How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and The World and What You Can Do About It

Rating:
Summary: Recommended
Review: Entertaining, disgusting, a quick read. I wonder what Wal-Mart would do if you were to walk through the store conspicously holding the book?

Rating:
Summary: If you don't like Wal-Mart - THEN DON'T SHOP THERE!!
Review: Geesh people...Walmart is not Satan, Barney is not the devil, and Sponge Bob Square Pants is not gay!!!! I guess the great unwashed public will always have to have a scapegoat for their own inadequacies!!! Grow up people and try not to blame others for your own faults!!

Rating:
Summary: Transition of a nation
Review: General Motors to Wal-Mart

(...)

The most blatant example of the manufacturing industry switching to the retail/service industry is General Motors.

In 1970 General Motors was the largest employer in the United States. They offered union pay, strong benefits, good retirement, 40-hour workweeks, and more. They manufactured American-made vehicles.
-------------------------------
Today, Wal-Mart is the largest employer. They offer an average of 28-hour work weeks, non-union wages, low pay, little to no overtime, scattered benefits, and few retirement packages. They retail imported products.
Why is this a growing trend in America? Ask yourself this: What pays more, manufacturing jobs or retail jobs? Corporations are putting profits ahead of what's good for their country.



Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: Good exposition of America's nastiest and dirtiest retailer and their unethical practices.

Rating:
Summary: Presents quite a story of greed on the part of Wal-Mart
Review: Here are a couple of examples of life at Wal-Mart from the book. In an interview, a former store manager reported that he had a person on staff whose job was to call suppliers and demand discounts because shipments arrived incomplete or damaged, even if they actually arrived complete and undamaged. Did you know that jotting down prices in Wal-Mart for comparison shopping purposes is against store policy? Also, according to Quinn, items are stacked nearly to the ceiling in the average Wal-Mart because they are too cheap to afford warehouse space. This book is very strongly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: excellent alternate perspective on Wal-Mart
Review: HIGHLY recommended! You'll be amazed at what a bad neighbor the store can be. And the tactics they take at the expense of employees and local communities are astounding and depressing. Great work.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting...
Review: How Wal Mart is Destroying America (and the World) By Bill Quinn

The author of this book is very convinced that Wal Mart is evil, in fact he appears to hate Wal Mart more than anything else in the world. His writing is very convincing with all of this "proof" that people have given him, however like everything else don't take something just on someone's word. If you are pro Wal Mart (like I am) you might want to just read this at a library sometime, after reading maybe ask some of the employee's questions. However if you already hate Wal Mart you might want to buy a copy.

Reed Floren

Rating:
Summary: The Truth can set you free!
Review: I always felt there was something wrong and soulless every time I stepped into a Wal-mart, I just couldn't put my finger on it. After reading this book, the truth about Wal-mart is here -- every bit as scary as I imagined. Inside the book, Quinn supports his anti-Walmart message with FACTS and ACTUAL EVENTS and LAWSUITS, showing us why the last thing you should want in your community is the [is the local] store, because that will basically mean the end of your community. From horrible treatment of workers, low wages, lack of community involvement, destruction of the environment, lack of respect for ecology, willful destruction of competitors and misuse of its OWN CUSTOMERS, Wal-mart has done it all. Its high time we stop supporting them. Read this book, do something about Wal-mart, we can make a difference.

Rating:
Summary: this does'nt even deserve a one star
Review: I am writing to let everyone know how our Wal-Mart has helped my family, Wal-Mart has given over $1 billion dallars to the Childrens Miracle Network, not to mention Big Brothers and Big Sisters and most recently The March of Dimes, They have helped all the little people, by donating money, time and their hearts to those in need, People see what they want to see, and Sam Walton saw The Big Picture. I do not work for Wal-Mart, I live in a small community, and anytime a disaster hits, (fires, etc.) Wal-Mart is always there, The biggest contributor, the most heart filled employees, and I thank them for being around. Maybe I should write a book, and let the readers decide, You believe what you want, and I'll believe in Wal-Mart.

Rating:
Summary: Is that a 500 pound Tick on my couch?
Review: I don't often review non-fiction books, so I am rolling the flavor of this review around on my tongue trying to figure out how to interpret my taste of the book.

The good points of the book are how Mr. Quinn outlines areas of defense for your community to patrol, like watching all of the zoning requests, even from companies that seem to have nothing to do with WalMart, for often they will purchase and then lease out to the hungry beast.

He gives website information at the end of the book, so that if your interest (and ire) have been adequately sparked, there are outlets for your fiery resistance to flow into.

And, he gives factual information on the tactics that WalMart uses to infiltrate small-town America and ruthlessly destroy small business owners.

Most shocking to everybody should be the fact that WalMart is now the number one large-business employer in America...paying minimum wage and considering 28 hours a week to be "full time". No wonder America is slowly becoming a third-world country. In the past, when I actually shopped at WalMart, I felt like I was entering a third world country when I passed through those wheezing doors. Now I know why.

Teetering on the edge of good-point/bad-point is the simplistic writing style of Quinn's book. On the one hand, it is easy to read and gets the point across rapidly. On the other hand, it tends to sound a bit like Grandpa "going off" as he sat around the old stove at night. (Sigh...those good old days long before WalMart...)

The single most blatant bad point about this book was the fact that *not once* did Quinn mention that the simplest way to stop a carnivorous corporate giant like this is to STOP SHOPPING THERE. He made it sound so much like these places were plowed over with a bulldozer of incomprehensible size, when the simple statement of PROTEST NOW could go a lot further than the whining of people left in the destructive wake of this beast.

Quinn also fails to mention that Small Business (as a singular entity) is still the number one employment means in America, and that it is worthy of supporting NOW before the claws of the giant draw arterial blood.

The facts are that the general American wage is dropping because of minimum wage corporate giants like WalMart; that more people employed at poverty wage mean a greater burden on the country as a whole, and if left to the "Savage Capitolism" of Walmart, rather than the competitive forces of individuals and small business owners, America will eventually become a third world country itself...with a few very wealthy folks and an overall population of slave labor forces.

This book is very good in that it is based on real information and will stir you into some sort of anger. The bad point is that Quinn should have spent more time in pro-active response rather than re-active response.

Bottom line: If you don't like their presence, don't shop there. If people didn't patronize these places, they would go out of business. *steps off soapbox...bows to Quinn*