Is Wal-Mart Good for America? (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

An inside look into the controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business, investigating whether the retail giant changed the American economy. (Aired 2004)
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In "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?," FRONTLINE offered two starkly contrasting images: one of empty storefronts in Circleville, Ohio, where the local TV manufacturing plant had closed down; the other, a sea of high rises in the South China boomtown of Shenzhen. The connection between American job losses and soaring Chinese exports? Wal-Mart. Through interviews with retail executives, product manufacturers, economists and trade experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith does a deep dive into the company’s business practices.
Explore additional reporting on "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" on our website: www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/fi...
#Documentary #Walmart
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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
CHAPTERS:
Prologue - 00:00
Wal-Mart’s Retail Power - 01:17
Muscling Manufacturers - 11:41
What’s Behind Wal-Mart’s Low Prices - 18:57
The Rise of “Made in China” - 28:26
Losing Jobs in U.S. Manufacturing - 40:11
Credits - 53:12

[@ifonefan1147]

No. I just saved you an hour.

[@mrmustangman]

thanks...

[@FireAngelZero]

I mean with a title name like that… I guessed that was going to be the answer… but yea, thanks…

[@believeinlove3724]

That’s funny.

[@desertdetroiter428]

😂😂

[@ruthannjohnson1640]

They have the worst meat you can imagine and when they check things on sale you've got to check the date

[@magnus9165]

I spent over 20 years on the road, all over the USA. Wal-Mart ruined retail in every small town that they built in.

[@kythrathesuntamer9715]

All true but you know what can be done in response to it? nothing.

[@MarmaladeSally]

@@kythrathesuntamer9715 Don’t shop there.

[@rednoterecords198]

@@kythrathesuntamer9715 buy local

[@dalebender4422]

@@kythrathesuntamer9715 untrue, its only that you, like nearly 100% of the rest of the people, won't do the only thing you can do in response......which is to refuse to shop there. You can choose to pay a little more to support your community and in turn save the unique fabric of your particular region of the US. Nope, instead you choose to save a few pennies to support a megalithic corporation who's only concern is to peddle cheap imported products and destroy the local small business sector

[@kythrathesuntamer9715]

@@dalebender4422 The funny part about your accusation is that by buying cheap imported products I have more money to spend l iberating people from the scud work of working dead end retail anyways. would much rather pay someone to produce something creative. ISpend more on groceries just so people can unionize grocery work not learn to code not make something innteresting and continue soul crushing work no sane human really ultimately wants? I don't know about you but most of the people I know would rather I don't know make music make a video game, something but they can't because they're stuck working a job that took less effort to learn how to do and was more readily available just to put food on the table. more netflix subs more stranger things LESS Bagging my fucking groceries.

[@kyxxit3664]

19 years later this needs to be revisited and updated.

[@jean-marcbrand1093]

Agreed.

[@904jagzsuck5]

The numbers would be staggering.. almost 20 yrs ago

[@story3877]

I'm sure it would be dominated by Amazon and talking about the rise of unions and corporations trying to do union busting. I'd be very interested in seeing a follow up!

[@KeelahVhenan]

Coming from someone who's not only worked for Walmart, but my Mom has worked for Walmart for 30 years, it has become the antithesis of what Sam Walton wanted for it. Especially for its employees. It's because of Walmart that my Mother is consistently depressed, which caused her to eventually become an alcoholic to cope. More of her life is spent at and worrying about her job than anything outside of it, yet her pay was capped years ago not long after Sam Walton passed because they felt that she "already makes enough" despite her doing the job of 3 people each day! They're also trying to antagonize a situation where my Mother will quit because she's one of the few full-time employees left and makes more than they want to pay. It's negatively effecting her mental state and her health overall. Walmart is the polar opposite of good.

[@chebochevato8336]

It all depends on what you're doing. I've worked for Walmart for just over 6 years. I'm not a manager, and I make between 55k-65k, depending on how much overtime I can get.. and how hard I want to work. During the pandemic, I was making 90k. One guy on my crew made 110k. But he was only taking 2 days a month off. I don't work in a store though. I work at a grocery DC. I'm topped out at $35.75/hr. Plus incentive of up to 100%. Some of the younger guys pull that high in their incentives. But they are going to burn themselves out doing that. I usually aim for around 8%-12%. Which brings me up to around $42/hr. We've had people transfer from the store side... They don't even last a year. Most, not even 4 months. They say it's too hard. They don't want to work that hard. That's why the store employees don't make $40/hr. They aren't willing to work that hard for it..

[@TheAnthonyMarlowe]

Your mother isn’t enslaved. She can leave the job. If she’s a a manger she can work in a trillion rolls. If she’s just a dedicated employee, she can still feel better somewhere else. Accepting a lifetime of Walmart work isn’t Walmarts fault and you know that. Neither is accepting alcoholism as a solution, especially when much safer alts exist. Blaming the established order for your mistakes doesn’t help your life.

[@drnstjhn]

um. walmart drove your mom to become an alcoholic? lol, nice try. but if it is in fact terrible for her, how about she do something insane called ✨getting a new job✨

[@chebochevato8336]

@@drnstjhn well...the whiskey was just so damn cheap, you'd be a fool not to buy it

[@KeelahVhenan]

My Mom's 61 years old, is still paying off the house I grew up in and my step-dad's job can't offer insurance for the foreseeable future because the shop is struggling just to stay afloat and they both have too many medical issues to be without insurance. There's also nothing else she could do that would start her off at her current wage, and anything less wouldn't be enough for them to afford to pay their bills. Look, I'm not trying to garner pity for my Mother, but I'm also not exaggerating. My Mother has always been someone that can't sit idle, works hard no matter how much pain she's in and is an absolute clean freak. Maybe it's just the specific store she's in. I don't know, but I won't back down on what I've stated. I'm just glad she's only got a few years left before she can legally retire.

[@ASkippingRock]

This documentary must be 20 years old. I am surprised people weren’t aware of the effects of Walmart. Amazon does the same thing now, if not worse.

[@RalphChastain]

Ya. It came out in 2004.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

Amazon is absolutely the modern equivalent of Walmart. I saw that comparison a while back and refuse to shop with them as a result.

[@swayback7375]

@@anthonydelfino6171 I wish I could afford to shop elsewhere, but often Amazon is at least 10% cheaper (with way better selection) than Walmart, and Walmart is atleast 10% cheaper ( often with more selection) than shopping at other brick and mortar shops. The quality may be questionable sometimes, but that’s the case almost anywhere you could shop, sometimes you can pay a premium and reliably get higher quality, but oftentimes the high end version is inferior quality, or less durable, etc. It’s really a sad state of affairs, it was bad in 04 when this aired, I fear things have only gotten worse

[@keithhenderson3208]

Is that the only thing that gave it away?

[@anthonydelfino6171]

@@swayback7375 Order directly from the company making the item, Amazon is a middleman. If you're on the internet, you can spend a few keystrokes to sidestep them. But also as you're exemplifying, looking out only for our immediate self interest is what's causing the entire problem of low quality, low wages, and outsourced jobs. It'a all connected.

[@dp26385]

Until recently, most full time Walmart employees qualified for food stamps when Walmart had net income of 14 billion US dollars. Tax payers were basically subsidizing Walmart which is basically income redistribution, but bottom up instead of top down.

[@pietrojenkins6901]

And they sharply cut back on having cashiers now its mostly self checkout. Their greed is too much.

[@B5152g]

Only in blue states. The employees in sane parts of the country were doing just fine.

[@brianhanrahan7561]

@@B5152g You must be the head of the wall mart workers union Or did you appoint yourself as their spokesman?

[@B5152g]

@@brianhanrahan7561 nope just a person who unloads trucks and stocks the shelves.

[@maggiemae7539]

Aren’t all Walmarts going through major remodels? Less products, but more so-called high end or higher dollar crap?

[@got2kittys]

Walmart moved here 25 years ago. It shut down 750 small family businesses. As this area is somewhat isolated and mostly rural, there are no other choices to purchase literally 1000's of items in this area. They completely captured most of 3 large counties business.

[@daMillenialTrucker]

Walmart didn't sell those companies out, y'all the residents did. It's a shame all them stores had to close by capitalism has been a ruthless system when it comes to business competitiveness since it infancy.

[@lorainefleeman6011]

Then everyone there should have shopped small businesses. You should be angry, not at Walmart, but at everyone near you.

[@davidmiller180]

The gentlemen's story from the Ohio factory says it all. His plant got shut down and now he can go to work for Wal-mart for half the wages and no benefits. I try to never shop there because of how the employees are treated. I really need to stop using Amazon also.

[@barbarateigen7670]

I also will not shop Wal-Mart or Amazon. The program talks about the shift of production to China but it certainly isn't the Chinese laborers (slaves, really) getting richer and Americans aren't getting richer either so where has "it" all gone? The Walton family is probably doing very well and probably some corrupt Chinese government bureaucrats are doing OK, too. But they aren't getting any pennies from me.

[@techiegirl3866]

people cannot pay for made in america products...Americans are greedy.

[@willw7743]

You realize it’s not exactly Walmarts fault? This is capitalism. That plant would have eventually shut down one way or another. The video talked about target and Best Buy doing the same thing. Capitalism is the problem.

[@jcristi321]

I stopped shopping at Walmart about 25 years ago. I don’t like their business plan of under cutting prices and putting good mom and pop shops out of business.

[@diegochavez6203]

Yup they're basically focused on building wealth for a select few and screwing everyone off . A monopoly straight trash business practices.

[@clemclemson9259]

mom and pop stores cant touch the product selection or pricing, this country is so far gone now people have to go for the best prices sorry

[@timothyschmidt7264]

I agree 100%

[@lazarusplentiful3258]

And exploiting low wage labor in countries like China. Walmart, bad for small business, bad for workers.

[@shayscott7498]

Feel the same, but can't seem to avoid them when I visit my sister in Orlando, FL -- everyone goes to Walmart, no mom and pop there.

[@andybaldman]

“The lowest prices have to lead to the lowest wages.” Perfectly summed up in the first two minutes.

[@dudeonbike800]

And their employees are heavily subsidized by Medicaid, food stamps and other social services. But since Americans prefer to attack each other, and especially the poor, these underpaid, underrepresented, under-benefitted employees are called "takers." It's Corporate America that are takers. YOUR tax dollars are paying to support the employees whose employers are too cheap to do it. Too sly to do the right thing. "There's no law against it" type of baloney. The Rand Study proved how $47 trillion dollars have been taken from 90% of American wages and lavished on the top. Then the top demanded - and got - tax cuts for their "sacrifice!" And now it's Amazon. Who will take their place in the next 20 years? America will never learn.

[@raquelvlogzz1183]

Facts period

[@andybaldman]

@@dudeonbike800 Great point. Completely true.

[@HelicopterHatHacker]

What about the high prices at retailers like Lululemon, Armani Exchange, etc.? Those people earn the same as Walmart workers. Why haven't higher prices meant higher wages? You see the argument flaw?

[@andybaldman]

@@HelicopterHatHacker The flaw in that argument is the assumption that prices alone in those cases mean higher wages. Lower prices have to lead to lower wages. All the forces push downward. But that doesn't mean the inverse automatically has to be true. Greed still applies in both cases. There's just more volume in the Walmart case, thus more power to push wages downward. High-priced items COULD result in better wages, if the people running those companies wanted to pay them. But they don't. They're just two different levels of greed, one with a lot more volume. A worker-owned co-op, where all workers own a share of the company (and the surpluses), and where company decisions were made democratically rather than autocratically from a small number of people at the top, would result in higher worker pay. But you won't get higher wages as long as there's someone at the top who profits disproportionately. Walmart just gets there faster, because they're larger and more powerful than Lululemon or Armani Exchange.

[@happycustomer3448]

A store that sells American goods is what we need. Built in and for America is what we need.

[@ayamata8950]

Only few people would pay those prices. Chinese slave workers make it possible that so many Americans can pay low prices.

[@cyrusdubash3097]

Americans would not shop there.

[@mathmotivation]

There is a market for higher priced goods that are of much better quality. I am starting to buy a few things like this.

[@joeydelrio]

@@ayamata8950 50 yrs back most everything was american made and people could afford it just fine.

[@sebastianbelcher5354]

I worked there for 6 years. It was my first job and I started there during the recession. People asked "why don't you leave?" Well, it took me well over 100 applications to get an interview. I will say it quickly went downhill after the first year, and the only folks rewarded or treated well by the time I left treated Walmart like a cult. So glad to be out of there. Some of these folks could hardly afford to eat and they still threw other workers under the bus. Walmart is incredibly cultish wnd you really realize it the more time you spend there. Also, I notice how often Walmart managers tout profits and use the word "we" a lot. Waking up is realizing that there is no "we" there.

[@ifont1527]

I worked for Walmart in the past. Gave them 8 years of my life while going to college. For several of those years, I was department manager. They make billions, but do not pay their employees a decent living wage. Very sad.

[@tinawindham6958]

That’s sad and looking at those young Chinese factory workers …they looked like zombies and also lived there. Ugh. Making pennies just to send back home. That’s horrible. Do employees get discounts?

[@supernova8962]

Do you still support Wal-mart because they are American workers ? If so, how are you contributing ? May I suggest stock option, 401k plan and going Union. Oh wait, I seen American company go bankrupt cause of this. Im sorry... We're doom to succeed.

[@lorainefleeman6011]

What exact dollar amount is a decent wage? I make $18/hr as an associate.

[@lorainefleeman6011]

@@tinawindham6958 Yes, we do. I also make 18/hr as an associate after only 2 years.

[@gerade-aus]

Temu is worse for America

[@jimk8520]

There are 3 walmart stores within reasonable driving distance from me and I’m proud to state that I don’t shop at any of them.

[@deloresiles2341]

👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@jimk8520]

@Jimmy from Philly Except you, apparently. 🤣

[@rafaeltorre1643]

Exactly. And it’s still 45 minutes to grab a gallon of milk. And a half mile walk and someone checking your receipt to make sure you aren’t a criminal. I only go if I absolutely need something and or if its way cheaper there vs the time and gas. I hate Walmart. I hate the owners. No loyalty to their family values. Only wealth to stock holders. Made in china landfill while my dad’s garage are full of 70 year old USA perfect condition beautiful tools with only nicks. All pre 1980 everything. Even screws. They will never make it into a trash can ever. I value that screwdriver more than a new microwave. Because it never loses its beauty and functionality or value in USA that makes us who we were.

[@jimk8520]

@@rafaeltorre1643 💯 🍻

[@SumTingWong1482]

And Walmart’s profit margins suffer significantly while you shop elsewhere.

[@manonmars2009]

As of 2023, I buy as little from Wal-Mart as possible. I saw this documentary when it came out in 2004. It taught me a valuable lesson. I deprive Wal-Mart of the very thing they cherish.....money. Now Amazon is Hoovering up the cash supply. There is no end to the greed.

[@jonise2524]

Business, the Amerucan way

[@PAMELAPORTER-ci7mr]

After one horrible experience with Amazon customer service, I had no problem cutting Amazon out of my life.

[@doreekaplan2589]

I do not buy a thing from there

[@m42037]

Me too, I only go there about five times a year for those "couple items" that are real cheap and leave! Most my shopping is Trader Joe's or Aldi or Kroger. Lidl is really good too if there's one in your state

[@jmdec20]

I did vendor work at Walmart. The stress in the work place was disturbing. Management was so over stressed. I heard coming in or out of the back rooms employees up against a hallway wall being led in juevenile Rah Rah cheers. Imagine being forced to do that. There are arrangements where the employee benefits include social welfare programs and assistance to apply for them. At least this is what the employees told me. The mental program going on there is like a cult church. Because Seniors could not live on their retirements many worked at Walmart to supplement and died after a lifetime of pride of work, demeaned in that culture.

[@robertbradley7528]

We knew that answer 20 years ago..Ran off all the mom and pop stores..Imported a bunch of low quality crap..Raised there prices and have abandoned whole communities..I refuse to shop there and Amazon..Greed..Pure unaltered Greed..🥺

[@cindylewis3325]

Well, when Mrs Bezo divorced Mr Bezo and his space, well thing, she gave our Food-bank a million dollars, which was sort of nice of her to do. He on the other hand is something else. I refused to watch that space ship that looked like an adult toy take off. I mean what a huge ego. I’m sure he paid for the airtime on cable news. I did watch the comedians talking about it, it went up than then down. Took like 10-15 minutes for what?

[@petem.3719]

They're welcome to run off all the mom and pop stores where I live. I hated Walmart and Amazon when I lived in a city with options. Now, my options are to buy overpriced rotten vegetables, stinking meat and off brand dollar tree crap or I can drive 80 miles to a Walmart and have Amazon deliver. Some mom and pops don't deserve to survive. In my town, they ALL suck. Even the auto parts and repair shops suck. I can drive 20 miles to a Dollar Tree and a CVS or I can use Amazon. I can eat some food bank's garbage, dine at a Pilot truck stop and pay $4 for a $1.25 hose clamp or I can drive 80 miles to a Walmart. I don't have the luxury of conducting a personal boycott of Amazon or Walmart anymore. I've noticed that most people who hate Walmart are like I was. Spoiled by the variety of choices they have within a few miles of their homes. In my town, the best thing that could happen is for a Walmart to come in and drive all these pirates and incompetents out of business.

[@petem.3719]

@@cindylewis3325 You must not have seen the brand new, 500 million dollar, 400+ foot long, 3 masted sailing yacht that Bezos just launched. I'll have to admit, he can keep his rocket ship but this new ship of his is a sight to behold.

[@carolynschmidt6452]

When retail prices are low, those sellers demand low wholesale prices. Manufacturing then requires cheap parts, so consumers get cheap crappy goods that have to continually be replaced. A downward spiral.

[@ryanduray1]

You get what you pay for.

[@tuttt99]

Race to the bottom.

[@jeremydugan9750]

they dont want things to last. they want you to spend and spend. alot more companys are starting to do it and with inflations it sucks

[@CM-sy3to]

Sam Walton's business plan was treating the employees very well and fixing the supply chain to cut costs. Other stores kept stocked "back rooms" of products, waiting sometimes months to make it to the shelves for consumers. Sam Walton's Wal-Mart had back rooms that received goods at night and were empty the next day and on the shelves. That's how he could cut prices for the consumer. Goods got shoddy at all stores once NAFTA closed all the US factories. You can't buy "Made in the USA" when the USA doesn't have working factories anymore.

[@joeb9743]

I worked at Walmart for five years. I was appointed team lead. I started out as a stocker and cap2 unloading delivery trucks. Never had a meeting. We clocked in and went to work. I suggested maybe voicing people’s opinions because I heard a lot of it. I’m actually happy I don’t work there anymore

[@9thumbsup88]

Great to watch 19 years later. I deliver for them & they are doing some radical things, right now. I believe they are pushing customers out of the stores & pushing them to shop online to compete with Amazon. It cuts losses from shoplifting & brings profit from subscription & delivery, instead.

[@samwindmill8264]

The idiots running the corporation are definitely trying to be the next Amazon or some shit. Emphasizing the online grocery department above all else, for one

[@TSquared2001]

How?

[@greeen0broccolli]

I haven't shopped at Wal-Mart in 3 years now and I have been getting others to avoid it as well. Employees always look depressed, I feel depressed when I would walk in, and they take away business from small business. That place makes me sick.

[@SuperTonyony]

Target isn’t perfect, but it treats its employees much better than Walmart does.

[@matthewgoodtimes3555]

Buck Walmart they are mean to the customers!¡!

[@laverneadams2798]

Dddďddďd

[@laverneadams2798]

Ď

[@laverneadams2798]

3rd

[@sheilajohnson6478]

Walmart makes us check our own groceries out and yet has someone stopping us at the door harassing us, to make sure we’re not stealing. That makes a customer feel really appreciated.🙄

[@zuzanazuscinova5209]

Why would you ever shop there? It's not really that cheap and the experience is horrible.

[@richardbonfiglio1765]

When they ask to see my receipt I say no and just keep walking. Insulting !

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

@@richardbonfiglio1765 That's what I do as well. They have no legal authority to detain you. They are not cops.

[@deidradahl2802]

It's not disrespectful, in some parts of the Caribbean, it's the same, on our way out, we show the security our receipts, also there are many people, who behave below their dignity, and steal what is not theirs

[@Tom-jk3hy]

@@deidradahl2802 Proven fact . Most of their losses are from employees !!

[@lJUSTwanaCOMMENT]

My dad was in the temp employee business. He had multiple manufacturing clients put out of business because Wal-Mart would buy their entire production month after month then refuse to pay them a cent.

[@user-cq9zl9om6u]

Frontline is the absolute best in documentaries. No one else is even close. 👍👍

[@cindylewis3325]

Walmart supports slave labor in other countries to make their products, just like other corporations who did this they reaped great profits & didn’t really give back. In my state when big box stores finally came in, small businesses & artisans, people who were masters in the building industry, independent hardware stores, neighborhood grocery stores, bakeries, independent clothing stores went out of business. Stores, monopolies like Home Depot, Walmart, etc…people lost their independence & business and had to go to work for these places, because people go for price over quality. America lost its heart from these monopolies.

[@spencerheath5085]

Honestly if what you say is true we bought the trillion dollars they sold, but overseas people moved like us from rural areas into the city’s to work in factories producing goods most benefited from the Value of there work earning higher wages and there currency increasing in buying power as well. Next the reality will be automation here or overseas.

[@jackcambric8480]

Oo

[@jackcambric8480]

9o

[@thelouster5815]

People go for low prices because wages have stagnated for at least 40 years.

[@mistamycall]

Welcome to capitalism, where the ends, meaning "Steady Financial Growth" justifies the means.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

It's created a vicious cycle. As consumers have gotten lower and lower relative pay to inflation, they're forced into buying from retailers like Walmart, which reinforces the loop of outsourcing American jobs and manufacturing, which results both in the lower job numbers and lower paid jobs, which means those people now have to look for the lowest prices consequences be damned. And Walmart has become such a behemoth, there's no easy out at this point.

[@AA123TD]

Walmart isn't even cheap. I rarely go there. Maybe once every 3 months to get a product I can only buy there.

[@suzyinstitches273]

Exactly

[@johnnychannel7824]

This is called billing cycle. Cheap price means lower wage. Lower wage finds cheap price. ❤😂🎉

[@RileyPatterson-bf8ge]

No easy way but there's hope!

[@dont9502]

That shareholder meeting in the beginning reminded me of a mega church meeting.

[@missso2561]

I wish they'd do an update on this. It originally aired in 2004. I realize not much has changed with them over the years, but it would be interesting to see more current stories of how Walmart treated their workers over the past few years, especially during the pandemic.

[@Newniche]

Immediately after watching I watched the Amazon episode to look at how Wal-Mart is fairing now lol

[@Rawkstar2210]

Not to mention all the employee pep meetings deftly don't happen anymore. And half the employees don't know what's what if you can even find one with all the cut backs

[@keenannorris3309]

@@Newniche well said, wisely said-- Amazon is Wal-Mart plus *technology* omg!

[@googleuser868]

Walmart fired an employee nearing retirement for questionable reasons. Looked like Walmart didn't want to pay his pension. The guy worked for Walmart for decades.

[@MegaMan-bs3oy]

Uhhh i worked the entire pandemic was told "I should be honored to" and was given a bag of old stale candy. While people who stayed home from work in Middle TN made 800 a week I made 900 in two. That was how i was treated. Wasted nearly 10 years of my life there and I am as broke now as I was starting in 13.

[@michaelbandeko3519]

In my small town we had three grocery stores before Wal-Mart opened its Super Center. Our town square had businesses lining it. Now the only store in town is Wal-Mart. I have to drive 15 miles to another town in the next county to shop at Kroger. I buy my clothes on-line to keep from buying cheap chinese junk. Wal-Mart is definitely destroyin the American market place

[@djpseudoname2023]

@ Michael Bandeko - Walmart is not destroying the American market place. It’s the people who live in America employed by Walmart earning below the standard of living and the general public purchasing foreign and cheaper made foods and products being sold at Walmart, thereby destroying business competitors, who are destroying the American market place. We the People are the commodity being bought and sold; a wide range of goods [people] for rock-bottom prices. And here the naïve and misinformed people of America voting for presidents like former President Bill Clinton, who in the documentary said, and I quote, “Our Administration has negotiated an agreement, which will open China’s markets to American products made on American soil. Everything from corn to chemicals to computers.” Sellouts like B. Clinton, J. Biden, and Biden’s son, Hunter, to name a few, all contributing to the slow decline and destruction of the American people, businesses, and its lands. And Clinton’s inclusion of the word ‘chemicals’, does that include the mysterious named COVID-19 virus and the various big Pharma inoculations being referred to as life saving human vaccines? The American people only have self to blame for who we put in positions of power. It’s been said… find out just what the people will submit to and you will have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them Donald Johnson, pseudo name

[@Anon1mous]

I don’t understand. If the customers had stayed loyal to the three original grocery stores than they would still be there right? How’s Wal mart to blame? People made their choice. It’s America.

[@powerbottomboi5255]

If the customers didn’t like those three stores who cares. The people chose. Its called capitalism

[@tysonkonken6184]

I would specify not destroying but already destroyed.

[@swallowedinthesea11]

I'm so sick of China ruining our economy and families! Why can't we buy American products made in the US like Apple? We have sold out to foreigners! Enough is enough!

[@DontFeedTheTrolls]

While wages remain low, the cost of living has absolutely skyrocketed!

[@user-xs1qc4ts2w]

Quality is better than cost

[@Natalieneptune469]

I'm 58 and my wife and I are VERY worried about our future, gas and food prices rising daily. We have had our savings dwindle with the cost of living into the stratosphere, we are finding it impossible to replace it. We can get by, but cant seem to get ahead. My condolences to anyone retiring in this crisis, 40years nonstop just for a crooked system to take all you worked for,

[@PhilipMurray251]

I feel your pain, as a fellow retiree I’d suggest you look into passive index fund investing and learn some more. For me,I had my share of ups and downs when I first started looking for a consistent passive income so I hired an investment advisor for aid, and following her advice, I poured $130k in value stocks and digital assets,Up 200k so far and pretty sure I'm ready for whatever comes.

[@marianparker7502]

@@PhilipMurray251 I think it's especially difficult for retirees and near retirees, I know to focus on the long term but the anxiety when you're supposed to be retiring in 3years is super exhausting, I've been looking into hiring a market expert as well

[@Robertgriffinne]

@@marianparker7502 I've been in the red for the past couple months, lost 12k last week alone, Indubitably I've got good companies but profit is still stalling, how did you go around finding an investment-advisor, I wouldn't mind looking yours up.

[@PhilipMurray251]

@@Robertgriffinne My advisor is Nicole Ann Sabin; found her on Bloomberg where she was featured and reached out to her afterwards. You can look her up online if you care for supervision, just search her name.

[@Robertgriffinne]

@@PhilipMurray251 sure advisors are outperforming the market and raising good returns but some are charging fees over fees....seeing that their services are in high demand more than ever....Seems more like extortion to me.

[@melissagottlieb3381]

No it was the death knell for small towns.

[@mrmustangman]

^nail

[@johnl.7754]

With mass communication and transportation if it is not them then it will be someone else

[@CARDINAL701]

People dont HAVE to shop at a Wal Mart. They can choose to shop at a smaller, independent business. But you say Low Low prices and Cheaper to an American, and they'll start salivating like a dog in a hot car.

[@aquaticnstuff7666]

@@mrmustangman no it's not nail lol it's knell. It's the bell that rings when you die. But you're a mustang man lol so you don't understand.

[@kovy689]

@@CARDINAL701 Good point.

[@Diez-PT]

this is a great documentary pairing with the Amazon doc. I learned a lot today. thank you.

[@josephcabrera6396]

I remember watching this many years ago... it angered me because, as a longhaul trucker,, I was seeing all these factories closing all over the country. I saw good manufacturing jobs being outsourced to China, Phillipines, Mexico. And people here were loosing their jobs to this. And Walmart was like the thug with muscles shutting all these factories everywhere.

[@cristinaherrera5321]

And people still question the explosion of homelessness across America. This is one of the big reasons. That is why I can't stand it when ignorant youth throw around, "We need to find a solution". Yeh, the solution would be for big corporations to stop out-sourcing jobs for cheaper product and labour. I am reminded of a discussion I had in the 90's where someone asked, "Have you noticed that clothes are no longer Made In America"? We know where this conversation went. 30 years later, and that discussion is a harsh reality today. No longer do I say in good jest, "I weep for the future". I am not hopeless; I simply have none. I'm just sitting out my days, waiting for the inevitable other boot to drop.

[@andreamitchell4758]

this all because of the international WEJ, have you read it ? Henry Ford was right about them

[@klausschreyer7062]

Pisses me off too to give are hard earn cash to China and Middle East

[@brngranny4djt662]

@@cristinaherrera5321 Well, actually, it all began to happen with our fabulous 43rd President, who was one of the first presidents to align with the ccp (China) to bring about the downfall of the United States!! This has been planned for this country since the assassination of JFK, if not before!!

[@jc.1191]

Now Amazon is here to make it twice as bad.

[@muc405]

I haven't shopped at a Walmart since watching this documentary first time. Still would rather shop at locally owned businesses to keep them going. Screw big box stores.

[@DavidWilliams-qr5yj]

Check your product manufacturing information you might be surprised who you are buying from

[@JG-tt4sz]

Think locally owned stores care about you more than Walmart does?

[@outdoorgearrevival2660]

@@JG-tt4sz Most small businesses care about their customers and the community they service. Owning a small business in America isn't easy or cheap, we have to compete with the Walmart's of the world. If it was just about the money most of us would be doing something else.. In our small business my wife and I pride ourselves in how we treat our customers, operate fairly and with integrity.

[@muc405]

@@JG-tt4sz I think the people who own small businesses care about their communities, customers and employees since they all have a vested interest in making their community prosperous and successful . They are aren't some conglomerate who only sees the bottom line and how to screw over customers and not pay employees a decent wage. I sure as hell would much rather support local businesses rather than put another thin dime in the pocket of the Walton clan.

[@JG-tt4sz]

@@muc405 B.S. Small shop owners are petty people in their petty fiefdoms who have never been schooled in customer service. I hope Walmart crushes them all like the small minded rodents that they are.

[@cherylmailloux9647]

That's why I shop on mercari, Poshmark, ebay and depop,I choose to support the smaller businesses. Even though it's 2 or 3 times more money. I haven't been to a Walmart in a very long time

[@itzcaseykc]

Definitely pros and cons to shopping at Walmart and how it affects our workforce.

[@marktanner8340]

Pro for buying locally's Produce! Paying few cents more locally's worth it! Was NOT happy with Produce purchased at Walmart.

[@lorrainemarez9965]

Walmart closed my small town and now it’s a ghost town! Our town had a beautiful down town with a Hardware Store, Two Men’s Clothing Stores, Drug Store, Shoe Store, Sports Store, 5 and dime Store, two Movie Theaters, Two Video Store, 2 hair style shops, 2 auto repair services, three women’s dress shops, Furniture Store, Flower Shop, Photo Shop, News Paper Shop, Children’s Shop, Appliance Store like Stoves, Refrigerators, and we had a big beautiful community parade very year during our harvest time from our local farms with lots of fresh home grown vegetables and fruits! Now… all the window shops are closed and everything is gone! Walmart Killed our Small Town and now Walmart is the only store within one hundred miles from anything! Walmart kills small community towns permanently!

[@supernova8962]

then why do you shop there? not being sarcastic just trying to figure out what so good about Walmart. Amazon is way better. Been to Walmart maybe 6 times for 30 years .and not by choice..hahaha . I think it's really ghetto. I prefer Target over them. ..thank you on your view.

[@lorrainemarez9965]

@@supernova8962 I don’t shop at Walmart or Amazon. I moved to a big city to find a job. A lot of people moved out and the town now is a ghost town with only one store which is Walmart! It Sucks!

[@einnocrellaw4327]

Maybe your community can start a Farmers Market and purchase produce and meats from local farmers/ranchers. Where I lived for 15 years we supported our local farmers and Amish Communities. Higher Quality overall lower prices.

[@genxx2724]

@@supernova8962 I agree. I’ve been into Walmart a couple of times. It’s low-class.

[@calebmelton5989]

It's not walmarts fault. I'm fed up with the terrible service and low selection at small business.

[@drmdjones]

I worked for walmart (lower case intentional) for over 4 years. From my vantage point what I saw was severe under staffing. This put unreasonable stress on associates expected to do the work of two or three people. Associates were miserable. Management was also stressed because they had to meet expectations without the people required to do this. Managers were miserable. It was a toxic work environment, constant complaining by those allowed to complain, shouting at associates by managers who are not allowed to complain, very poor relations between associates and managers, no appreciation of associates. We went through four store managers and three HR managers in two years. New store managers would come in and within six months they would quit. My life has improved greatly since I quit. I will not shop at wm.

[@christinechristensen7211]

Worked for Wal Mart for 14 yrs same experience sad and not good made about the same money as an hourly associate as I did in management only reason I was able to stay was because I was a second income

[@snicklefritz669]

That's exactly what u.p.s does. And many other companies I'm sure.

[@patland1762]

And the understaffing at the checkout results in people having to scan their items to get out of the store in a reasonable amount of time. In some cases if you mis scan your item or legitimately forget to scan an item you are charged with a crime and get a criminal record.

[@dawnpeters1220]

I know you are telling the truth. my son once worked for Walmart and said the same thing as you. they also would pull one from their job descriptions and place them elsewhere if need be and you had better not complain or you're fired. He didn't stay long cause my son was like the hell with Walmart, he said he didn't need a job that bad to be mistreated or disrespected.

[@bruceinraleigh9999]

Amen. I won't shop at walmart. The place is disgusting in so many ways.

[@ericvardek4108]

EXCUSE me, Hendrick Smith is still alive AND reporting? OUTSTANDING. Always the best. CHeers for old-timers. Huzzah!!

[@lJUSTwanaCOMMENT]

Can't wait to tune in next week!

[@retroboomer3197]

I won't shop at Big Box Stores, let alone Walmart. I've been against them for over twenty years. I tell people about their effects on local economies and I'm always met with an "I don't care" attitude. These same people update their Facebook profiles complaining about not being paid enough and wonder how can things ever improve. I hate this planet.

[@calebmelton5989]

Thank God. These small business were to expensive. Yay walmart.

[@blacksilverchair3315]

In this Biden economy, you have to shop Walmart

[@bearwill4737]

I love the planet, just not the control freak tree monkey's on it.

[@serafinacosta7118]

For those concerned about stretching the dollar… Avoid processed foods. If there is a farmer’s town nearby , that is where you should go in the first place. Medicines won’t make you healthy. Quite the contrary. Sound diets and exercise will improve your health. At last resort , if you must , there are local chain grocers. Most of the apparel sold at Walmart is low quality. It won’t last. It won’t look good after it’s been used. It’s cost x price. The lowest price does not equate to the lowest cost of ownership. That can be extended to housewares. Be frugal about everything else. Americans buy and hoard too much junk. Learn about other cultures. The Dutch, specially around Amsterdam , move mostly around in bikes. That would put you away from those “Retail Power Centers “ where most Walmart stores lease.

[@NorthOfWindsor]

@@blacksilverchair3315Biden has little to no influence on inflation and the economy. But you not knowing that is probably on par with the candidate I think you support

[@michaelobrien8224]

I’m a cashier for Walmart. I never applied for the job. Whenever I buy stuff there I have to act as my own cashier. For my services I get paid $0.00 per hour.

[@clemclemson9259]

wait what? comment makes 0.00 sense

[@dekdeknav9366]

@@clemclemson9259 of course it does.

[@TitoTimTravels]

I do not use the self checkout. If there is not an open register I will walk away from the cart and go elsewhere. My apologies to the worker that has to restock... but such is life. I have had managers ask where I am going, and at Home Depot (not Wal-Mart) quite often the manager will ring me up instead of letting me leave.

[@bobs182]

@@TitoTimTravels I know a guy with a hauling business who uses dump trucks to haul dirt and gravel when he could hire 10 people driving pickup trucks and manually unloading the dirt. He is putting 9 people out of work.

[@frozenhouse5362]

And don't forget you have to supply your own bag(s)

[@johnslaughter5475]

I shop very seldom at Wally-World. I go to Winco foods for most of my foods. They're less expensive than at WW for the exact same product. It's friendlier than WW by a long shot. I use the self-check lanes most of the time and have never been stopped by the Winco worker who is there only to help people. When I was shopping at WW, it was amazing the number of times they did NOT have the item I wanted, that I'd bought there previously. I started keeping track of things and found that they were terrible at keeping their shelves stocked. Also, I found that they really didn't have all that much. I have 2 of their stores fairly close. Both are 20 miles. One is a newer Super store and the other is an older store. The older store, when I still need to go there, is far easier to find things. It still has the same problem it always has of being understaffed. Very difficult to find an associate when you need one. Good for America? Not on your life. They've been putting smaller stores out of business left and right. Many times these are family run stores that were the sole livelihood of the family and extremely appreciated by the local residents. The goods they have are cheap Chinese goods that are made by severely underpaying their workers. WW couldn't care less about the laborers who're making those things. As long as they get cheap stuff to push on Americans, most of whom also do not care. We need our products made in America, even if they're higher priced. There's also the matter of some small WW stores that were in rural towns. WW closed many, if not all of them, leaving those towns without a store of any kind because WW had driven all the locals out of business. Now, the residents are having drive very long distances to get food and necessities. Yep, they have to go to WW because all their extra money is being burned up in the engines of their cars.

[@mhanley2375]

20 years later. Come to Enid Oklahoma. We have two Walmart's, and a vibrant Downtown. But the Mall is vacant.

[@Christiane069]

You forgot to mention that Walmart also refuse to pay it fair share of taxes.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

When you factor in the taxes they avoid and the government assistance their employees rely on to live thanks to their low wages, Walmart is the perfect example of us subsidizing the rich. We're allowing them to suck up all the wealth while the general public has to pay for it elsewhere.

[@Christiane069]

@@anthonydelfino6171 Couldn't say it better myself. Thank you.

[@nslouka90]

Walmart is probably thinking why should they? What is going to happen, they gonna get shut down? That is a disaster waiting to happen.

[@Christiane069]

@@nslouka90 Nope, they do it legally as they make deals with state and local government. Then, when the time limit (part of the deal) ends. They close doors and move on to a different location and start the game all over. Bingo! They win, we loose.... Welcome to America.

[@rebelgaming1313]

Everyone who is is doing this.. welcome to hell, they don’t deserve heaven at all!

[@catbriggs8362]

I shop at Walmart but have noticed lately that some of their prices are higher than I find elsewhere or online. Also, there appears to be a huge and constant turnover in employees. I become familiar with cashiers, pharmacy workers, etc. but in a few months, I see an entirely new crop of people. What happened to the others? Maybe they farm them out to other Walmarts, but I rather doubt it. Training employees costs companies money. Having a constant turnover isn't good business and it isn't, at least to me, a good look for Walmart. I'm on the side of the employees. They're decent, hardworking people who appear to be suffering some kind of weird "failure" to perform to some type of impossible standard.

[@colleenlally-ross7105]

Most likely they are fired rather than given benefits or a raise.

[@DigiTheInformer]

Training only costs money if you want it to have an effect. Most turnover-chum only gets a few videos to watch and then its "do what the computer tells you".

[@kimwhitmore7505]

@@colleenlally-ross7105 Really? Here in "Small Town America" it's all we have within about 50 miles. Our Main Street kind of folded up after Walmart came to town, including our Kmart, which was almost directly across the street from the new Walmart. If KMart had only been able to hold on for a little longer, I think they would have survived & provided some competition. When there's a new store in town, everybody has to check it out for a few months. If other stores can hold on, I believe their customers will return to a place that knows them, & gives personal service.

[@deloresiles2341]

Cat Briggs I know several people who work for Walmart, snd they tell me that Walmart treats their employees like dirt; thus the big turn over so often. Walmart starts most employees at $15 per hour, snd they will quickly fire them on the smallest infraction because they know there’s a long line waiting to replace them. I haven’t shopped there in years!

[@WokeOne75]

Capitalism is exploitative. This is the end result. Large gaps between the "haves" and the "have nots". It pays people not even enough to live on, working fulltime!!! A new form of slavery to employers. CEOs now make 300%+ more than the average worker. This is the hollowing out of the middle class. This creates a situation in which people look to the government and social programs to help people live. Socialism starts to look good to those that simply can not make it. There is a push to privatize everything including schools, for profit of course. This is simply unsustainable. With the historic amount of billionaires in this nation, you still need the middle class to be consumers. Hard to do if no one has money to buy anything beyond essentials. Our politicians are bribed by corporations to ignore their constituents needs in favor of corporate needs and wants, which is always in conflict with is best for the average American.

[@cnoori]

Frontline - please do an update on this show!

[@Shelbyville16]

Love your content. Keep it up!

[@Erik_White]

36:02 "Walmart and China are a joint venture, and both are determined to dominate the U.S. economy"

[@stevensica5918]

Was the disinclination to investigate properly PRC responsibility of Covid a sellout to preserve Wal-Mart?

[@cloudyblaze7916]

Inflation is created by the government/fed, by both shutting down the economy thus reducing output & massively increasing the money supply. Flooding the money supply without increased production reduces demand for dollars causing real inflation.

[@kaylawood9053]

There is a perfect storm forming in America. Inflation, sever drought in the farm belt, the pandemic, food shortages, diesel fuel and heating fuel shortages, baby formula shortage, shortage of and price of available cars, the price of housing. It's all coming together and could lead to real disaster toward the end of this year.(or sooner)

[@bradcornwell3206]

For decades, government policy has been throwing the future under the bus. The day of reckoning is coming. I expect the stock market to crash as much as 80%. Investors will rush out of stocks and into real assets, There's going to be no cash in the banks.... You need a survival plan.

[@jinajung1943]

I do not know much about the market but based on little knowledge i have on economic supply and demand, this is the best time to venture into the market but the only thing holding me back is the steady fluctuations in prices which is not suppose to be a problem, but i really need guidance because i want to use this avenue that everything is on discount to build a dividend yielding portfolio.

[@marielapena6028]

@@jinajung1943 ''Theda Helene Jackson'' does a good job. She is quite the genius in portfolio diversification. You can look her up on the web as she is SEC regulated.

[@insanetubegain]

@@jinajung1943 The stock market is a gamble plain and simple. If you have a problem losing all your investment maybe you should look somewhere else to invest.

[@kermm03]

i love the walmart in burbank, i remember when people were so opposed to it opening. it still has the best prices in town for groceries!

[@dfdemt]

The advertisement at the end gives you the address to buy this frontline episode on VHS. Most people that see this aren’t old enough to remember what a VHS tape was.

[@skyepicus]

WalMart employees in the US receive billions of dollars a year in Medicaid, food stamps and Section 8 housing assistance every year. The federal government literally subsidizes workers that do not make enough money to survive at a 40 hour a week job.

[@fauziamiles3175]

They don't pay well, you just work and remain poor !!

[@franklukas4527]

You can point the finger at our government... We will continue to import and in the process destroy this countries economic balance....

[@fthishandleshit]

U N I O N I Z E

[@bovinityleak2066]

Socialize the cost and privatize the profits. Walmart helped write the book.

[@maxpeck4154]

@@bovinityleak2066 Investment banks wrote the foreword

[@joethebassplayer]

I am so very grateful for Frontline! The "gold-standard" of documentaries!!!

[@kishascape]

Nah BBC Panorama is the standard.

[@SHARON.I]

@@kishascape Nah Frontline PBS is👋✌😊

[@nightoftheworld]

Also DW

[@davisholman8149]

Too liberal too often. They could be less liberal if they tried. Half of the USA is that way & our tax dollars are given to PBS also.

[@joethebassplayer]

@@davisholman8149 how are they" too liberal"? I am sincerely curious.

[@brigettesmith1381]

I know someone who has worked for a Walmart distribution center for close to 20 years and still has to work other jobs to survive.. that is sad

[@daviddavidson9681]

As a type 1 diabetic that had NO health insurance for five years, Walmart's $25 insulin and $9 test strips/glucometers have kept me alive.

[@quail4sale334]

But it was probably Walmart groceries made in China that gave you diabetes in the first place. So Walmart made you sick, and now you get your medicine from Walmart.

[@bensanders7392]

Both some of their retail stores, but mostly a lot of their distribution center facilities are located just outside the city limits....or just beyond some particular county line so that, they do not have to pay real estate taxes or fees to some particular town, city, or county that they would like to do business in, to solicit their customers without contributing taxes base into that particular economy.

[@theresahaines2647]

When Sam Walton was alive he lived in the same ranch home for over 50 years and drove the same truck for 30 years. He always lived a simple life and refused to live a life of a rich man. He valued his employees, offered them stocks to the company, used employees and their families as models for their circulars. Walmart was good to America when Sam Walton was alive, however the day he died, his greedy and corrupt children changed everything Walmart stood for. Such a shame to see a hard working family man’s company turn corrupt because his own children turned out to be evil. I wouldn’t be surprised the Walton kids couldn’t wait for their father to die so they can roll in his hard earned money.

[@bobs182]

Each of the Walton's get about $1 billion annual dividend. Dividends are taxed at a much lower rate than earned income.

[@CM-sy3to]

Don't forget his liberal new wife. Some of the kids wanted to keep the family values and others went with the stepmom.

[@Lynnda86]

Definitely true!! 1 Timothy 6:10 says, "The love of money 💰 🤑 💸 is the root of all evil!". 😈 They will pay in the end. 🔥Matthew 20:16 says, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first.". Unless they repent, they'll pay a MUCH higher price in the end. (Which isn't too far away now!) John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.".

[@davidwright873]

so don't shop there...i don't..

[@marilynwillett804]

@@Lynnda86 True but HE raised them.

[@thanhmcgriff3387]

Let’s see the Cato Institute lawyer go work for Walmart for minimum wage & ask him if Walmart is good for anything but destroying livelihoods.

[@jeffandjodifilms2896]

Well said!!!!

[@efaoncobbgmailcom]

Amen!! 👏🏾👍🏾💯

[@erinmac4750]

I do believe they were the voice for free market capitalism in this doc. I'm betting they think stock buybacks and price gouging are a good business practices.

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

All the cato institute is interested in is the rich getting richer. That's their central objective

[@jeffandjodifilms2896]

@@LukeMcGuireoides Exactly!

[@marientwistle2797]

What that former manager said is true. On the low price items they lure you in but not all prices are lower than competitors. Especially food. I find lower prices that are on sale in lots of other grocery stores that are lower than WalMarts. But they’ve created the mind set that they’re always lower and people fall for it.

[@WillsJazzLoft]

I've known for some time that Walmart doesn't consistently have the lowest prices on its entire inventory. That's implicitly indicated in those morning meetings that they have. It's a good idea to pay close attention to the portion of the documentary that begins at 0:18:57 'What's Behind Wal-Mart's Low Prices'

[@TheCommunicationCoach]

NO, they are cheap and corrupt, which sadly is what many companies also are!

[@kellyanderson2841]

I worked for Wal-Mart for 5 years and they are a pretty shady company. Ask you if you want to work over time and at the end of the week send you home early, so no overtime. That only happened once to me, because I said no after that to overtime. They have done this to numerous employees. Also how they make money off the consumer is because the consumer most of the time isn't watching the prices ring up, which are wrong a lot of the times. Keep your eyes open.

[@toosexy7955]

I checked my receipt, there was a item that I did NOT know, I took back & had to look item up my self, Something I never heard of..the price on my ticket was $25.00, they gave my money back, I don't go to WAL-Mart..CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS..!

[@supernova8962]

And want to know something else.... the manager and employees act if they own this store and is taking money out of there pockets ! When they are taking money out of the consumers.... Just be nice and accept the return. It;'s already bad when you know they shopping at Walmart and not Whole Foods.

[@markinman4012]

@@supernova8962 why Whole Foods? It’s just the more expensive version of Walmart owned by Amazon, for middle class whites who shop there to feel better about themselves.

[@springchickena1]

@@markinman4012 thanks, ill go to neimans and saks. That' also an option. people choose their lives? no kidding.

[@carollynt]

@@markinman4012 Whole Foods stocks many locally sourced produce items, more organic items and more trendy deli items, not just macaroni salad and fried chicken. It's nothing like Wal-Mart.

[@4040Collective]

2 years after this aired Five Rivers Electronic Innovations last fall filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and this winter halted its production of TV sets. The company had been the only American-owned television manufacturer remaining in this country. The other TV plants in the U.S. are Japanese-owned.Sep 21, 2006

[@Kyle-bb9zp]

Walmart in Watkins Glen NY put my dad's store out of business back in 2004. Closed his doors after 21 years of business he sold office supplies and had a radio shack the last 6 years. My dad was a small business owner. Bring back the malls they were awesome 👍👍👍👍👍👍.

[@jondoe9548]

The fact that we get free documentaries on KZbin by FRONTLINE PBS is truly a gift 👍👍👍

[@jondoe9548]

What about Target?

[@conradjarrett9316]

I lived in a small, touristy town in NE Oklahoma when a "super" Wal-Mart opened on the south end of town. Within a year, the main street of the town was decimated with dozens of small business owners driven out of business, from hardware stores, bakeries, cafes, frame shops, shoe stores, clothing stores, destroyed. Now, 30 years later, the main street has still not recovered.

[@8000RPM.]

I know EXACTLY what you mean. I have also witnessed it.

[@Armand56]

I remember when Walmart first came out, they said that they would only sell products that were made in America. At first, you would always see Made In America signs all over the store. Now you don't see them. That's ashamed what they have done.

[@sherrykreminski4771]

This is eye opening for me

[@jaepayne5844]

Here's the truth: you usually get what you pay for. I remember more than once my parents getting me a bicycle from Walmart. Multiple parts from those bikes broke down within a year EVERY TIME. While I was in highschool my parents were about to buy a bike for my sister and I insisted they pay more money and actually buy a bike from a bike shop. They did, and that bike still works 10 years later (it just needs maintenance on it's tires). Walmart will often bid so low to companies, that said companies that usually make a decent product will be forced to make a cheaper product just for Walmart, and package it just the same (except more maybe a Walmart symbol on it). If you're buying something that you want to last a long time, it's usually best to go to a store that specializes in that product.

[@marniekilbourne608]

Very few stores specialize in one product anymore. Everything is mass retail. At least you can see the items at Walmart. You never know what you might get from Amazon on some things.

[@lorainefleeman6011]

I would not buy a kid's bike from a bike shop. Walmart for that. But for bikes they intend to keep for years, yes, a bike shop. Kids outgrow bikes like crazy, so no point in spending hundreds of $.

[@matthewtanner7511]

That’s not true, that company is gonna make the cheapest product it can make for everyone so they can try to get higher margins

[@higherlifts420]

​@@lorainefleeman6011I still have my road bike from when I was 10. Only bike to make it. Only bike that wasn't bought from Walmart

[@SgtJoeSmith]

@@marniekilbourne608 you cant make a living wage selling 1 thing only. greedy customers look prices up on phone to see what they are on amazon or ebay or elsewhere and want you to price match or they walk out. i know a lot of store owners that closed to go work for walmart or amazon to make more money.

[@RuckRuRaggie]

If I have to scan and bag my own groceries they should at least give a 10% discount after all I'm doing a job they're not paying me for...

[@gulfportflamefighter4545]

And we keep going supporting them. Its a shame.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

Did that one guy say Wal-Mart has given consumers an increase in income? A decrease in spending maybe, but not income.

[@richtygart6855]

I don't go to Walmart when I want quality food though. I always go to Albertsons in Boise if I want to get high quality bread, seafood and a specially state or cheese.

[@mariannec9154]

Frontline always delivers clear informative documentaries. I am grateful for their great work.

[@asmauyusuf7802]

I remember friends calling me crazy when I started but i now shut up them with my four figure weekly returned

[@ahmedbukar8633]

How much exactly does she make of you in every trade don't mind me asking

[@springchickena1]

this is highly informative, not just something raising questions about space or hisotrical artifacts, they've explained things about walmart I didn't know in my years of studying it's buyers since I knew a inheritant of the time warner fortune who had personal friends who were managers at wal-mart stores for this very reason.. the timing worked perfectly for selling cable to people. Now that there's disney + walmart + netflix + plus + + plus idk what to say about the retail electric store. I know these jobs that have to inputing data into computer selling buying and making barcodes is a easy position and pays over the average pay, supports a lot of good people who otherwise might not have skills to make the same wage anywhere else. I guess my biggest take away is wal-mart is an all american brand, and compared to amazon it's similarities are striking; with the end result being the same lower prices by market demand. If people were willing to pay more for their products companys will similarly try to pay less to improve profits no matter the cost or legality.

[@roxaskinghearts]

thank you this needs more debate

[@crotalusatrox7931]

Went to local grocery store the other day, great selection of fresh produce, meats and other groceries. Went to check out and surprise there's still a cashier/checker and a bagger besides. Felt like old school.

[@Tendomcgoobin]

Alright.

[@brandonl6196]

And how much more did you have to spend

[@crotalusatrox7931]

@@brandonl6196 Prices comparable to Wal-mart. Some items higher some lower.

[@davisholman8149]

@@crotalusatrox7931 I shop the sales - most stores have sale prices cheaper than Walmart. Walmart used to price match the sale items. I only have a handful of items I can get cheaper at Walmart.

[@bobs182]

I went to Publix grocery store today and checked out in the self check out.

[@cooper7031]

The song at the end "Wonderful World " reminds me of a dog commercial 😂

[@VWonder737]

This explains why Rubbermaid containers were hard to find. Small businesses have been protesting Walmart since it began expanding, so not surprised.

[@Len1977gt]

YES! Keep uploading these older programs! They bring back memories!

[@AA123TD]

rewatching the beginning of the end of the US.

[@pyromcr]

Really messed up how Walmart of 2004 looks good by todays standards. We've fallen so far so fast.

[@kennethrohen5963]

But Wal-Mart attracts all of the sideshow weirdos, which is the only reason to go there--for a lot of laughs.

[@paulatwood998]

@@kennethrohen5963 boy ain't that the truth!

[@amberhenson289]

I had one of them tvs around 2004 it was a good one

[@nslouka90]

That clip of the employees finding socks and calculating profit margins is the type of stuff I learned in college and they’re teaching to them at Walmart? 😩

[@kishascape]

Well at least they actually had valid products back then that actually worked and werent stripped down junk versions made specifically for walmart.

[@austinshipman131]

As a physical/cyber security analyst, those people holding the doors open for others in a restricted area just erks me lol

[@EeliusAstaroth]

I know someone who sabotaged a dear relationship I had with my first love so they could steal them away. They posed to be for a lot of things that are supposed to be wholesome towards people and the human spirit. They went to college to study anthropology, and did a weird study based on their (now) husband's cousin and their death, and how people pay their respects to the dead online. A lot of how they went about it was shady, and they even used their husband who, me now seeing their true colors, also befriended me again to benefit their wifes studies in that regard without consent rather than legitimately coming together as a platonic friendship. I even heard stories from the husband how they interviewed others whom they talked poorly about afterwards while still pretending to be friends. All of it ended up being some weird, creepy way to collect data for their "research", but it was also research the colleges were endorsing which was overall concerning for me given the level of disrespect and overall attempt to eliminate old, cultural traditions in lieu of new tech advancements that may or may not be for the betterment of mankind. They recently became a working member of Walmart that, again, collects data about people to "improve business" even though we've seen more than enough of the aftermath of where that research is really going. I mainly wanted to address that so people can understand the kind of douchebags that help support this corrupt conglomerate/monopoly.

[@laurendoe168]

One trick that WalMart plays is making its products have a unique model number. The product may be exactly the same as the product at another store, but the model number will be intentionally different. If you go to Walmart and say "I found this item cheaper at another store", they'll point to the model number and say, "Nope, that's different" and deny you a refund.

[@avictorianicholas]

@Lauren Doe 💯 👍🏿 👍🏾 👍🏽 👍🏼 👍🏻 👍 this is so annoying true.

[@theamerican7080]

Town Fair Tire has been pulling the same scam for decades.

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

Why would Walmart refund you for something you bought elsewhere‽

[@theamerican7080]

@@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou Price matching.

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

@@theamerican7080 Ah, ok, Walmart hasn't price matched since before the pandemic. People also prefer the model of Post Grape Nuts sold by Walmart, but had the pandemic not happened, Walmart would have further raised pricing unchecked. Customers got lucky!

[@LuckyDogProductions]

Being in a Walmart or a Same club just bring SADNESS, a feeling that everything is going from lack of customer service to mechanized garbage selling cheap crap for cheap. We avoid Walmart at all costs. You SMELL how bad they treat their people.

[@ronaldroth9719]

I worked for Walmart. It was not the low wages that was the problem, it was the inconsistencies and unpredictability of the schedule. The number of hours you worked each week and the times you were scheduled would preclude any advance planning. One week I would have 35 hours, and the next week I would have 11 hours. I couldn't plan anything because my shifts would change daily. The job I worked required consistency. The management would undermine my ability to deliver service to my customers. Why? It was self defeating. I single handedly produced a customer base. They doubled their capacity by installing new equipment. I cooked rotisserie chicken. It was a loss leader that brought customers into the store. I was able to attract customers by interacting with them. Most of my fellow workers were afraid of the customers. They wouldn't make eye contact. This was because of the management. If a disgruntled customer made a complaint there was h** l to pay. I didn't care. One customer demanded that I be disabplened (sp) The manager said she was not going to disablene me in front of the customer. Bless her heart. I was ultimately fired because I didn't report the cook temperature properly. The equipment I needed was unavailable and I was not trained in the alternate method.. My conclusion is that Walmart is bad for the country because of how they treat their workers. These people are willing to give their all but they are treated badly. Remember that when you receive poor customer service. It's not the person, it's the culture.

[@cynthiahunt595]

Yes you are right. I worked at Sam's Club. It is like a cult and if you dont perform you are out of a job fast. Nevada has a hiring policy that they don't have to have a reason to fire you for any reason

[@davisholman8149]

@@cynthiahunt595 That is why I have never been a member of Sam’s Club. I am a Costco customer & they treat their employees very well.

[@cynthiahunt595]

@@davisholman8149 thank you for saying that. I'm going to go Cosco now 🙂

[@MusicLover-ui9sm]

All places are the same Low wages Selling the cheapest stuff at a higher and higher prices

[@helencole733]

Is there an up to date documentary about Wal-Mart? This one was released in 2004.

[@shannoncoleman4095]

Years ago NAFTA was implemented and the jobs left went overseas , steel plants such as Youngstown Ohio and Pittsburg lost jobs and closed down . this drove down wages people had to take lower paying jobs , this led to folks wanting to lower cost items , Walmart comes along and provides this , this forces stores like Kmart into problems , this causes a ripple effect with other retailers ,That's just my thoughts I'm no economist but the law of supply and demand occurs . I do think that no one company should have a monopoly on the market , I think competition is good for the economy .

[@MrEric2cu]

As a former Walmart employee, they bullied us just as much as the manufacturers. They pay dirt wages and if you are interested in medical insurance for your family, you're STRONGLY persuaded to pay for insurance Walmart conveniently provides. At the end of the month you're paying more to them than they are to you. EVERYTHING is done with a stopwatch. If stocking, you're told how many items you need to put away in a minute. They literally stand behind you and around corners.They're so bold, they'll remind you often of how expendable you are if your pace is too slow. Employees have to hide injuries from trying to keep up. Any noticeable limp or muscle strain they see, that person is quickly terminated.

[@dalewhite5152]

CUT THROATS ...look at the USA today ..a drop in a standard of living like i couldnt have imagined..WAKE UP FOLKS

[@NobodyNeedstoknow-bq5px]

Yeah, I worked for them for a year and the insurance they offered me literally cost more than my full week paycheck. It was fuking ridiculous that they could legally offer insurance required by law, but could make me pay more for the insurance than they paid me.

[@cyrusdubash3097]

As a displaced worker with a disability, I've seen people with disability discriminated against several times. The most noticeable name for me is Aldi grocery store.

[@timstark1423]

If everyone that shopped at Walmart would stop shopping at Walmart for one day just imagine how bad it would be for Walmart

[@kimberlyyoder7136]

Now that I think of it, my credit card offers me 5% reward points when I shop at Walmart. I've wanted to boycott before. Now it's time to bite the bullet.

[@Kyle-bb9zp]

Yeah my wife and I only shop there only if we can't get it at tops market. Walmart put my dad store out of business in 2004. Watkins Glen NY

[@chinaboss6683]

It wouldnt hurt them one bit.

[@secretsquirrel1534]

Would take a Month or Two of that Happening before Walmart would do Anything !!!

[@joshuagharis9017]

Lesson: capitalism sucks for 99% of us. PERIOD 😊

[@HwnDragon1]

In Hilo I love the delivery and shipping. I’m a Senior and don’t drive. In Hawaii we need the low prices 😮 be hard to eat

[@bensanders7392]

When they construct a store location they own all the surrounding nearby real estate parcels adjacent....so that they can charge rent to all the nearby small stores next door/ in the driveway leading up to their parking lot.

[@blackhawk7r221]

When over 80% of the consumer goods are Chinese…..and they buried our other options like Montgomery Wards, Sears, Woolco, Howard’s, Gibsons, Wilson’s, etc.

[@alexkriaras8351]

Goldblatts

[@alexkriaras8351]

Zaires

[@renees1021]

In the time since Walmart has come into two towns where I live(d), I've seen both Main Streets nearly die [both trying to revive with foo-foo shops instead of department stores] and the same for malls and strip malls. 85-90% grocery stores gone. K-Mart gone. Dollar General & Family Dollar have come and 2 Farm stores in the larger town. Low-Income wages stagnated for a couple decades. 70% manufacturing gone. Very little new homes, no new low income homes. Prices skyrocketed. Walmart's low prices are an illusion with brainwashing. Walmart prices are just below everyone else's enough to guarantee they'll be the last one standing. Customer Service isn't a priority anymore but surveillance and shop lifters are... FTC just this week Suing Walmart for enabling fraudsters to swindle customers and even some employees are part of it. Very little Made in America now. Walmart also changes city areas. Business wanting to survive relocate near Walmart. Economic doom for old addresses.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

Oh yeah that's exactly Walmart's playbook. They absolutely run new stores in small towns at a loss for several years to dry up competition before raising prices back up to their normal levels, or sometimes higher. At that point, too, more jobs are lost than Walmart brought in, and the jobs Walmart did bring are lower paid than the jobs they destroyed. I watched it happen to several towns in my home state, and it's so sad every time. And what's worse, every time these small towns hear they're getting a Walmart, they all got so excited for it, then years later, you'll hear people say it was the worst mistake they ever made for their town.

[@Tamar-sz8ox]

Yes, I hear you ! Agreed !

[@Growmap]

@@anthonydelfino6171 Sometimes they don't. Kaufman, Texas lucked out when the location Wal-mart wanted wasn't zoned for liquor. By the time they could get that changed, they decided to build somewhere else. The small business owners had time to try to stop them from ever coming there. Some towns have been successful at it. Holyoke, Massachusetts kept them out back in 2013 and it looks like they're still out. But Kaufman business owners must have failed as there is one there now. Too bad Americans weren't smart enough to not shop there -- and still aren't smart enough to quit doing it.

[@ltmundy1164]

@Anthony Delfino Predatory pricing combined with off sourcing (starting just before NAFTA) has become the standard business model since Sam Walton's death. Combined with vertical integration (in practice if not in legal fact.)

[@PraveenSriram]

I worked at Walmart for 7.5 years and I’m really glad i left that company in December 2016 and rather have worked for Target 🎯

[@davideverett5214]

I worked in the grocery business for 20 years. In Arizona Walmart built a small grocery store right across the street from my store! My store closed within 3 months! I haven't bought a single thing from Walmart or Amazon, I may be the only person in America!

[@Dustinwhy8]

This isn’t a Wal-Mart issue…it’s the cost of globalization🤷🏻‍♂️.

[@rebelgaming1313]

Correct and not only just Walmart other companies and grocery stores are much included!

[@hiroshir]

I have never been to a walmart, I live on Guam. I choose to believe that companies who take care of their employees, customers, wildlife and the environment are good for America.

[@TattedIrishxxx]

Well that’s not Walmart nor really any other big corporations!

[@3orM00Rrecharacters]

Sadly, hiroshi, companies like Walmart are really only interested in providing value to their shareholders… the “owners” of the company. This brings with it all kinds of terrible consequences, to save money, make money, or hold on to money. Who is to blame? It’s easy to say “Wall Street”, but if you go back in history, the real blame falls on free market capitalism. Like the saying goes: Capitalism is dreadful, almost as much as the alternative (Socialism).

[@kimberlyyoder7136]

@@3orM00Rrecharacters I think you miss the mark. Without capitalism, we would be using the barter system. Which also can lead to greed. It comes down to do we still have a Moral compass? When it comes to helping, dealing with, working with, or for other ppl, how do we train ourselves and our children to be fair, compassionate, and NOT greedy.?.

[@ASmith-sd4yc]

When I was about 25 years old my Dad sent me on a mission. He wanted me to buy a file, a very specific kind of file. Dad wanted to sharpen some dull knives in the kitchen daw for Mom. Trust me, Dad knows how to sharpen a knife. I went to Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and elsewhere. Nobody had this file. I finally went to an old, dilapidated hardware store, with wooden floors, and products that had been on the shelves for years. There was one other person in the store, the proprietor. I told him what I wanted. He took me to a desk where he had all these catalogs. We opened a Nicholson catalog and eventually found what I was looking for. I actually bought 2, one for Dad and one for myself thinking to myself, "I will never find these files again". First of all even today Walmart nor any place else would have helped me as this old man did. Secondly, I knew at the time that what is in this documentary would eventually happen. About 5 years later the hardware store closed. This all took place about 35 years ago. Another thing that should be added is during this time, everything in Walmart was advertised as being "Made In The USA", everything, big banners in the store, on TV commercials, etc. What happened to that?

[@Untouchable771]

It’s amazing that this video is 20 years old and the fact is that the treads that this goes through described as they continue to get worse. Walmart is now still one of the top competitors but now there’s multiple people doing this you have Amazon, who is taking over Walmart number one spot. The problem is is that Amazon does it completely different they don’t have a storefront they just sell everything online. The fact is that the US economy has lost so much because of our reliance on foreign production.