Wallie World

[Dividend Watcher]

Recently, I've taken over straightening out the books for our local Chamber of Commerce after our staff bookkeeper decided he could make more money elsewhere. Looking through our records and files to find source documents and making sure they were entered correctly has provided some interesting tidbits. The most interesting one that I found lately concerned Walmart.

As I've said elsewhere, this is a mostly rural county where the biggest city has a population that only reaches around 20,000. I live in the middle of a cornfield and the county farmers produce some pretty awesome and award winning onion crops. Despite that, we do have some big corporations or franchises of same planted here. Amongst them are Walmart, T.J.Maxx, Ruby Tuesdays, J.C. Penney, GPC's NAPA stores, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, several other fast food places, National Grid, a Sunoco ethanol plant, Lowe's, Tractor Supply, Family Dollar, Dollar General and Pinnacle Foods is thinking of moving a plant here. Unfortunately, no Starbucks.

Walmart has taken a lot of heat, some of it justifiably so, about employment practices, shipping jobs overseas and not being a good corporate neighbor along with more spurious jabs. Yet I found, of all the big corporations and franchises mentioned above, the companies that chip in for community events and/or Chamber operations to benefit the local community with cash and goods only number a few. Walmart and National Grid lead the pack. Dunkin and Pennys are 3 & 4 and the rest don't contribute anything. Many cite the excuse that it's "corporate policy". I was shocked about Wally World's participation with all the bad press.

I now don't feel so guilty about what little I purchase there and may even consider them when I need something else where I could shop some of the other places I mentioned.

[Dexter]

Walmart is actually not a bad place to work. I know several people who work in the retail industry and Walmart does provide higher pay than some of the other places.

It also provides opportunity for advancement, and their retirement plan is pretty good. They provide a 401k for their employees and provide matching(up to 3% I think).

Not saying that I'd want to work there, but it's not the worst place in the world.

In my area and in most places I've been, _everyone_ goes to Walmart. Target and the other stores are just dead in comparison. Walmart just has the best prices and I think that's why it is always way busier than the other stores.

[EricL]

According to this article, Walmart has very good benefits. Walmart gets a bad rap but they actually treat their employees really well and provide upward mobility to those who are good workers.

Quote:Through a company program, Walmart will offer a job to any qualified veteran who has been honorably discharged within the past 12 months. Since launching the initiative on Memorial Day 2013, Walmart has hired more than 30,000 veterans across the United States and projects that it will hire more than 100,000 veterans over the next five years. Interested veterans can find out more at http://walmartcareerswithamission.com.

Quote:Walmart provides a benefits program to eligible full- and part-time associates. It also offers eligible associates matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise, a stock-purchase program and company-paid life insurance. Additionally, eligible associates receive a quarterly incentive based on store performance.

[TomK]

I can't really speak to the virtues or evils of Wal-Mart versus other giant companies, but I've never really understood the logic of bashing the companies that made it big. I always figured that every mom and pop store that bemoans when a Wal-Mart moves into town would kill to have that kind of success. Wal-Mart was a small local shop at one point. They just happened to do it better than everyone else, and now they are everywhere.