Are Unions the Answer??

If I'm in the mood to start an argument in my family, I only need one word, really: Union. There, I said it, so you may want to duck when my family starts reading this blog. I don't really have any strong feelings for a union or against a union, I've never been a member of one and I don't know that I am missing out on anything. I've read that they make a lot of promises, but I don't know how many of those promises have been kept. I remember my step-Father, one of the greatest men I have ever known, and the union that he was in. That union kept voting for the overtime that was mandated, and one of the greatest men I have ever known ended up working himself to death. My Dad thought that unions were the only way to go. He proudly participated in his union until his forced medical retirement. Unfortunately, the only thing that I ever saw either of these two unions do was send a beautiful arrangement to the funerals of two good men. They were nice flowers, to be sure, but all things considered, I would rather have those two wonderful men back. Now the biggest boogie man that Walmart has in their arsenal is the dreaded union. Whenever the talk starts to head around to a possible union invasion, you can hear the butts of management get tighter than a snare drum. I am not kidding. With a couple of drumsticks, you could line up management and have one of those drum wars that I used to love to listen to when I was younger. But is a union the answer? I don't know. I know that Walmart is not shy about closing a store that has a union in it. What can a union do for you? Can they get better insurance for you or could they just ask for better insurance? I've written before about my opinion on answering the insurance problem, so if you want that, look back through the older posts and you'll find it. Can they get more hours for you? Or would you have to work more hours to cover your union dues? Again, I don't know. Let me be clear when I say that I have never been a member of a union. I have family that is or was in a union, and the results are somewhat mixed. One of the center pieces for Walmart's anti-union rhetoric is the pat piece "Our associates don't need anyone to speak for them, they do a very good job of speaking for themselves!" That sounds nice, doesn't it? I mean-there is Walmart giving recognition and praise to their hard working associates. Or are they simply blowing smoke up the butt of those very associates so that they don't want to organize? I know that union membership is down from its heydays when they did real good with miners and such. I know that if they were able to unionize Walmart and it's huge legions of employees, the coffers would be overflowing in most unions again. But what good could they actually do for the associates? If they ask for more money for the associates and Walmart says no-then what? A strike? Now what are you suppose to do for money? And what about the other benefits? Can a union guarantee that you will get better benefits than you have now? Can they guarantee you anything? For the kind of money that union fees add up to, I would like to have some rock hard guarantees in writing. Again, this is one of the few blogs I've written without a definite opinion to state. For myself, I don't know that a union could do any more for a Walmart associate than simply asking for what you want yourself. If you have a definite opinion, please feel free to let me know. I could be convinced either way. I cannot stress enough that my mind is not made up on this. My mind is made up that Walmart has got to find a way to treat their associates better and stop taking advantage of shadowy laws and statutes. If I had been able to sue Walmart when the illegal immigrants that they hired through an agency mixed bleach and ammonia and almost killed me, I might be able to afford some of the other things I would like to have instead of the medicine that I have got to have so I can continue to enjoy breathing. The constant little cough that I have wouldn't aggravate the people that I care about, and I might be able to do more things with my boys without having to suck on an inhaler every couple of hours. I wouldn't have nosebleeds every few hours, and I wouldn't have to keep checking my nostrils to make sure that I don't have blood running down my face. I would have never scared any of my sons with a bloody face that I didn't realize that I had, and I wouldn't have had to hide my face to make sure that I didn't scare him any more. I wouldn't have scars on my vocal cords that sometimes make my voice lower than the "fun girls" on an old episode of Andy Griffith. Or Suzanne Pleshette. So if you have the answer to the union question, please let me know. I would love to hear it, and I would thank you later.

Manager Trainee Program

Walmart is very proud of the fact that they promote so many of their managers from within the company.They make sure to mention it at every opportunity they can. They have it on posters in the back halls, signs in the offices, it's even in the break rooms. It looks great on paper. But take a closer look. If you walk through any of the stores and take a look at the hard workers there, in a few years they will still be there. Who are these people that are in the management program? Many, many of them are associates who are in college and join the happy Walmart program while in school. A few are regular associates who want to go further with the company. They are in training to be salaried managers and are pampered and cossetted as such. They do not have a real clue what it is like to work in a store in real circumstances, and they never will. Every moment of their well constructed day is overseen by another member of the Walmart management team. At no time are they ever left unattended or unobserved. From the time that they start, until the time that they go home,they are supervised and babysat. Perhaps there is a better way to train them. Here is another idea: any person who wishes to be a manager in the happiest retail heaven on earth should be required to work for two years in a store. Not as a designated management trainee, but as an associate. Making the money that an associate makes, and understanding what happens when your hours are cut or you have three hours of work, and two hours to finish it.Put them on the new program that accounts for every minute of your time, but doesn't factor in any time for customer service. These trainees shouldn't be singled out for any special treatment in those two years, just given work opportunities in every single department. Meet with them every week to see how they are progressing, perhaps even explain the reasons for some of the things that they are doing. Explain the reasons that management requires hours to be cut at times, but that the workload remains constant. At the end of their two year training period, there should not be a job that they cannot do. I would think that cutting keys, mixing paint, selling a fishing or hunting license, cutting fabric, or fixing a battery in a watch would be just another day at the office, so to speak. And hopefully, after two years of getting by on Walmart pay, they should have a huge empathy for any worker who clocks in everyday for the company. But I am sure that this is never going to happen.It would make way too much sense, wouldn't it? I've had many managers brag that they started out as a lowly cart pusher in the store. This may be, but somewhere along the line, they lost their way. At some point in the process of receiving( and lying about the existence of) huge bonuses- lowly associates have been dehumanized into cattle that simply do the grunt work. They have a grass roots meeting every year, try bringing this up. Let me know how that flies,okay? Don't be offended if I don't hold my breath though. If it actually works, you can thank me later.

When This Blog Hits One Thousand

The subject today required me to do a little stretching before I started patting myself on the back. You see, the goal that I had set for myself was to see if I could catch the attention of anyone with my opinions. When I began this, it never occurred to me to have a counter on it to keep track of visitors. First, I was curious. After that, I was amazed. Of course I have a few friends to thank for their word of very big mouth, but still, Thank You to everyone who has bothered to take a few minutes and read this. Now that I am finished with the schmoozing part of my blog, let's move on. Something surprisingly useful came from a recent visit to that anti Walmart site. I found a link to a program that is coming out about how the recent election of B.O. was helped quite a bit by the mainstream media. I know, I know, you are as shocked as me, right? I mean how could anyone misconstrue the non-stop barrage of endless criticisms and nitpicking as anything but good old fashioned satire? And let's not forget that first amendment right to twist the truth in the name of comedy. But the smear job that was done on Sarah Palin and John McCain was sickening. And after watching a piece I found on the Internet at the site http://www.howobamagotelected.com/ I was dumbfounded. I have never seen so many people who are hopelessly ignorant of not just the issues, but life in general that have agreed to appear with out having their faces altered in some way. Holy crap, I kept thinking of the term useful idiots. If you go to the video, you will see a parade of them. It gives you a scary glimpse in to just how powerful the media is now. Too many people believe that if they see or hear something over and over on television, that it must be true. Sort of like the Jedi Mind Trick that Eddie Murphy used to joke about. You can also find a bit on youtube of a radio program that interviewed people about why they liked B.O. The catch is, they attributed John McCain's ideas to B.O. The ignorant sheep that heard the ideas loved every one of them as long as they thought that the ideas were attributed to B.O. Yikes! The scary part is that we are stuck with the incompetent jackass and his whopping 142 days of experience for a while unless he does us all a favor and gets himself impeached. Given the stellar group of his known associates that shouldn't be too difficult, even for him. Of course, that means his wife will have to go back to being embarrassed by being an American again, but they loved her on that estrogen no IQ fest that they call The View. Maybe she can be on that program for a while. They keep rotating out the crazy seat on that one, anyway. I don't really care what either of them do so long as they get to it very quickly. Pray for our Country for the next two years. We are going to need it. You'll see. And if they're answered? Just thank me later.

Walmart Blows Revisited

Okay, I'll admit it. From time to time, when I want to feel better about myself, I still take a look through Walmart Blows.com. I know, I know, it's a lot like slowing down to watch them rinse the blood off the road, but when you want to feel better about yourself, there is nothing better. It even makes a crappy day surrounded by idiots go a little faster. Especially when you read the thing over longer periods of time. I'm not suggesting that you go there every day-Good Lord no, what kind of loser does that? What I am saying is that if you need to feel better about your situation,no matter how bleak that may be, take a look at some of the whiners that frequent this site. Make special note of the headlining losers who either moderate this thing or suck up to those who do. If someone has posted more than say...300 times in a year or two, am I wrong in thinking that they need a life? No, I am not. If you really want to stir them up, ask questions. Those deputy dawgs will have you outed for a corporate spy so quickly, you won't have time to spell paranoid loser. But enough of that. Thanksgiving is closing in on us and it made me think of some of the things that I am thankful for. I'll state the obvious one first: I have three boys that are the light of my life. When things are at their worst, I still have three reasons to get up every morning. But I am lucky that way. Perhaps the people who inhabit this site have nothing else in their lives? Maybe this is the best thing that they have going for them. If that is the case, my scorn and derision have shifted into pity. What a pathetic waste of time. But back to the things I am thankful for. I have a very good friend who is going through a rough patch in his life. But he still manages to scour the Internet so that he can tell me blond jokes I've never heard before. I suppose it's all in what you make of it. So if you are working for that retail slice of heaven, hang in there- at least you have a job, right? And if other news, political or personal have you down, just try to keep your head up. Better times are coming. You'll see. And then you can thank me later.

The Walmart F Word-Favoritism or Hope Still Stinks

I have often railed against the inadequacies of hope. I believe my exact words are "hope sucks." I still feel that way, and yet here I am, like a plain girl waiting by the phone on a Friday night. It could happen. And that is the part that just makes me furious. I just hate the up in the air, not knowing feeling. I suppose I could be an Eeyore sort of person, but why would you bother to get up in the mornings? I think the thing that I would most like to see is a sense of justice in the world. Maybe a sense that there really is a Divine Power and that this Power might be on my side. In a way that is a sort of favoritism, isn't it? And believe it or not, this was originally going to be about you-know-where and their endless displays of favoritism. But I started thinking about favoritism and that evolved into hope. That dreaded four letter word. I think the problem is that if you get disappointed enough, you start to be afraid of hope. As if just the audacity of such a thing is going to open you up to big disappointments. Who knows? I am still trying to figure out why this ended up being a blog about hope instead of the favoritism often displayed at a certain retail giant who shall remain nameless. Maybe it's about hope because of Melanie H. Now Melanie sent me a wickedly funny email about her store in Tennessee. It seems that Miss Melanie was up for a promotion to department manager, or whatever it is that they call them now, and believed that she had an excellent chance of getting the job. But she was completely unaware that another associate had gotten in the habit of chatting up one of the co-managers during smoking breaks, and other times. Guess who got the gig? Was it A) the associate who has been in the same department for the last three years, learning everything that there is to know about her area, and often taking on more responsibility so that she would have a realistic idea of what was expected of her? Or do you think it was B) the new guy who had a knack for always being up the butt of the co-manager no matter where she was. Come on people-I've quizzed you before. I shouldn't even have to tell any one who has ever worn a blue/red/green/tan vest the answer to this one. But just for fun (and for any newbies who may be reading my stuff for the first time) the answer is B. Melanie is so disgusted that she wants to transfer out of the department but has been asked to wait until the new department whatever- they- call- them- now- is ready to stand on his own two feet. I think the word I am looking for is chutzpah. Melanie feels like a used condom, and I can't say that I blame her. With the job market as tight as it is, she feels stuck, but the first chance that she gets, she is going to bolt. Can you blame her? She wants to work for a company that actually wants to promote the best person for the job, not the brownest nose. I hope she finds something quickly. If she does, I'll let you know. If it's a great new job with the unlimited possibilities that used to be Walmart, I'll also let you know where that mythical place is. Either way, you'll thank me later.

Crooked is as Crooked Does

I have to give credit to one of my favorite movies for today's title. I read the book by Winston Groom, and I think that the people who wrote the screen play did one heck of a job with the material that they had at hand. But enough of good movies. I had an interesting email from a Walmart associate who took offense with the way that I described the happiest bunch of retailers in the whole wide world. It would seem that anonymous (who emails me quite often, by the way) had his/her (?) tail in a twist because I was explaining the problem that another e-mailer (this one not anonymous, but shy) was having getting any help while they were trying to shop. I went on to explain that I have done the very job that I was complaining about. I know how frustrating it is to have an idiot customer with a ridiculous complaint. But when Walmart was still signing my checks, I had to take it. Now that I am free at last ,free at last, thank God almighty free at last-I feel I can criticize because as the saying goes-been there;Done that. But enough of my resume. There was a time when Walmart had an amazing base of loyalty. It was not that long ago when they were voted one of the "most admired companies" by I think Fortune 500. But something has happened, and not for the betterment of Walmart, it's associates, or it's customers. What happened? Well, it's pretty simple to put your finger on that. What seems to have happened is that Walmart has quit giving a crap about anything except their bottom line. All of the things that made it such an outstanding company is quickly getting shuttled off to the sidelines in a sacrifice to the almighty bottom line. Associates who have devoted a large part of their lives have been forced out the door. Why? Because it's more cost effective (read cheaper) for Walmart to replace an associate who is earning $17.00 dollars an hour with someone who is going to start at $6.50. And that associate who is starting off won't have 4 weeks of paid vacation coming to them. That new associate also won't be grandfathered in to double time on Sundays,either. Not too shabby for a company who is trying to save a few million in payroll, is it? Walmart used to be a great place to have a career. Now, any one who has had the intoxication of orientation wear off, can tell you that the ideas and scruples that used to be in place are no longer there. Not that very long ago, there was a memo floated around that was reputed to be from a higher up in the Walmart food chain. This higher up had released a memo explaining that if Walmart did away with the majority of their associates who had been with the company for more than 8 years, the savings that Walmart would enjoy would be astronomical (my word) actually in the words of the memo- "in the millions." Disclaimers were quickly released poo-pooing (again, my word) the validity of the memo, but fast forward a few years, and what is this I see? The floor littered with long term associates who have been cast aside like a used tissue. In my opinion this is crooked. Crooked and wrong. How much did Lee Scott get in bonuses last year? How much did the other higher ups receive? And before we forget, the perks that the regular old members of management receive are pretty sweet also. Maybe not golden parachutes- but still a lot better than the empty knapsacks that the hourly associates are given when they are cast asunder. What can be done? That part is hard to say. The media has been complaining and or defending Walmart for so long that most people are numb to the problems. But if something isn't done about this soon, many hard working people are going to have their world's turned upside down when they are terminated from the jobs that they have had for so long. Call someone and complain. Elected officials, newspapers, 1.800.WALMART, someone. If enough people turn the light of public scrutiny on this problem, maybe they will be forced to stop. And if someone you care about gets to save their job, you just might thank me later.

This Just IN

Are you no longer working for that Great Big Ball of Retail Fun known as Walmart? Did your employment end through no fault of your own? Have you tried to file for your unemployment benefits? Are you holding your breath? If you answered yes to that last one, for goodness sake-stop!! You will be passed out or brain damaged long before this battle is over. For cost cutting reasons, the biggest retail giant in the world likes to fight every claim for unemployment benefits tooth and nail. They even have associates whose job is to go to court to fight these claims for them. That must be a job that makes you feel great at the end of the day, isn't it? I am certain that there are those people who are simply trying to milk the system for their extra time off with pay,however, I cannot believe the percentage of claims that Walmart fights is all because of lazy folks who don't really want to work. I find that it stretches the imagination to think that every person who files for unemployment is simply trying to get one over on Walmart. But I imagine that that is how they got to be the retail behemoth that they are, don't you? I guess taking care of the customers and the associates and making a profit just wasn't doable. So who got cut out of the loop-so to speak? Well, at first glance, it would appear that the associates are the one to get it. But how long before that trickles down to affect the customers? Will the customer get taken care of if the turnover rate in a store is so high that associates aren't in their jobs for any length of time? Will it affect sales (eventually) if customers aren't satisfied with the service that they are given? In a nut shell:yes. How can any industry expect to stay in business and treat the customer or it's employees so shabbily? The answer is that they can't. Sam Walton said to take care of the customer the way that you would want to be taken care of. It would seem that the folks in Bentonville may have forgotten this pearl of wisdom from the founder. If they want to send me an email, I'd be glad to send them a refresher course on Sam Walton's philosophies. I might even loan them a copy of a book or two. If they would take the time to reread them, I'll just bet that they would thank me later.

Walmart and Kmart- Such a Sense of Deja Vu

I spoke yesterday about the end of discount cards to associates until they are with the company for at least ninety days. That should work out well for the company and the money that they will save by not giving temporary hires access to one of the only good things about working at Walmart. It put me in mind of another former retail giant and some of the mistakes that they made. Back in the day, Kmart was the king of discount retail. It took over many chains-like Grants and others and formed them into one giant retail behemoth. But unfortunately for them-that is Kmart-they got lazy. And they also got sloppy.Fast forward some years and lo and behold-who is that filing for bankruptcy protection? Why it looks like that would be Kmart. Yes, Kmart. And who was that pounding the stake in the heart of the former retail giant? Again it looks like that could be Walmart. So what the heck happened? Part of the downfall can be contributed to Sam Walton dying. Not his fault, to be sure, I have no doubt that are a million things he would have rather done. Then Helen Walton died and any first generation concern that was invested in the company took a quick goodbye. So now what do we have? We have Lee Scott and company-good people perhaps- but not people who are invested in the company the way that Mr. Sam and Miss Helen were. To them Walmart is a paycheck it would seem, and the people who spend their lives clocking in every day are just the peons who make it happen. But that is just it. The people who clock in every day are the people who make it happen for the company every day. I have yet to see someone walk through those sliding doors looking for the corporate leader who can show them where the towels are. But, every day a customer walks through the doors of Walmart, looking for someone to help them find the things that they need. And when they don't find it? They walk right back out those doors and go to a store that does want to help them find what they are looking for. It might be a small time local store, or it could be another corporate giant like Target. Either way, Walmart has lost a sale, and if that customer likes the way that they are treated at the other store,then they have lost a customer. It gives me such a sense of deja vu, and I am so surprised that no one in Bentonville seems to be seeing the same things that I am. I wonder, will they see it before it is too late? Maybe if they do, they can give a heads up to the heads of the government that we have been inflicted with, thank you media and ACORN. But, then again, I could be dead wrong. It's happened before. I don't have any advice on what to say that will jump start Walmart into leaving the path they seem set on. If you do have any ideas for that, send them to Bentonville. I don't think that they will start listening to the grass roots results any time soon, but you never know, it could happen. And if it does, I'll bet Bentonville will thank me later.

Good Bye Discount Cards or The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

I have such a sense of deja vu when I hear that Walmart is doing away with their discount cards- at least until you reach your 90 day anniversary. That should save the company a ton of money from temporary associates and Holiday help. I have to wonder- will they still be eligible for the Christmas party gifts and other assorted crap that the Happy Heaven of Retail provides? Will the associates who haven't been with the company for more than 90 days be given a certificate for an extra 10% off one item? Oh wait- that would be just 10% off one item since they don't get the original ten wouldn't it? Here comes a startling guess. I am going to amaze Karnac with my bold prediction that Walmart will have a huge decrease in big ticket items purchased by associates this Christmas, as all of the temporary hires and the new hires won't have a 20% incentive to purchase that new video game system, or television, or (insert big ticket item here). It seems a little like cutting off your nose to spite your face, but then what do I know? My common sense-o-meter seems to be spinning like a drunken sailor. One of the things that truly sets off the common sense-o-meter is the question as to why Walmart would be cutting hours from so many associates' schedules now when the Christmas blitz (or black Friday as it is known in a few stores) is only a couple of weeks away. What are they thinking? Are they thinking? My guess would be no. That puts me in mind of recent political events. (That was one smooth segue-no?) I have never been an economics major but I have studied history for more than a few years. Anyone who has read this blog from the beginning knows that I am a news junkie. So when people talk about charging more taxes to wealthy Americans and successful companies-it begs the question: Are you stupid? Critics like to complain about the Ronald Reagan trickle down economics theory, but you can't deny that it worked. With only a small blip that the left-wing hysterical media screamed about as if it were the end of days-Ronald Reagan presided over some of the best economic times that this country has ever seen. We had $.59 cent gasoline and the economy was humming. He took care of the ne'er do wells that sought to harm our amazing country and he made people proud to be Americans again. And after the Jimmy Carter debacle, he made it so that we as a country could stand tall in the eyes of the world again. God Bless Ronald Reagan. But now we seem to have the anti-Reagan in B.O. Does he honestly believe that taxing wealthy people is going to stop with the tax on them? If he doesn't believe in trickle down prosperity, he is in for a rude awakening with trickle down declines. That would be when wealthy people feel poor. They don't seem to care for that sensation and it causes them to stop buying things and save their money until they feel wealthy again. One of the biggest problems with that is the things that they are buying are the things that the other ninety five percent of us are making our living by selling or creating. If the wealthy are too cheap to buy a new set of golf clubs-then you guessed it-the guy or girl making the golf clubs is going to get laid off. And the person waiting tables at the restaurant is going to see a huge decline in tips when the well off quit eating out as much. Do you follow what I am saying? Is it fair? I couldn't tell you that. The wealthy people who have the money are just as entitled to their money as I would be if I were smart enough and or lucky enough to earn/inherit it. Do I envy them? Does a frog bump his butt when he hops? But am I in favor of some huge wealth redistribution? We covered that in my ninth grade civics class. It's called socialism. As Ferris Bueller said once, "I don't believe in any -ism." I especially don't believe in socialism. Or socialists. Even if ACORN did help get one elected. But back to the ever popular subject at hand. Ask a manager at a Walmart what the logic is behind removing one of the best perks for temporary and new hires. When you don't like the non-answer that the manager spins for you-try 1.800.WALMART. Ask a suit in Bentonville, maybe you'll get a better answer. And if you do, maybe you'll thank me later.

Cheap Crap from China

When did we stop manufacturing things in this country? Do you recall any of the old commercials for Walmart that used to brag about all the things on the shelf that were Made in America? Do you remember any of the commercials that Walmart used to make that bragged about the companies that were rescued from bankruptcy by Walmart purchasing their products? Have you looked for any lately? If you do, I hope that you have better luck than I did last night. I couldn't sleep. A storm had blown up and I wanted to get out of the house for a while, you know how that is. So being in a small town, I went to the only thing that is open at 2:30 a.m. The associates were stocking the shelves, and I mostly tried to stay out of the way. There is nothing worse than dodging customers all night while trying to put things on the shelf. Especially if you are being timed on how quickly you put those things on the shelf. Speaking of the new "timing" policy that Walmart has instated-what happens if a customer needs help with something? Are you supposed to ignore the customer who needs cut fabric because it will throw off your count? Or are you suppose to take care of the customer and get yelled at( or even coached-which is the way that Walmart yells at you) for not getting the merchandise on the shelf in time? It makes me wonder what the new priority is for that retail giant with a heart. At any rate-what ever the product is that you are putting on the shelf-odds are that it was not made in this country. I hate NAFTA. One of the few things that I agreed with wholehearted was the derision that H. Ross Perot heaped on this particular treaty. I would love to hear from someone that could tell me what exactly it is that we get from any of the "trade partners" that we couldn't make better right here. In the town that I live in, the biggest company that actually makes anything is the one that makes cardboard boxes. What a huge benefit to the global economy that is! Never mind the televisions, electronic equipment or even a simple old widget-we are standing proud behind the boxes that we make. Presumably to package all the crap that we get from other countries. But I am straying away from the point that I was trying to make. I know that the Walmart buyers are busy every day finding the things that I am supposed to be unable to live without. But I wish once, just once, they could take a look at some of the things that are manufactured right here in our country- not shipped south or north by NAFTA, but honest to God made right here in this country and buy those things to sell from Walmart. Not that long ago Walmart considered stepping into the banking market. Instead of doing that, why doesn't Walmart begin a fund that could bankroll some of these smaller companies that need help to start out and create a lot of jobs right here! I know B.O. has all these tax credits and welfare flimflam that will create more government jobs but I was thinking that it would be really cool if we could create some real jobs that didn't require even more government interference. Then, Walmart could proudly stock those things to sell, people would buy them, and wham mo- you are looking at the finest things that capitalism has to offer. It's just a thought, but I am sure the potentially millions of people with the newly created good jobs would thank me later.