Always screwing employees...always...

[Lee]

From Yahoo:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT - news), the world's largest retailer, is cutting about 1,000 management positions at its Sam's Club stores, a spokeswoman for the company's warehouse.

Wal-Mart is consolidating about 2,800 salaried-manager positions at about 580 U.S. Sam's Club stores, spokeswoman Susan Koehler said.

The restructuring, which began in early March and is expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks, was done to improve customer service and gain more flexibility in managing the stores rather than to cut costs, Koehler said.

The retailer is trying to improve sales at its Sam's Club division as sales growth has slowed at Wal-Mart's more than 3,400 U.S. stores. A Sam's Club executive said earlier this year that the retailer was not satisfied with the club's January same-store sales gain of 3.4 percent.

To improve sales, Wal-Mart is trying to broaden Sam's Club appeal beyond that of small business owners and make its warehouses more relevant to women, who make most of a household's buying decisions.

The No. 2 U.S. warehouse club operator, which is trying to ratchet up the competition with larger rival Costco Wholesale Corp. (Nasdaq:COST - news), is now offering more "affordable luxuries" such as premium wines and diamond jewelry.

Koehler said the company has created three levels of higher-paying positions to replace about 1,800 of the jobs and was offering affected employees other positions in the company.

"Our goal was all of those impacted associates would find other employment within either Wal-Mart or Sam's Clubs," Koehler said. "Most of those associates have found other positions."

About 3 percent of the affected managers have decided to take a severance package, she said.

Wal-Mart shares declined 15 cents to $48.66 in morning
New York Stock Exchange trading.

[The People's DJ]

And somewhere in this great land, Mark Hallburn is smiling.

[Lee]

Who??

[Arp2]

Given the title of the thread, the article appears to have been misread.

With the exception of about 30 people who decided to take a pile of money and pursue even better employment in what is the greatest employment market in the history of the world, all of the people affected remain with the company in similarly-paying jobs that just have different titles.


And, of course, let's take this opportunity to once again point out that Hallburn's account remains in existence and that he is free to use it anytime he wishes.....

[Big Media]

And, of course, let's take this opportunity to once again point out that Hallburn's account remains in existence and that he is free to use it anytime he wishes.....

Damn it!.... don't go inviting him. I don't know about you but IMO, this board is better without his ramblings.

[Zak Tyler]

And, of course, let's take this opportunity to once again point out that Hallburn's account remains in existence and that he is free to use it anytime he wishes.....

Damn it!.... don't go inviting him. I don't know about you but IMO, this board is better without his ramblings.

i'm with you. i'm all for everybody having a voice. but damn.

[genlock]

A business decision.
Seems stupid to have a Sam's Club and a Wall*Mart located together and different maagers in each store. Economies like this keep prices down.
Wait till you own a business or get promoted into management responsibilities, Lee. You may understand this process more completely.

[Arp2]

And, of course, let's take this opportunity to once again point out that Hallburn's account remains in existence and that he is free to use it anytime he wishes.....

Damn it!.... don't go inviting him. I don't know about you but IMO, this board is better without his ramblings.

I'm not inviting him, per se; I'm preempting the "I've been banned" lie he's apparently been telling people before asking them to do his bidding.

[Arp2]

...and, speaking of the...guy, I do believe I just saw him logged in under one fake ID he apparently has left.

Hmmm....did he just convert that one to "hidden?"

[Lee]

A business decision.
Seems stupid to have a Sam's Club and a Wall*Mart located together and different maagers in each store. Economies like this keep prices down.
Wait till you own a business or get promoted into management responsibilities, Lee. You may understand this process more completely.

I'm too ADD for such responsibilities...

Besides, I thought everyone here hated Wal-Mart...

[Dave Allen]

I for one don't have that big of a problem with Wal-Mart. I have a good friend who owns a jewelry store in downtown Logan. A couple of years ago he was going on and on about how Wal-Mart was killing his business. I had just about enough of it one day before I said "Who the hell goes to Wal-Mart for fine jewelry?" One of the great things I about small town stores as opposed to Wal-Mart is the customer service. I can go to the small store and ask them what I should buy my wife for our anniversary, birthday or whatever and they can answer me because they girl working there KNOWS her and knows what she likes. Try getting that at Wal-Mart, while dealing with the kid who the day before was selling pineapples.

[1015RiverRat]

Combining several stores under one manager. Sounds like a broadcast cluster to me.

DaveInTheMorning has a great point about shopping for jewelry. However for every jewelry store that thrives there is a camera store, grocery store, and hardware store that has been crushed by a new Wal-Mart in town.

I don't have a problem with free enterprise and competition. But Wal-Mart's strategy seems to be to crush the little guy.

http://walmartwatch.com/

[Arp2]

Mark's back!
And he's engaging in some union/political activity! Forum mods...?

A couple of years ago he was going on and on about how Wal-Mart was killing his business. I had just about enough of it one day before I said "Who the hell goes to Wal-Mart for fine jewelry?"

Actually, Wal~Mart is the largest jeweler in the world. Sure, we're not necessarily talking "fine" jewelry, but, for jewelry sellers, it's that run-of-the-mill stuff that puts food on their tables most months of the year.

[Bob Campbell]

Hillbillies and illegals have to buy sparkly stuff too.

[Dave Allen]

..and my wife being both loves the stuff I buy her there.

[Big Media]

Mark's back! Yeah!

Let's get this party started!

Whooooooo!!


I'm excited now.

[AmpedNow]

Just admit that Mark is the biggest board celebrity to date... The activity here doubles whenever he shows up.



Anyway...

I for one don't have that big of a problem with Wal-Mart. I have a good friend who owns a jewelry store in downtown Logan. A couple of years ago he was going on and on about how Wal-Mart was killing his business. I had just about enough of it one day before I said "Who the hell goes to Wal-Mart for fine jewelry?"

I contend that Wal-Mart has a net positive effect on the overall economy, not counting their 1 million+ employees.

Notice that every Supercenter being built now is no longer stand-alone; they're anchoring entire shopping plazas with specialty stores and restaurants in them. These business benefit from being near Wal-Mart, because every Supercenter guarantees high traffic.

It's not that ma and pa shops can no longer survive, it's just that they need to get more creative, and sell stuff that Wal-Mart doesn't.

I don't defend WM and all of their business practices, but most of the anti-WM rhetoric has to do with their lack of organized labor.

[1015RiverRat]

I don't care about Wal-Mart being non-union.

But the lack of health-care coverage for employees puts many of them on state-sponsored benefits. Translation: WE are paying for their health care.

The many lawsuits against the company by its employees speak volumes. Reputable companies don't get sued that often. Don't screw your own people.

[Arp2]

I don't care about Wal-Mart being non-union.

Then why post a link to the website of an "organization" paid for by unions whose sole purpose is to slime Wal~Mart until real, live extortion is accomplished? (Why that link is still here, I don't know...)

But the lack of health-care coverage for employees puts many of them on state-sponsored benefits. Translation: WE are paying for their health care.

There are a number of other ways to argue that, but I'll go right for the following. One might argue that the only way to pay only for your own healthcare is to negotiate a price to specifically cover the exact services you consume and then pay that amount directly to your providers with your own money. All other means get a bunch of BS factored in regardless of what the bill actually says. So, bottom line, if there's anybody -- insurance company or gubmint program -- between you and your provider, you're already paying for others as they are similarly paying for yours.

In other words, Mark, your rhetoric is just that at best and 100% BS at worst. Such an "esteemed" "journalist" would certainly have done better research, digested the information, and thought it through rather than just regurgitated talking points designed for the gullible.

The many lawsuits against the company by its employees speak volumes. Reputable companies don't get sued that often.

Ha!

Companies -- yes, "reputable" ones -- get sued all the time. The reason you think it's more true of Wal~Mart is simply because Wal~Mart has over one million employees in the US, alone! (I believe it's over 1.3 million worldwide.) That makes Wal~Mart the largest private employer in the country; being the largest employer and being the wet dream target of shyster ambulance-chasing attorneys, of course it gets sued! That, alone, is no sign of a real problem, whatsoever!

And, by the way, keep this in mind -- when Wal~Mart comes into a new area, it gets about three applications for every job it will offer! It's very, very strange to suggest Wal~Mart is some bad place to work while applicants continue to run at 300% of the available positions.....

[1015RiverRat]

Arp says, "Wal~Mart has over one million employees in the US, alone!"

I get to correct Arp2!

Sentence should read "Wal-Mart has more than one million employees in the United States, alone!"