second settlement they've now won and the door has been kicked wide open for other lawsuits based on Wal-Mart's unquestionably unethical and illegal practice of making employees work through breaks and off the clock without pay.
There are almost undoubtedly more lawsuits in the wings.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, lawsuit, off-the-clock, worker abuse
Monday, October 01, 2007
Low Prices Leads to Low Employees
Sure, it breaks down to a mere $500 per worker they abused. But its the second settlement they've now won and the door has been kicked wide open for other lawsuits based on Wal-Mart's unquestionably unethical and illegal practice of making employees work through breaks and off the clock without pay.
There are almost undoubtedly more lawsuits in the wings.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, lawsuit, off-the-clock, worker abuse
Labels: lawsuit
Monday, October 01, 2007
Low Prices Leads to Low Employees
What's behind Wal-Mart's troubles? Bad customer service. And why can't they give better service? Because they screw over most of their employees and people get tired of getting screwed by their employer. Especially when their employer has driven every other employment opportunity out of business (i.e. Wal-Mart's scorched neighborhood policy).
Wal-Mart: A Snap Inspection
And you'll never guess that the three store inspection finds quite alot lacking. Service, and much more important, helpful customer service was absolutely not to be found. Interested in dropping $1200 on that plasma screen but want to, you know, take it for a test drive? You're out of luck. Want to try on those pants? Sorry, changing rooms are locked, woops.
The one nice Wal-Mart they visited reminded the reviewer of a Target. Kind of funny. And her review pretty much thumbs-downed the experience. Not that I'm surprised at all.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, bad customer service, inspection, BusinessWeek
Wal-Mart: A Snap Inspection
And you'll never guess that the three store inspection finds quite alot lacking. Service, and much more important, helpful customer service was absolutely not to be found. Interested in dropping $1200 on that plasma screen but want to, you know, take it for a test drive? You're out of luck. Want to try on those pants? Sorry, changing rooms are locked, woops.
The one nice Wal-Mart they visited reminded the reviewer of a Target. Kind of funny. And her review pretty much thumbs-downed the experience. Not that I'm surprised at all.
Tags: Wal-Mart, WalMart, bad customer service, inspection, BusinessWeek
Labels: bad customer service, inspection