Why I Won't Shop at Walmart

"Oh, you're too good for Walmart?" is the response I generally get when I've expressed my preference to never shop at a Walmart. I promise you, my aversion to Walmart has nothing to do with thinking I'm above it. Who doesn't like great prices? But Walmart's prices come at a higher cost and as we are on the eve of Thanksgiving and the beginning of the season of shopping, I wanted to take a moment to speak out. 

Did you know that many of Walmart's employees are living below the poverty line?

This study, released in May by congressional Democrats, found that just one Walmart Supercenter in Wisconsin was costing taxpayers $900,000 a year. It's summary states:

When low wages leave Wal-Mart workers unable to afford the necessities of life, taxpayers pick up the tab. Taxpayer- funded public benefit programs make up the difference between Wal-Mart’s low wages and the costs of subsistence.

So while you're saving at a Walmart register, chances are your tax money is going to help Walmart employees stay afloat. 

To me, it isn't just about money, it isn't about taxes or welfare, it's about the principle, it's about people who are struggling to support their families and a corporation choosing do do nothing about it. 

Here's a story of Walmart employees encouraged to donate goods to be given to other Walmart employees unable to provide Thanksgiving for their families.  The article states that Walmart doesn't contribute on a corporate level. 

Comparatively:

"A half century ago America’s largest private-sector employer was General Motors, whose full-time workers earned an average hourly wage of around $50, in today’s dollars, including health and pension benefits" says to Richard Reich, former Secretary of Labor,  in this great article on his blog entitled "Why You Shouldn't Shop at Walmart on Friday".

Currently, around the country Walmart employees are attempting to take a stand, striking for better wages and I choose to support them by not shopping at Walmart. 

*If you shop at Walmart, no judgement is intended, I merely seek to share my perspective on an injustice I see. I realize there are other companies I could put on blast for similar practices, but I felt the need to write this post as I continue to see Walmart in the news not only for it's employees attempts to strike for better wages but also  it's CEO's stepping down after that whole bribery in Mexico scandal, and continued alligations of poor factory conditions where their products are made.