Wal-mart asks its underpaid workers to donate food to other underpaid workers

[Archbob]

http://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-asks-customers-to-donate-food-2013-11

Alright, people, this is the ultimate in corporate Fat-Cat-tocracy. Walmart is obviously not paying its workers enough so they can buy enough food to feed themselves, so it asks other slightly less underpaid workers to donate food to its really underpaid workers!
Wal-mart pours salt on the injury and slaps its underpaid workers upside the head at the same time.

What do you think about the morality of this food drive?

 

[JollyRoger]

I thought many of Wal-Mart's underpaid employees were on the government dole. We should kick them off if other Wal-Mart employees are capable of feeding them.

 

[Synobun]

On one hand, this is often done within other companies.

On the other hand, this would not be necessary if Walmart paid their employees a living wage and it is a glaring case here because Walmart is well-known for being a little... not on the side of the employee when it comes to benefits, wage, and opportunities. It's very easy to understand why Walmart doing this can be seen as very insulting.

 

[Goodfella]

Maybe if Alice could sell a painting or two they wouldn't need a food drive at all.

 

[Bamspeedy]

It sounds bad because they asked for food, but doing fundraisers for 'associates in need' has been going on for years. When I've seen it used it's been for people who have been in a serious car accident, had a child with cancer, etc. We typically do bake sales or silent auctions. I'm guessing the food drive isn't just so the person can eat, but rather than give him money directly, giving him a weeks worth of groceries will save him money that way (until the IRS comes along and says they need to tax it. ) I doubt this food drive is for all the associates, they just don't want to name the individual(s) to the public.

 

[KmDubya]

I think it is morally fine.

One store in Cleveland is asking its employees to give charity to less fortunate employees in the holiday season. No one is forcing anyone to do anything that they do not want to do. This is individuals giving to other individuals.

This is quite unlike government mandated theft via taxes taken at gunpoint to pay people to be bums i.e. welfare.

Also, who says that the workers are underpaid? They freely enter into an employment arrangement with Walmart and are free to leave whenever they want, there is no coercion involved. Walmart offers its employees the opportunity through hard work to move up the ranks into management positions and offers employee stock where they all can prosper from the companies success. I again see nothing at all wrong with this.

The way many of the people here rail against capitalism and profit make me think that you all live in some fantasy land called "LivingAtOthersExpense" What do you think pays for all of the "free stuff" that y'all want? TANSTAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

 

[Arachnofiend]

I think it is morally fine.

One store in Cleveland is asking its employees to give charity to less fortunate employees in the holiday season. No one is forcing anyone to do anything that they do not want to do. This is individuals giving to other individuals.

This is quite unlike government mandated theft via taxes taken at gunpoint to pay people to be bums i.e. welfare.

Also, who says that the workers are underpaid? They freely enter into an employment arrangement with Walmart and are free to leave whenever they want, there is no coercion involved. Walmart offers its employees the opportunity through hard work to move up the ranks into management positions and offers employee stock where they all can prosper from the companies success. I again see nothing at all wrong with this.

The way many of the people here rail against capitalism and profit make me think that you all live in some fantasy land called "LivingAtOthersExpense" What do you think pays for all of the "free stuff" that y'all want? TANSTAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

No, no they... They don't. Even if you get promoted at Walmart you're still in the crud. My manager's pay grade was within the poverty level. Think about that: Walmart considers him qualified enough and valuable enough as an employee to promote him and put him in a managerial position, and they still paid him too little for him to survive without welfare.

Walmart pays full time employees less than their work is worth, and then fires them before their "benefits" (if you wish it to call it that) kick in. Being a stocker there was the worst, most degrading job I have ever had, and when I was working there I was a teenager living with my parents so I definitely did not have it the worst all the employees.

 

[Archbob]

Yes, you get upgraded from "Baggage person" to "Senior baggage person".

 

[KmDubya]

No, no they... They don't. Even if you get promoted at Walmart you're still in the crud. My manager's pay grade was within the poverty level. Think about that: Walmart considers him qualified enough and valuable enough as an employee to promote him and put him in a managerial position, and they still paid him too little for him to survive without welfare.

Walmart pays full time employees less than their work is worth, and then fires them before their "benefits" (if you wish it to call it that) kick in. Being a stocker there was the worst, most degrading job I have ever had, and when I was working there I was a teenager living with my parents so I definitely did not have it the worst all the employees.

The individual decides what his work is worth. If the company pays too little he can leave. If he stays because no one will pay him "what he is worth" then perhaps the problem is with his self perceived value. His mother lied to him, he is not special.

What was degrading about working there as a stocker? Did you have to do physical menial labor while being ordered around by others with your break times closely regimented? Were you yelled at when you slacked off? - That is called having a job and working. It is too bad that you did not learn a work ethic from the experience instead of whining about how degrading it was.

 

[JollyRoger]

make me think that you all live in some fantasy land called "LivingAtOthersExpense"

I don't think any heirs of Sam Walton have posted in this thread.

 

[Antilogic]

You guys, I think we hit the big time! We got a Foxbot now!

 

[Synobun]

I think it is morally fine.

One store in Cleveland is asking its employees to give charity to less fortunate employees in the holiday season. No one is forcing anyone to do anything that they do not want to do. This is individuals giving to other individuals.

This is quite unlike government mandated theft via taxes taken at gunpoint to pay people to be bums i.e. welfare.

Also, who says that the workers are underpaid? They freely enter into an employment arrangement with Walmart and are free to leave whenever they want, there is no coercion involved. Walmart offers its employees the opportunity through hard work to move up the ranks into management positions and offers employee stock where they all can prosper from the companies success. I again see nothing at all wrong with this.

The way many of the people here rail against capitalism and profit make me think that you all live in some fantasy land called "LivingAtOthersExpense" What do you think pays for all of the "free stuff" that y'all want? TANSTAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

The individual decides what his work is worth. If the company pays too little he can leave. If he stays because no one will pay him "what he is worth" then perhaps the problem is with his self perceived value. His mother lied to him, he is not special.

What was degrading about working there as a stocker? Did you have to do physical menial labor while being ordered around by others with your break times closely regimented? Were you yelled at when you slacked off? - That is called having a job and working. It is too bad that you did not learn a work ethic from the experience instead of whining about how degrading it was.

Now remember kids, if you're poor it's because you want to be and you're actually a socialist. Want more money? Just get a better job! It's that simple! In America, it's a choice to not be a six figure earner.

 

[Antilogic]

The smug smiley was the perfect accompaniment to that post. Kind of like a cherry on a sundae.

 

[Bamspeedy]

No, no they... They don't. Even if you get promoted at Walmart you're still in the crud. My manager's pay grade was within the poverty level. Think about that: Walmart considers him qualified enough and valuable enough as an employee to promote him and put him in a managerial position, and they still paid him too little for him to survive without welfare.

Does he have 10 kids, is that why he still needs welfare?

Walmart pays full time employees less than their work is worth, and then fires them before their "benefits" (if you wish it to call it that) kick in. Being a stocker there was the worst, most degrading job I have ever had, and when I was working there I was a teenager living with my parents so I definitely did not have it the worst all the employees.

Now I know you are full of it. The benefits start after three months. Every walmart I've visited more than once I've seen workers there lasted longer than three months. And while it may have been your worst job, it's certainly not the worst job out there, not even close.

 

[Cutlass]

The individual decides what his work is worth.

That may be true in the communist country you come from. But the US is a capitalist country. In a capitalist country the employer decides how little they can get away with paying the individual.

 

[El_Machinae]

Actually 'what a person is worth' is a function of their output based on their skills and the infrastructure available to the position. It's the difference between their worth and the wage that ends up being the profit of the corporation.

The value of the wage tends to be determined by competition, and the wage goes to 'the most desperate qualified person', i.e., the person willing to do the work for the cheapest.

It seems counter-intuitive that the 'worth' of your job decreases as the number of qualified (but hungry) people increases. The worth doesn't decrease, just your competitiveness.

 

[Formaldehyde]

It is probably intended for the rich Walmart employees who just work there as a lark, like the Walton family members.

 

[Archbob]

It is probably intended for the rich Walmart employees who just work there as a lark, like the Walton family members.

Aside from the CEO, are there that many rich Wal-mart employees?

 

[Formaldehyde]

There must be. Do you think anybody else could possibly be so callous to even post a sign like that, instead of one suggesting they steal stuff from the store and give it to needy employees?

 

[Arachnofiend]

The individual decides what his work is worth. If the company pays too little he can leave. If he stays because no one will pay him "what he is worth" then perhaps the problem is with his self perceived value. His mother lied to him, he is not special.

What was degrading about working there as a stocker? Did you have to do physical menial labor while being ordered around by others with your break times closely regimented? Were you yelled at when you slacked off? - That is called having a job and working. It is too bad that you did not learn a work ethic from the experience instead of whining about how degrading it was.

I already had a work ethic. It's serving me well in my current job, which is significantly easier and pays much more.

For the record, what made me walk out was the higher ups instructing me and the other stockers to go ahead and put the frozen goods out for sale even though the truck they had been stored on had failed, and had failed for quite some time judging by the melted ice cream. What a responsible business!