How Walmart Is Destroying America (And the World)

by Quinn, Bill

• ISBN13: 9781580086684
• ISBN10: 1580086683
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2005-04-01
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Summary

After carving up the once lovingly cared-for downtowns of Small Town America, Wal-Mart launched a frontal assault on mom-and-pop businesses all over the globe. With 1.5 million employees operating more than 3, 500 stores, Wal-Mart is now the world'?s largest private employer. In this third edition ofHow Wal-Mart Is Destroying America (and the World), intrepid Texas newspaperman Bill Quinn continues the fight. Featuring detailed accounts of Wal-Mart'?s questionable business practices and the latest information on Wal-Mart lawsuits, vendor issues, and efforts to stop expansion, Quinn shows why Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is arguably the most feared and despised corporation in the world. Whether you'?re a customer fed up with Wal-Mart'?s false claims, a vendor squeezed by strong-arm tactics, a worker pushed to increase the Waltons'? bottom line, or a concerned citizen trying to save your hometown, this book will show you how to get Wal-Mart off your back and out of your backyard.BILL QUINN is a World War II veteran, retired newspaperman, and certified anti-Wal-Mart crusader. He lives with his wife, Lennie, in Grand Saline,Texas.

Author Biography

BILL QUINN is a World War II veteran, retired newspaperman, and certified anti –Wal-Mart crusader. He lives with his wife, Lennie, in Grand Saline, Texas.

Table of Contents

A Letter from the Publisher	ix
Preface	xi
CHAPTER 1 SEVEN BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN WAL-MART COMES TO TOWN	1	(26)
Store Owners Take the Biggest Hit	1	(3)
Jobs Are Lost	4	(2)
Other Businesses Suffer	6	(6)
Downtown Dies	12	(1)
Taxpayers Pay for the Disaster	13	(7)
Other Towns Suffer	20	(1)
Wal-Mart Moves On	21	(4)
We Get Letters...	25	(1)
...And We Get Calls	26	(1)
CHAPTER 2 TWO SURE-FIRE WAYS WAL-MART BARGES INTO TOWN (AND THREE WAYS IT SNEAKS IN)	27	(15)
Location, Location, Location	28	(3)
Put It on the Ballot	31	(3)
Manipulate Existing Zoning	34	(2)
Use a Front Man	36	(1)
Hell, Use a Straw Man	37	(1)
We Get Letters...	38	(4)
CHAPTER 3 TWO WAYS WAL-MART IS OH SO GREEDY	42	(30)
Employees Are Wrung Dry	42	(20)
We Get Letters...	62	(1)
...And We Get Calls	63	(1)
Suppliers Are Squeezed	63	(7)
We Get Letters...	70	(2)
CHAPTER 4 FOUR REASONS TO BEWARE OF WAL-MART	72	(17)
Promises, Promises	72	(2)
Always the Low Road	74	(3)
Untruth in Advertising	77	(2)
The China Syndrome	79	(5)
We Get Letters...	84	(5)
CHAPTER 5 SIX WAYS WAL-MART IS DOWNRIGHT BAD TO THE BONE	89	(22)
Sweatshop Labor	90	(5)
Cutting Costs with Illegal Workers	95	(4)
Tax Hijinks	99	(2)
Pork-Barrel Treats	101	(1)
Wal-Mart: "A Bad Neighbor"?	102	(2)
A Rotten Record with Women and Minorities	104	(6)
We Get Letters...	110	(1)
...And We Get Calls	110	(1)
CHAPTER 6 FIVE WAYS WAL-MART IS A MENACE TO AMERICA - AND THE WORLD	111	(15)
Stamping Out the Free Market	112	(3)
"The Law Is for Little People"	115	(2)
Supercenter Consolidation	117	(1)
Laying Siege to the Cities	118	(5)
International Expansion	123	(3)
CHAPTER 7 HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!	126	(29)
Can We Keep Wal-Mart Out of Our Cities?	129	(1)
Write Your Local Newspaper	130	(1)
Enlist Your Hometown Bank	130	(1)
Who You Gonna Call?	131	(1)
Fight 'em in Cyberspace!	132	(4)
Retailers	136	(8)
1. Minimize Your Competitive Edge
2. Throw Your Weight Around
3. Just Say "No"
4. Use Guerilla Tactics
5. Fight Marketing Agreements That Freeze You Out
6. Sell More Shoes
7. Curb Service, in This Day and Age?
8. If Sam Walton Could Do It, You Can Too
9. Have You Ever Seen a Wal-Mart Mechanic?
10. Home Deliveries-Wave of the Future?
11. Have a Special on Something-Always
12. If You Don't Have a Coffee Room, Get One
13. Sell American; Buy American
Suppliers	144	(1)
14. Don't Play
Citizens and Planning Boards	145	(4)
15. Overhaul Your Town's Comprehensive Plan
16. Make Zoning Approval Processes More Strict
17. How About a Good Old-Fashioned Petition Drive?
18. Enlist Hosts of Call-In Radio Shows
19. Know Whom You're Voting For
20. Run for Office
21. Use Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame
Consumers	149	(3)
22. Comparison Shop
23. Choose Which Kind of Company You Support
We Get Letters...	152	(3)
A Last Word	155