"Proud Wal-Mart Associate"

"Excuse me, do you work here?"

"Excuse me, can you read my nametag?"

Wal-Mart has always offered low prices on everything they sell every day, but what are those low prices really costing you? Sure, they may be low, but how is the money used? For every purchase you make, you do help pay the menial paycheck of the working poor. You also help the store "replenish" it's stock by ordering it and never stocking it back. But, most importantly, your money gets poured into the fake commercials showing how Wal-Mart is such an enjoyable place to work. Have you really asked anyone that works at a Wal-Mart, other than a manager on salary, if they truly refer to themselves as a "Proud Wal-Mart Associate?" The truth is that, when an associate speaks out against the company, they face the risk of being terminated for it. This blog is one example. Any manager can read it and know that I am talking badly about the company and can fire me for slander. However, does that really hide the truth of the matter? What's said is said, and some things cannot and will not be taken back.

The one truth about the company is the one that they hide from everyone, and that truth is the fact that Wal-Mart can do better to provide for it's associates through better pay, better benefits, and better training. However, it's not down to the situation where they are unable to do so. They simply choose not to. What does this mean to you? This means that the customers are just as unaware as the associates who work at the store and who have been with the company for many, many years. Hiding the truth from their workers and their customers is how Wal-Mart makes its money. In return, they ask for your obedience and support of the company through fun activites such as the stock purchase program and "Casual Fridays" where you can wear jeans. Does that really make Wal-Mart a better company at all? Does it make you want to quit your current job and immediately demand a job at Wal-Mart? Again, Wal-Mart can do so much more for their workers to show they truly appreciate them, but they choose not to. Instead, they bring in new ideas and new perspectives to hide the growing problems and to drown their associates in the media through their fake commercials.

An example of the company making a business decision that is guaranteed to bring more sales is the slight revamp of specific departments in several locations. If some of you are familiar with their last remodels, known as "Project Impact" and "Project Wow," then you will be very familiar with the tactics. For those unfamiliar with the previously mentioned programs, here is the summary of them. Wal-Mart moitors their competitor's layouts and methods for displaying products on their sales floors. Wal-Mart then clones, mimics, or copies their layout and adds a little Wal-Mart flair to it, usually by changing the colors or logos around to make it not look like copyright infringement. The ending result is a department or entire store that looks identical to their competitor's store, but now the low quality, low priced Wal-Mart brand is all over the place like an evil taint you can't banish.

Although this tactic is used in just about every business in the world, Wal-Mart takes it a step further down the wrong path. The major problem with the bigger and higher end stores is that they have the exquisite customer service that goes with it. For example, just about everyone at Best Buy is actually trained on their product they sell, not just trained on how to run a register and breathe oxygen for 8 hours. With Wal-Mart "borrowing" the higher end store layout and stocking the sales floor with higher end merchandise, customers will not only expect the lower prices they find there, but they will now expect to see better customer service along with the improved selection and layout. See the problem here yet?

Wal-Mart has a pretty decent CBL system for training employees on the simpler tasks, such as working without a backbone, ignoring your common sense, and how to budget on a budget. What they do not have is a system for training associates on what customers actually do ask them. For example, there is no CBL on what the differencen is between two television models are, other than one is a higher price because of the name. The majority of the Wal-Mart CBL system is so meaningless that it barely prepares an associate for the real world situations that they will encounter every day. This is the reason so many customers, and associates alike, get angry at the lack of knowledge required to answer a simple question. Most of the time it is up to the associate to do research for their product they sell while off the clock. Although this is great that someone does take pride in their work, the associate will then be target of all customer questions, regardless of simplicity. It is as if having one smart worker makes up for having a work force of other workers with a combined IQ that is on the same level as the social awareness of the typical fake house plant. Sure, it makes the place look fuller, but is it necessary?

And what of the corporate giant? What does it think about this method? Their solution is to keep that smart associate locked to their area with no hopes of advancement. They will sing praises of their outstanding knowledge and customer service abilities. They will even go as far as saying the associate "shows great potential for promotion," yet they will remain in a mediocre position at less than mediocre pay. To put the icing on the cake of the day, some will even go further to say that, due to the overwhelming knowledge the associate has and the great service they offer, they need to "underachieve" at their job. Wal-Mart could do better to properly train associates, but they choose not to.

What does the customer see on their side of the situation? The customer usually sees associates that are struggling with the simple task of answering a question, or even selling a phone card. The customer sees overworked associates trying to do 40 hours of work on a 25 hour schedule. The customer sees associates that have to depend on government assistance for everything they need. But what does the customer do? They blame the associates. It's always the associate's fault for everything. It's their fault the customer broke their phone. It's their fault the customer can't read the return policy. It's their fault the customer bought the wrong flavor cereal and they can't return it. It's their fault, no matter what happens, because they are doing their job to the best of their ability based off the training they received, and that training didn't prepare them for what really happens. The pretend scenarios and situations are what would happen in a perfect world if customers had respect for associates.

What does this all mean to you? The reality is that Wal-Mart and it's customers are two sides of the same coin, the very coin we sweat blood to earn them. Neither of them care for the well being of associates like they should care. They all just want the best service, no questions asked, for as little cost as possible. If a customer doesn't like the service you offer, they complain to management. If Wal-Mart doesn't like the service you offer, they fire you. The entire world is working against you, yet you have to remain silent and obedient. You have to be a "Proud Wal-Mart Associate."

How do you fight this? How can you change it? One of the simplest ways to get your manager's attention is to ask for their boss's information. This will scare them and they will do what they can to prevent you from going above their head. For smaller concerns this is a great method. If you feel that they cannot help, or if you have tried in the past and cannot get a solution to your concerns, go above their head and find their boss's information and just send them an email. In some cases you can even talk with the higher ups in person. I personally found my market manager's email address, emailed him, and even talked to him on the phone about my concerns. He then called my store manager and told him everything we talked about. The very same day I had a sit down meeting with my store manager and we solved a lot of issues. As you can see, taking a small bit of initiative can go a long way if you handle it the proper way.

Just remember, Wal-Mart could do so much better as a company, but they choose not to. As a "Proud Wal-Mart Associate, " would you choose to do nothing as well? Change starts with you, and without you, nothing will change.

Saving Money to Live Better? That's the REAL Wal-Mart!

Now I am sure that everyone here is familiar with the imfamous "Save Money. Live Better." quote that defines the existance of the Devil himself, but what does that saying really mean? Who is saving money? Who is living better? How can I get in on this? Well you would be surprised at the answer, not because of what the answer actually means, but the nature of the simplicity involved at which Wal-Mart has grabbed the world by the gonads. Hell, they might as well have napalm laced gloves on. (For more on that topic, check out http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/10/tech/social-media/apparently-this-matters-ice-cube-good-day-blimp/ and have a good read.) Heading back to the topic, grab a seat and a snack as we take a more realistic look at that famous trademark slogan and what it really means to save money and live better, no matter the cost.

First, let's take a detour and introduce a group that is making a difference in the modern workplace. They are known as the Organization United for Respect for Wal-Mart Workers. It is a non-profit, non-union organization created by both former and current Wal-Mart employees. The organization, OUR Wal-Mart, has fought numerous battles with the retail giant over the few years it has been around. In fact, they have uncovered several documents and stories that are purposley kept away from associates and even management about the work practices revolving within the company. Their recent victory won associates the ability to opt in for additional hours that are available in their store. These hours are actually empty shifts that the store has and they can range from anything simple, such as a cashier, all the way to more advanced areas, such as training coordinator. All in all, this sounds like a great idea on paper, and it really is. However, there is something more dark and sinister around the situation. Prepare to get angry. Grab a snack and a small animal.

In the last few months time, various Wal-Mart locations have been ordered to cut payroll hours. First of all, how can a multibillion dollar company NOT afford to pay someone for a few extra hours of work? Does that seem right to you? One example of hours being cut happens to be at my Wal-Mart location. Our store manager told me directly that he had to cut 10,000 payroll hours down to 8,700 hours, and he was not told why. When I asked him about it, he simply said that "we have to do what's right in the company to keep the shareholders happy." What about the associates who can't pay their bills this month due to budget cuts? With the hours being cut left and right, associates are also being punished for working over their scheduled hours. For example, if I worked 5 minutes extra, I have to take those 5 minutes off my work day. It is mandatory. Failure to do so will result in fewer scheduled hours for the next work week. This is true stuff right here, and most of you know it.

Alright, so they are cutting hours and not letting you work over, but there are available shifts you can take for more hours. Why not take those shifts? Here is where it gets complicated. Most of the available shifts either conflict with existing shifts, are positions in the store that most associates are not physically able to perform, or they require management approval and additional training to even accept. Let's say I want to take a cashier schedule one day. I already know how to run a register and I can do returns. Not happening, and here is why. Management says they are not allowed to give associates any more hours than what they already have scheduled, and that statement is directly from an assistant manager at my store.

So what is the open available shift program? The program is basically all the hours that have been cut from the associates that need them, and, instead of giving them back to us freely, they are making us fight over the open shifts, once we are allowed to accept them, just to try and make our ends meet. The problem is that every time we tend to make the ends meet, they get further away. Several associates, including myself, are forced to take second and even third jobs just to make the power bill and rent. What is the solution to the problem? How can we, the poor working class, make our lives worth living? Wal-Mart's answer is simple: Become a shareholder! That's right! We need to participate in the stock purchase program and earn ourselves a slice of the company. Sure, we are already sacrificing our back bones, souls, common sense, and even our health, for a tiny paycheck every two weeks that isn't even enough to bring us above the poverty line. It would only make more sense to give more of our hard earned money back to the store that worked it out of our blood and sweat. It has already been proven that Wal-Mart pays it's employees so little that they are forced to shop at the same place they work, thus putting most of the payroll expenses they spent back into their pockets. So if we all stopped complaining about being overworked and underpaid, then gave even more of what little we get back to Wal-Mart, we, too, can "Save Money" and start to "Live Better," don't you agree? If you do agree, please head to the nearest INS office and ask to have yourself deported from the planet Earth. While you are at it, see if you can take Miley Cyrus and Kanye West with you. Help keep the planet green and healthy.

If you do not agree with what Wal-Mart is doing and you do want to say something about it, but you are afraid to, why not look into OUR Wal-Mart? As a current member myself, I can tell you that the things people can do when they stand united is far, far greater than what you can do alone. We look after our own and help however we can, and you can rest assured that whatever thoughts or concerns you have WILL be heard and WILL be appreciated by us. Take if you will this quote from the movie "V For Vendetta" and imagine it referencing Wal-Mart and what people like OUR Wal-Mart want to do for you: "A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone, a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people, blowing up a building can change the world." As a side note, if you have never seen that movie, it is a must watch film. You will truly understand everyday life better after watching it.

Heading back to topic, why not offer your thoughts and opinions and join the ranks of OUR Wal-Mart? After all, if we don't stand up for ourselves, who will? Do you want to keep hiding the fact that you want to see something improve, or do you want to make a difference and get the improvement that is needed to make your work place a more enjoyable place to be? Let's face it, you can sit and think about ways to change what is wrong, or you can change it. It's up to you to make it happen, so why not today?

If you want to know more about the organization, visit their official website at http://forrespect.org and see what you can do to be a part of the change.