Apparently Walmart can live with unions when the legal system allows unions to exercise their rights. The chain’s British arm, Asda, which accounts for a tenth of total sales for Wal-Mart Stores, narrowly averted a costly strike on Thursday, after reaching an agreement with a union. … “This is a very different ethos and approach” […]

I promised my co-blogger Jonathan that I would follow the he said/she said discussion on Slate: Is Wal-Mart Good for the American Working Class? I’ve read all six parts and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. This is balanced journalism at its worst. One of the laziest journalism practices is […]

How do you really feel about Wal Mart? Here’s your chance to express your true feelings — pro and con — about the world’s largest retailer. Write whatever you like in the comments section and engage your fellow readers in the conversation. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

I started a post for this site yesterday, interrupted myself a few times and then, the last time I returned to write, well, I hadn’t yet saved my work. When I went to save it before leaving again? WordPress told me that I’d expired. Imagine my distress. But, when I was at the point of […]

This week, Slate has writer (and former Wal-Mart employee) Barbara Ehrenreich debating economist Jason Furman on the topic, “Is Wal-Mart Good for the American Working Class?” To me, this is the most interesting part of her first volley: Wal-Mart has a record of falsifying data on employee hours to conceal unpaid overtime work, so why […]

…your cheap plastic crap came from anyway? Thank you Keith Knight. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

“[M]ass circulation women’s magazines are directed by entirely populist points of view – that one should never suggest that one variety of a fruit will give you something better, because half their readers think they cannot afford it. In a country that spends the amount ours does on hard liquor, gambling, ice cream of a […]

Very early on in the history of this blog, Tim Russo used two illustrations to tie John Rockefellers’ Standard Oil to Sam Walton’s Wal Mart. Others have made the comparison, but now Andrew Leonard wants to Break Up Wal Mart. Previewing the upcoming Breaking the Chain: The Antitrust Case Against Wal-Mart by Barry Lynn in […]

Top left: Yahoo satellite map of 342 Commercial lane. Top right: Google satellite map of 342 Commercial lane. Bottom: The data bunker (under the green roof) during construction. Behind the super center at 342 Commercial Lane near Jane, Missouri is Wal Mart’s data bunker. All businesses need to track sales and inventory. But Wally World […]

Because it has saturated rural America, Wal Mart has been forced in recent years to concentrate its growth in more and more urban areas. The higher density of people means more customers, but it also means more problems: like people demanding a living wage. From the Associated Press: Opponents of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s expansion into […]

On Tuesday, the NYT ran a front page story with the headline In Wal-Mart’s Home, Synagogue Signals Growth. It’s about how Bentonville, home of WalMart, is benefiting from the world’s largest retailer locating there. Residents of Benton County, in the northwest corner of Arkansas, are proud citizens of the Bible Belt. At last count, they […]

From the NY Times: The plan, tentatively called the Environmental Health and Wellness Program, will emphasize practical advice, like replacing traditional 60-watt light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs that use 13 watts; Wal-Mart stores already carry those bulbs. Another suggestion under consideration is to eat more fish for the health benefits. To help develop the environmental […]

While researching Whitney’s Wal Mart rage I came across Windchime Walker’s collection of Raging Grannies’ and other’s tunes to keep in your hear when Wal Mart is turning your mainstreet in to a ghost town. Sure, most of them are Christmas melodies, but they’re still fun. Wal Mart Is Coming To Town Tune: Santa Claus […]

From Carmen and Winslow. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

How do you really feel about Wal Mart? Here’s your chance to express your true feelings — pro and con — about the world’s largest retailer. Write whatever you like in the comments section and engage your fellow readers in the conversation. Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.