Old Mc Donald Had a Farm

 

So hear it finally is my post about if farmers are affected by Wal-Mart or not. I just read an article by NPR and Wal-Mart “claims its emphasis on local has saved customers over $1 billion while helping farmers.” I don’t think that small farmers would be able to produce enough produce to sell to a big super store like Wal-Mart and I don’t think that small organic farmers could afford to sell their produce at such a reduced price to Wal-Mart. Also,farmers cannot grow everything all year round right? This article also states that “Walmart’s claim that it supports small-scale farmers just doesn't add up.” “One of the retail behemoth’s suppliers says that all farms, big or small, “have to modify their operations” if they want to succeed in this new age of Walmart groceries.” It seems to me that there is really no real proof out there showing real numbers.

 I know that going to farmers markets can be pricey but I notice a big difference in the taste of the fruits and vegetables, making Wal-Mart look like a crime scene of cuisine. I decided to research some more and found an interesting article by The New York Times also stating that Wal-Mart announced that is going to start a program “intended to put more locally grown food in Wal-Mart stores in the United States, invest in training and infrastructure for small and medium-size farmers, particularly in emerging markets, and begin to measure how efficiently large suppliers grow and get their produce into stores.” Well that is great news America, but I wonder if they will truly do this. This program would help so many farmers because Wal-Mart is the world’s largest grocer. Let's all cross our fingers, but don’t get too excited.

 

 

 

 

Made In America?

 

I was at Brown’s shoe store on Saturday and the salesman started talking about how Wal-Mart is paying businesses that were overseas to open up manufacturing warehouses in America and how they want to sell more products that are made in America. He also said that the founder of Wal-Mart (Sam Walton) wanted to sell only American products, but after he died it all changed. So, I decided to research if Wal-Mart is really going to try to buy American made products. My first source is from Time Magazine and it states “Walmart doesn’t make anything. But the giant retailer could play a part in the manufacturing rebound that is taking place in the U.S. with its promise to buy $ 50 billion more U.S. made goods over the next decade for its Walmart and Sam’s Club stores.” Wow, 50 billion seems like a lot of goods but this article says that it is only 10% of what they will sell this year. Also, the chief merchandising and marketing officer for Wal-Mart stated “When we buy from overseas, we may buy more than we need to fill the container" I wonder if they are trying to look better for Americans, or if it’s just more expensive to ship items from overseas today? I looked at another source from The New York Times and it states that “A wide range of companies, including Apple, General Electric and Brooks Brothers, are experimenting with making more products in the United States. The moves make good public relations, but they also take advantage of cheaper energy costs and transportation benefits in this country.”

After reading that statement I am thinking is making products in America beneficial for just Wal-Mart or all of the companies involved? Could this change happen because many consumers today are leaning towards American made goods? I guess I will find out after more research.

 

   

 

DEBATING

 

            I am still pondering if Wal-Mart is good or bad for America? After reading an article from The Independent Institute that was debating if Wal-Mart is good or bad for America I have some good news…. Vedder states that Wal-Mart “is the largest private employer in the U.S. and Mexico, and hires 600,000 new employees each year.”  That seems to be good right? Also I learned that every time a new Wal-Mart opens it employs 300-350 people. Also, since Wal-Mart came to the U.S. unemployment rate has declined, which is a good thing, but can we thank Wal-Mart for that, or is it because of something else that has created more jobs?

 People often complain that Wal-Mart doesn’t sell any American made goods, but after doing some research I found that Wal-Mart is not the only store that imports from China, if you go into any electronic store it will be hard for you to find a product made in America. I also learned that sometimes local businesses do close after Wal-Mart comes to town, but should we blame Wal-Mart or the consumers? People do want a store that has more choices, lower prices, plenty of parking, etc. Another positive thing I found from The Washington Post was that Wal-Marts prices benefit low-income consumers, and that their low wages are really not that low, at least when compared with the prevailing wages in the retail sector. My mom works at Target, and she told me that when the new Wal-Mart opened on Harmony, many Target employees left to go work at Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart was going to pay .80 cents more an hour, and that really adds up if you think about it. But, before I am Pro-Wal-Mart, I need to do a lot more research before I can really believe all of this to be true.

Is Wal-Mart The Devil?

I am writing this blog for an English course and I want to research my question I have if Wal-Mart has really affected small business and have they drove the cost of food too low and has it hurt farmers, also have they hurt the quality of their food that they sell?

 I have often wondered about this because I know many people that will not shop at Wal-Mart for anything, no matter what and they all have their different reasons not to. Some of the reason I have heard are they don’t treat their employees fair, they have a relative that had to shut down their small business after a Wal-Mart was built nearby and the quality of their products suck. Someone even told me that they bought the same Pampers diapers that they usually by from King Soopers at Wal-Mart and the Pampers leaked and the sides would rip off where you attach them to keep them on. So I am wondering if Wal-Mart buys products and consumables at a cheaper price than its competitors, those products will probably be less expensive for consumers to buy and made cheaper making the products with less quality.  I know that many families feel that they have to shop at Wal-Mart because of the tight budget they are on. 

Here is a Facebook link for people who hate Wal-Mart with 46,828 people liking it  https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-HATE-WALMART/226254020025

I don’t have any idea if or how Wal-Mart has affected small or large farmers and will need to do a lot of research before I comment on that. On the food quality being poor at Wal-Mart I can only tell you that after buying their brand of food, I have had bad experiences, the hot dog buns crumble into pieces right away and get hard as a rock in two days same as their sandwich bread.