First time using The Point?
This campaign has a tipping point -- you pledge to take action, but only if 50,000 people people join. This way, you know your participation will make a difference. See how else you can make something happen on The Point.
Close

Share / Email Campaign Close

OBJECTIVE
Stop Wal-Mart from killing our economy by shipping all of our jobs overseas
TERMS

If we reach at least 50,000 people, then stop shopping at Wal-Mart

JOIN NOW
You only act if we reach 50,000 people!
so we can let you know when you're successful!

put this campaign on your site
THE PITCH

Wal-Mart is so powerful, that it can force suppliers to agree to its pricing demands, and as a result, many companies have no choice but to lay off employees and close U. S. plants and outsource offshore, to meet those demands.

Wal-Mart’s decisions influence wages and working conditions worldwide.

Wal-Mart now accounts for 10% of all U.S. imports from China, translating into nearly $18 billion. Since abandoning their “Buy American” slogan, nearly 1 million jobs have been outsourced to China.

This has forced other companies to import more per year, just to try to keep up. True Value Hardware now imports 18% of its products compared to less than one percent before Wal-Mart took over the industry.

After producing locks in the U. S. for over 75 years, Master Lock was forced to start importing more products from Asia, and shortly thereafter, opened a new factory in Mexico.

There is no question that Wal-Mart is accelerating the loss of American jobs.

You may be able to buy things cheaply today at Wal-Mart, but what will we have saved when all the manufacturing jobs are no longer here in America? How fair is it that Wal-Mart’s executives are paid millions yearly, while their employees can’t even afford the basics in life? I hope you will consider these questions and whether you want to support a company that cares so little for America’s future.

ORGANIZER
Walmartbad_square
xx xxxx
Envelope message Launched 3 months ago
TAGS
CHANNELS

Recent Discussion

New TopicNew Topic

the 50,000 people thing...

Post Reply

Walmartbad_square
xx xxxx started this discussion on Aug 2, 2008

I hope to get at least this many people to join this campaign and I hope many people stop shopping at Wal-Mart. My hope is that you will join the campaign and stop shopping at Wal-Mart no matter how many other people join.

View 9 replies Last 8 replies

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Picture_4_icon
    Andrew Mason replied on Aug 2, 2008

    Hey K C,

    No doubt there are 50,000 people out there who support your mission – now you’ve just got to find them!

    Anyway, a couple of questions/ideas I wanted to run past you for the campaign…

    1) What exactly could Wal-Mart (wait, I forgot… they’re “Walmart” now) do to improve the situation? Is there a specific business practice that we could ask them to pledge to stop? I’m thinking that the campaign might be more compelling if it said, “Walmart, we want you to change this specific thing, and if you don’t, here are 50,000 people who will no longer be your customers.” What do you think?

    2) Another way to structure the campaign would be as a carrot – you could try to entice Walmart with more business if they agree to change policy. So people who join the campaign would pledge to become passionate Walmart customers, but only if they promise to stop pressuring their vendors, or something like that. Not necessarily better, just a different way to go about it.

    Just my 2 cents.

    <dl>
    Andrew
    </dl>

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Walmartbad_icon
    xx xxxx replied on Aug 2, 2008

    Well Andrew, you apparently have much more faith in Wal-Mart than I do. I think that Wal-Mart has repeatedly shown that they will continue to do things however they please, and simply pay whatever fines are thrown at them without changing bad policy. It has proven to them again and again by US that they can do whatever they please and still make money hand over fist.

    So, I propose that we simply stop shopping at Wal-Mart. If enough people stop shopping there, then Wal-Mart will eventually ask itself, “what can we do to bring people back?”, then perhaps some real changes can be made.

    The threat of losing 50,000 customers is no sweat off Wal-Mart’s huge corporate back….

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Picture_4_icon
    Andrew Mason replied on Aug 2, 2008

    Yeah, I know what you mean… and no, I don’t have that much faith in them, not since I heard that amazing story about how they closed their butcher shops rather than allow them to unionize.

    Maybe then the campaign should be, “we have already decided to stop shopping at Walmart, but in the unlikely event that you choose to XYZ, we will become customers again”…?

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Walmartbad_icon
    xx xxxx replied on Aug 2, 2008

    Maybe it should….

    yes..no unions here, but they’ll let China have them:

    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6e63bb14-59a8-11dd-90…

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Walmartbad_icon
    xx xxxx replied on Aug 2, 2008

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Walmartbad_icon
    xx xxxx replied on Aug 2, 2008

    try this

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Picture_4_icon
    Andrew Mason replied on Aug 4, 2008

    Weird… why do you think that is? Less power over there, or something else?

  • 9 posts, 3 voices
    Joe_screen_2_icon
    Joe Harrow replied on Aug 4, 2008

    From another FT article

    Independent unions are banned in China, and the federation unions have traditionally been an instrument for the communist party to control workers, not a vehicle for agitation and strikes, which are almost never allowed.

    I think this is more an issue of Walmart giving into the Communist Party (Chinese government) than giving into its workers. Even then Walmart tried to fight the shakedown for a bit before they gave in. This is not a company that rolls over easy.

Post Reply