A More Personal Look

Hearing a myriad of statistics can only reach so far.  Sometimes personal stories can make the biggest impact.  I decided to interview the TA for my critical thinking class because his sister actually works at Wal-Mart.  Here is how the interview went:

Me:  How often do you shop at Wal-Mart?

Him:  Not much, only a few times a year.

Me:  You mentioned that your sister works at Wal-Mart.  What does she tell you about her experience working there?

Him:  Well she has told me on numerous occasions that her managers a gender-biased.  She has not been able to get promoted while others around her have. What happens is that people create both gender and racial cliques.  So the white employees gather around the white manager, Mexicans around the Mexican manager, etc.  They create these groups to help protect each other.

Me:  Many often view Wal-Mart as a close-fisted and greedy corporation.  In your opinion, does this ring true?

Him:  I absolutely believe that is is the case.  Wal-Mart knows that people want the basics staples including food, clothing, furnishings, and other products.  They take advantage of this by offering the lowest prices in town as compared to a mom and pop.  A mom and pop store does have the volume that a giant retailer like Wal-Mart does, which means that they can't order around manufacturers where as Wal-Mart can demand lower prices and refuse to budge.

Me:  Is that what makes people so critical of Wal-Mart?

Him: I can tell you from my own personal experience.  When I worked for a trucking company, I fulfilled an order to deliver a few thousand cartons of orange juice from Florida to the Houston area.  When I got there, somehow 4 cartons of orange juice were missing and Wal-Mart refused to accept the order.  They warned me that if I did not go back to Florida and pick up 4 cartons of orange juice they would never do business with our company again.  So I had to drive back there and pick it up, which ended up costing us thousands.

Me:  I know the effects of a Wal-Mart opening nearby a small business from my own personal experience.  My parents own a convenience store in Mountain View and a few years ago a Wal-Mart opened a few blocks away  After that, revenue fell drastically and we just haven't been able to get back to the levels we were once at.

Him:  That's exactly what I'm talking about.  You're not in a position to tell your suppliers that they must meet your price or else.  They can bully around others and drive them out of business.

Me:  Yes, you make a really good point.  Well that's all I had to ask today.  Thanks for your time.

Him: No problem.

[primary research / interview]