Sam Walton believed that, “If some community, for whatever reason, doesn’t want us in there, we aren’t interested in going in and creating a fuss.” With countless communities standing up to the store and WAL-MART attempting to bullying its way in regardless, obviously times have changed. In his place Lee Scott asks rhetorically, “When you have a group of people, a small group of people, who don’t want you in a community, does that mean you aren’t going to go there?” Indeed, the changing of the guard after Walton’s death also ushered in a new era of political sophistication for WAL-MART. The head office in Bentonville now fully understands the importance of their image in a community, and desperately wants to avoid being branded an outsider (which is, of course, exactly what they are.) WAL-MART now engages in a year round political campaign to define themselves to the public, hiring hundreds of lobbyists and media consultants to work on the national and local level. This campaign takes place not only in communities with potential stores, but well-established markets such as the one I work in.
The chief tool for getting this message across was through charity work. One slow morning on the desk the head of community involvement gave me a crash course in how our store raised $143,000 for charity in the past year. All requests for donations are received in writing and then “everything goes on a gift card.” She said $25-50 certificates work better for the company since it is simpler and you know that the whole amount will be spent in the store (not to mention that the store ends up giving less actual money since a sizable percentage is the markup/profit…) In addition to this matching funds are given for on-site fundraisers, like hot dog sales, and grants are given for such things as the Teacher of the Year Award. Doing some generous math in my head I didn’t even get up to half the total on the board; where does the rest of the money come from? Well, there are the employee fundraisers she offered, but (and this was what I was looking for) a far bigger chunk comes from claims. In order to inflate the total WAL-MART tacks on more than $60,000 in annual grocery claims since some, but not all, of this is donated to local food banks. Ah ha, this was the slight of hand I was looking for!
Like anything else, this public image campaign took place on the backs of its workers. The head of community involvement had mentioned the employee fundraisers, but I knew how small scale these projects were. I have never been solicited for donations more in my life than the past three months while working at WAL-MART. There were raffle tickets, potluck dinners, and flat out monetary donations, going to Barbara Bush’s Children’s Miracle Network, Law Enforcement’s Torch Run for the Special Olympics, and the Sunshine Fund. The last of these is the most interesting since the Sunshine Fund goes to associates-in-need in our store. Generally the associate-in-need would be nameless, but one of the recipients I did know had gotten really sick and was left with unaffordable bills for what the health plan would not cover. Obviously these fundraisers that targeted already destitute employees weren’t huge money makers, but I was surprised to find that employees pieced together $200 out-of-pocket and the Sunshine Fund chipped in another $100 for my friend. It was touching to see how readily my co-workers would give for one of their own, perhaps thinking of how close they were to being in the same position. I couldn’t help but become intensely angry at the irony of the whole situation. Associates who were paid so little were asked to give on WAL-MART’s behalf, to enhance the store’s image and pick up the slack for its employees living in poverty.
But the campaign seemed to be working. Our Supercenter was the most profitable in the state and was constantly receiving favorable press. The pinnacle came when our store manager was named Business Person of the Year by the county’s Chamber of Commerce. Recognized for the stores donations to charity and his personal community involvement, he was rewarded with a banquet in his honor. It was an impressive coup d'état, even by WAL-MART standards.
Showing posts with label Bentonville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bentonville. Show all posts
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Our (Conservative) Cultural Gatekeeper
Recently several women from Massachusetts sued WAL-MART for not carrying the morning-after-pill. This promises to be an interesting case since it brings to the forefront the often neglected issue of WAL-MART’s role in censoring consumer's choices. By choosing to carry such a broad range of products, the depth of product options is surprisingly thin. For example, the store may have a hundred ice scrapers for your car in-stock, but there will actually only be two or three different types of these scrapers, all made by the same company. Then there is a far more insidious type of censorship. WAL-MART edits out the “explicit lyrics” for all of the music that the store carries. WAL-MART refuses to sell racy magazines such as Maxim. Or, even more alarming, WAL-MART censors books like The Daily Show’s America: The Book (because of the infamous picture of naked Supreme Court Justices...)
The problem of censorship stems from the fact that WAL-MART is a retailing monopoly. To even the biggest corporations WAL-MART’s contract is a must-have, forcing them to kowtow to the company’s slightest whim. In many ways WAL-MART’s suppliers are abused just as badly by the golliath as anyone else, forced to accept whatever price and modifications Bentonville imposes upon them. So you can imagine the chilling effect on entire industries when WAL-MART makes it clear that something is a little too risqué for their customers. Music producers will do whatever is necessary to have their album carried by the world’s biggest distributor of music, even if that means pressuring their artist to clean up their lyrics enough so as not to offend the Walton’s. Although we rarely see it, WAL-MART has truly become our cultural gatekeeper.
This fact becomes positively disturbing when you consider WAL-MART’s conservative Christian credentials. The company is the darling of the Religious Right, for the impression it has created as a good Christian family company. I see the signs of this carefully constructed facade every day at my store. When I walk into the store in the morning the first thing I see on Wal-Mart TV is FOX News parroting the Republican talking points of the day. Next off I sign on to my register, which is blanketed with magnetic yellow ribbons demanding that I “Support Our Troops.” Then, still before I have seen my first customer, I hear over the intercom the latest NASCAR standings being broadcast. And don’t think that I am basing WAL-MART’s cozy relationships with the neo-cons of the Bush Administration on mere anecdotal evidence. The best example is the memo that was leaked last fall whereby Bush’s Labor Department made a secret deal to alert the company two weeks in advance of any investigations about child labor law violations. For this nice little gift WAL-MART had to give up nothing, except of course the few hundred thousand dollars it had contributed to Republican coffers across the country.
But to be honest, I don’t think WAL-MART is controlled by crazy constituents of the Religious Right. To have membership in this club would require genuine beliefs and morals, something that the company does not have. Once again, WAL-MART is a soulless, profit-making machine. They do not care about politics or social issues so they take the path of least resistance… unless it is going to affect their bottom line. In this case the powers-that-be down in Bentonville have decided that it will, so they play to their base just as a politician would. They know full well who shops at WAL-MART, so they are sure to announce the NASCAR standings and carry several versions of software that reads The Bible aloud. Ultimately though, WAL-MART drops the act when they realize that the other side offers the promise of greater profits, as they did this Christmas by sticking with the more inclusive greeting of “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.” The moral of the story should be clear: we will only change WAL-MART’s cultural gatekeeping, or any aspect of the company, when we prove a significant threat to their profits.
The problem of censorship stems from the fact that WAL-MART is a retailing monopoly. To even the biggest corporations WAL-MART’s contract is a must-have, forcing them to kowtow to the company’s slightest whim. In many ways WAL-MART’s suppliers are abused just as badly by the golliath as anyone else, forced to accept whatever price and modifications Bentonville imposes upon them. So you can imagine the chilling effect on entire industries when WAL-MART makes it clear that something is a little too risqué for their customers. Music producers will do whatever is necessary to have their album carried by the world’s biggest distributor of music, even if that means pressuring their artist to clean up their lyrics enough so as not to offend the Walton’s. Although we rarely see it, WAL-MART has truly become our cultural gatekeeper.
This fact becomes positively disturbing when you consider WAL-MART’s conservative Christian credentials. The company is the darling of the Religious Right, for the impression it has created as a good Christian family company. I see the signs of this carefully constructed facade every day at my store. When I walk into the store in the morning the first thing I see on Wal-Mart TV is FOX News parroting the Republican talking points of the day. Next off I sign on to my register, which is blanketed with magnetic yellow ribbons demanding that I “Support Our Troops.” Then, still before I have seen my first customer, I hear over the intercom the latest NASCAR standings being broadcast. And don’t think that I am basing WAL-MART’s cozy relationships with the neo-cons of the Bush Administration on mere anecdotal evidence. The best example is the memo that was leaked last fall whereby Bush’s Labor Department made a secret deal to alert the company two weeks in advance of any investigations about child labor law violations. For this nice little gift WAL-MART had to give up nothing, except of course the few hundred thousand dollars it had contributed to Republican coffers across the country.
But to be honest, I don’t think WAL-MART is controlled by crazy constituents of the Religious Right. To have membership in this club would require genuine beliefs and morals, something that the company does not have. Once again, WAL-MART is a soulless, profit-making machine. They do not care about politics or social issues so they take the path of least resistance… unless it is going to affect their bottom line. In this case the powers-that-be down in Bentonville have decided that it will, so they play to their base just as a politician would. They know full well who shops at WAL-MART, so they are sure to announce the NASCAR standings and carry several versions of software that reads The Bible aloud. Ultimately though, WAL-MART drops the act when they realize that the other side offers the promise of greater profits, as they did this Christmas by sticking with the more inclusive greeting of “Happy Holidays” over “Merry Christmas.” The moral of the story should be clear: we will only change WAL-MART’s cultural gatekeeping, or any aspect of the company, when we prove a significant threat to their profits.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
The Open Door
Working on register eight hours a day can be mind-numbingly boring and all too often I found myself zoning-out. During one of these times a friend came through my line (just to get a look at me in my spiffy blue vest) and was horrified by the zombie he found. Apparently I was just robotically scanning items, emotionlessly greeting customers, and even looked straight through him without a trace of recognition. After this I resolved to be more observant and mindful of what was going on around me… and it quickly paid off.
It was late afternoon on a Thursday when the scene unfolded directly in front of the register where I was spelling a lunch break. An off-duty middle-aged female sales associate had pulled one of the Assistant Manager’s aside into the Optical Center to talk to him. Straining to hear over the incessant beeping of my register, I caught enough bits and pieces to gather that the associate needed to change department’s or possibly shifts. She had been visibly brooding over some misfortune for the past few days and I was sure that the two were related. One thing was for certain: the woman was using the company’s Open Door Policy by skipping her immediate supervisor and taking the issue directly to management. At WAL-MART there is an Open Door Policy in place that allows an associate to bring an issue to any member of management, all the way up to the CEO Lee Scott in Bentonville, without fear of retaliation.
As the associate continued to speak, the manager from Department 65 (WAL-MART’s secret code name for store security) walked through the empty adjacent register, studying the conversation taking place in front of her. The woman from security then abruptly stopped behind the associate, turning on her tiptoes to face the Assistant Manager and catch his eye. In a single exaggerated motion she signaled to him by cutting her throat with her index finger, disappearing as quickly as she had come. Looking back at the Assistant Manager in disbelief I saw that he was still earnestly nodding to the associate’s story, never once breaking character. The message being conveyed was immediately clear: don’t listen to a word she is saying. What I had witnessed was two members of management failing to respect the Open Door, and as a result the sales associate was never given a fair hearing. By the middle of the following week the associate was gone; whether she quit or was fired I never found out.
For management to not take an employees complaint seriously in my store is hardly noteworthy; it is just rarely so blatant. The Open Door Policy is a sham that is mainly used as a tool by the home office to discourage associates from seeking a union. The logic goes that if an associate can bring any problem to management without being retaliated against, why would anyone need a third party to represent them? During unionizing efforts WAL-MART throws this message into overdrive, distributing buttons that read “I can speak for myself!” The problem with this, of course, is that associates will be retaliated against when using the Open Door. No associate with half a brain would bring up a serious complaint about a supervisor or the company a whole through the policy. Best case scenario is that you would be ignored; worst case is that you would be fired. As one of my fellow cashiers advised me, you can get by here just as long as you “play their game, and don’t rock the boat too much.”
It was late afternoon on a Thursday when the scene unfolded directly in front of the register where I was spelling a lunch break. An off-duty middle-aged female sales associate had pulled one of the Assistant Manager’s aside into the Optical Center to talk to him. Straining to hear over the incessant beeping of my register, I caught enough bits and pieces to gather that the associate needed to change department’s or possibly shifts. She had been visibly brooding over some misfortune for the past few days and I was sure that the two were related. One thing was for certain: the woman was using the company’s Open Door Policy by skipping her immediate supervisor and taking the issue directly to management. At WAL-MART there is an Open Door Policy in place that allows an associate to bring an issue to any member of management, all the way up to the CEO Lee Scott in Bentonville, without fear of retaliation.
As the associate continued to speak, the manager from Department 65 (WAL-MART’s secret code name for store security) walked through the empty adjacent register, studying the conversation taking place in front of her. The woman from security then abruptly stopped behind the associate, turning on her tiptoes to face the Assistant Manager and catch his eye. In a single exaggerated motion she signaled to him by cutting her throat with her index finger, disappearing as quickly as she had come. Looking back at the Assistant Manager in disbelief I saw that he was still earnestly nodding to the associate’s story, never once breaking character. The message being conveyed was immediately clear: don’t listen to a word she is saying. What I had witnessed was two members of management failing to respect the Open Door, and as a result the sales associate was never given a fair hearing. By the middle of the following week the associate was gone; whether she quit or was fired I never found out.
For management to not take an employees complaint seriously in my store is hardly noteworthy; it is just rarely so blatant. The Open Door Policy is a sham that is mainly used as a tool by the home office to discourage associates from seeking a union. The logic goes that if an associate can bring any problem to management without being retaliated against, why would anyone need a third party to represent them? During unionizing efforts WAL-MART throws this message into overdrive, distributing buttons that read “I can speak for myself!” The problem with this, of course, is that associates will be retaliated against when using the Open Door. No associate with half a brain would bring up a serious complaint about a supervisor or the company a whole through the policy. Best case scenario is that you would be ignored; worst case is that you would be fired. As one of my fellow cashiers advised me, you can get by here just as long as you “play their game, and don’t rock the boat too much.”
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Scheduling Hell
I knew it was coming, but it was annoying nonetheless. When my two week training period ended, so too did my schedule being pegged to that of my mentor. Gone were the 5 consecutive 9 hour days followed by the “weekend,” albeit on Monday and Tuesday. In its place was a much more hellish schedule that I knew to be more typical at WAL-MART.
While every week varied wildly, there were several common characteristics from week to week. First off, despite only being “part-time” I was scheduled five days a week with only one exception. What this meant was that more often than not I would have to drive an hour roundtrip for less than a full shift; especially popular was scheduling four hours in the middle of the day, which are barely worth the cost of gas. Secondly, these two days off were hardly ever back to back. At one point I went for 32 days without getting a WAL-MART weekend, meaning any two consecutive days off.
Finally, and perhaps worst of all, was the stores propensity to schedule short turn-arounds; working late one night only to be in early the next morning. It was common place to hear of door guards working past 11:00 pm and starting again the following day at 7:00 am. While I never had a turn-around quite that bad, I would work past midnight and have to be in at 9:30 am. Factor in extra time to clock out and in, a half-hour commute both ways, and time to prepare for work the next morning, even if you go straight to bed you are lucky to get seven hours sleep.
So here is what all of that looks like:
Saturday 5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Sunday 6:00 pm – 1:15 am
Monday Off
Tuesday 9:45 am – 6:45 pm
Wednesday 4:00 pm – 11:45 pm
Thursday 9:45 am – 6:45 pm
Friday Off
And another example:
Saturday 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday Off
Monday 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 3:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wednesday 6:15 pm – 11:00 pm
Thursday 2:00 pm – 8:45 pm
Friday Off
WAL-MART eagerly admits that “For years we have had a scheduling system in place that is designed to match associates’ work schedules to projected customer flow to our stores.” But this justification doesn’t explain the lack of consideration to the person who then has to rearrange their life to this clockwork. My being scheduled until 11:45 pm on a Wednesday night and in Thursday morning at 9:45 am has nothing to do with the demands of customers; believe me, it was as dead as could be at 10 pm that Wednesday. No, WAL-MART illustrates an utter lack of concern for the lives of its associates because it has an utter lack of concern for the lives of its associates. Many of my fellow associates blame their hellish schedule on “a computer down in Bentonville.” As far as I can discern this is true, since the home office seems to design a template outlining how many associates are needed when.
The maddening aspect of all this is how actual people are lost in the shuffle. If WAL-MART cared even a little bit about the people who work for them, they would put a little bit of effort into building reasonable schedules. While the company no doubt appreciates the flexibility that not caring gives them, it is hardly so important of a benefit that renders ruining a workers life necessary. And if you think I am being melodramatic here remember that many WAL-MART employees must also juggle childcare, try to work in second jobs or classes, and hopefully find a few minutes to spend time with their equally busy loved ones. Ultimately this approach benefits no one in the long run since it greatly contributes to employee dissatisfaction and eventually turnover. Indeed, if the company ever wanted to remake its image through deeds rather than just words, and care for its employees, revamping its hellish scheduling system would be a fine place to start.
While every week varied wildly, there were several common characteristics from week to week. First off, despite only being “part-time” I was scheduled five days a week with only one exception. What this meant was that more often than not I would have to drive an hour roundtrip for less than a full shift; especially popular was scheduling four hours in the middle of the day, which are barely worth the cost of gas. Secondly, these two days off were hardly ever back to back. At one point I went for 32 days without getting a WAL-MART weekend, meaning any two consecutive days off.
Finally, and perhaps worst of all, was the stores propensity to schedule short turn-arounds; working late one night only to be in early the next morning. It was common place to hear of door guards working past 11:00 pm and starting again the following day at 7:00 am. While I never had a turn-around quite that bad, I would work past midnight and have to be in at 9:30 am. Factor in extra time to clock out and in, a half-hour commute both ways, and time to prepare for work the next morning, even if you go straight to bed you are lucky to get seven hours sleep.
So here is what all of that looks like:
Saturday 5:00 pm – 12:00 am
Sunday 6:00 pm – 1:15 am
Monday Off
Tuesday 9:45 am – 6:45 pm
Wednesday 4:00 pm – 11:45 pm
Thursday 9:45 am – 6:45 pm
Friday Off
And another example:
Saturday 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday Off
Monday 2:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 3:00 pm – 12:00 am
Wednesday 6:15 pm – 11:00 pm
Thursday 2:00 pm – 8:45 pm
Friday Off
WAL-MART eagerly admits that “For years we have had a scheduling system in place that is designed to match associates’ work schedules to projected customer flow to our stores.” But this justification doesn’t explain the lack of consideration to the person who then has to rearrange their life to this clockwork. My being scheduled until 11:45 pm on a Wednesday night and in Thursday morning at 9:45 am has nothing to do with the demands of customers; believe me, it was as dead as could be at 10 pm that Wednesday. No, WAL-MART illustrates an utter lack of concern for the lives of its associates because it has an utter lack of concern for the lives of its associates. Many of my fellow associates blame their hellish schedule on “a computer down in Bentonville.” As far as I can discern this is true, since the home office seems to design a template outlining how many associates are needed when.
The maddening aspect of all this is how actual people are lost in the shuffle. If WAL-MART cared even a little bit about the people who work for them, they would put a little bit of effort into building reasonable schedules. While the company no doubt appreciates the flexibility that not caring gives them, it is hardly so important of a benefit that renders ruining a workers life necessary. And if you think I am being melodramatic here remember that many WAL-MART employees must also juggle childcare, try to work in second jobs or classes, and hopefully find a few minutes to spend time with their equally busy loved ones. Ultimately this approach benefits no one in the long run since it greatly contributes to employee dissatisfaction and eventually turnover. Indeed, if the company ever wanted to remake its image through deeds rather than just words, and care for its employees, revamping its hellish scheduling system would be a fine place to start.
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