Bought a really nice lined windbreaker at Walmart today,

[rafterman]

for like $15.....made guess where?.....Bangladesh.

I mean for $15 the 12 year old kid in a child sweat shop in Bangalore is making 15 cents a unit on a piece meal basis and no pension, health, dental plan etc. for this young guy.

Damn, how can anybody compete with Walmart?

But international trade economics suggests that free trade is the path to improved standards of living right?

Anyhoo.....I going back tomorrow to get myself a new wallet to replace tha falling apart piece of shit I 've had for the last 30 years. Probably can get something for two bucks.

Ha ha ha.......Walmart rules the universe.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Yepper!
A lot of Yanks think that way to and that's why the USA is going bankrupt one State after another!....

 

[sweetcookie]

Walmart sucks.I NEVER shop there.Shame on you!

 

[Mod100]

Yepper!
A lot of Yanks think that way to and that's why the USA is going bankrupt one State after another!....

Ditto.

 

[Ironhead]

for like $15.....made guess where?.....Bangladesh.

I mean for $15 the 12 year old kid in a child sweat shop in Bangalore is making 15 cents a unit on a piece meal basis and no pension, health, dental plan etc. for this young guy.

Damn, how can anybody compete with Walmart?

But international trade economics suggests that free trade is the path to improved standards of living right?

Anyhoo.....I going back tomorrow to get myself a new wallet to replace tha falling apart piece of shit I 've had for the last 30 years. Probably can get something for two bucks.

Ha ha ha.......Walmart rules the universe.

It was 30C out today. Where were you born, in Mexico ?

 

[Nickelodeon]

It was 30C out today. Where were you born, in Mexico ?

Too funny...that's what I was thinking but Ironhead damns political correctness.

 

[rafterman]

But I live in Alberta where its raining and 10C. as per usual for the May long weekend.

 

[Cycleguy007]

Shows how little you really know about this situation...

Working conditions have improved on an EXPONENTIAL scale in the far east in recent years... and Walmart's social compliance standards are amongst the highest in the world. (I know from personal experience it is higher than Columbia Sportswear, Timberland and Wolverine World Wide amongst many others....)

If you think this situation is unique to Walmart... think again.

Walmart is simply giving the consumer what it wants... and they are very good at it. Can't fault them for that.

Having said this, although I do shop at Walmart, I don't buy clothing there, DVD's, toiletries, household goods etc, yes, but not clothing.

 

[rafterman]

Alright then I don't need to hang my head in shame as I walk in.....ha ha ha and out with my purchases.

 

[masterchief]

But international trade economics suggests that free trade is the path to improved standards of living right?

And as history has shown us…it works. I mean the simplest explanation is that “Free trade is essential for human rights” ... unfortunately the end of that sentence is "we hope, because nothing else has worked."

 

[SkyRider]

I mean for $15 the 12 year old kid in a child sweat shop in Bangalore is making 15 cents a unit on a piece meal basis and no pension, health, dental plan etc. for this young guy.

If not for Wal-Mart that kid in Bangladesh might be making 0 cents. Plus, 15 cents goes pretty far over there. Low cost labour was how Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, India, China, etc. got thjeir economic start.

 

[fuji]

If not for Wal-Mart that kid in Bangladesh might be making 0 cents. Plus, 15 cents goes pretty far over there. Low cost labour was how Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, India, China, etc. got thjeir economic start.

Yeah, exactly. As nasty as it is if the choice is between scavaging a garbage dump for food, or working at 15 cents a unit then you're damning that kid to the garbage dump if you take the job away. You can't even get around it by declaring a fair wage must be paid: At higher wages you can hire better/faster workers and the kid still winds up living in a garbage dump.

The fact that he's willing to work at 15 cents means that he feels the job pays better than his next best alternative.

 

[blueflame]

Yeah, exactly. As nasty as it is if the choice is between scavaging a garbage dump for food, or working at 15 cents a unit then you're damning that kid to the garbage dump if you take the job away. You can't even get around it by declaring a fair wage must be paid: At higher wages you can hire better/faster workers and the kid still winds up living in a garbage dump.

The fact that he's willing to work at 15 cents means that he feels the job pays better than his next best alternative.

i think your missing the point... yes 15 cents is better than 0 but why not give the kid a buck..

 

[fuji]

i think your missing the point... yes 15 cents is better than 0 but why not give the kid a buck..

If you are going to spend a buck, why not hire someone better skilled?

 

[papasmerf]

i think your missing the point... yes 15 cents is better than 0 but why not give the kid a buck..

Guess you need to examine the cost of living to know what a fair wage is.

But remember as wages go up the cost of living tends to rise at the same rate.

 

[Meister]

i think your missing the point... yes 15 cents is better than 0 but why not give the kid a buck..

Because then the whole greed thing doesn't work anymore. It means those countries would have to let a middle class develop, something that provides a high standard of living for the average citizen, like in Canada. The corrupt politicians and factory owners would never let that happen, it would end the gravy train.
There are only a handful of countries that have overcome this abusive, corrupt way of society, such as Singapore and Japan.

 

[K Douglas]

Let's expose the faults in the OP's thesis

1. Bangalore is in India, not Bangladesh
2. Wal-Mart has agencies in all these countries that enforce compliance to labor laws of all their suppliers. The company has far greater ethics than many other multinational corporations.

If it weren't for Wal-Mart these countries would have far higher unemployment. The spin-off jobs are astronomical.

 

[Rockslinger]

If it weren't for Wal-Mart these countries would have far higher unemployment. The spin-off jobs are astronomical.

Some people believe it is better to not work than work for a modest wage. Some people would rather collect welfare than work for a modest wage.

 

[slowandeasy]

for like $15.....made guess where?.....Bangladesh.

I mean for $15 the 12 year old kid in a child sweat shop in Bangalore is making 15 cents a unit on a piece meal basis and no pension, health, dental plan etc. for this young guy.

Damn, how can anybody compete with Walmart?

But international trade economics suggests that free trade is the path to improved standards of living right?

Ha ha ha.......Walmart rules the universe.

That same factory in Bangladesh produces the same windbreaker but slaps a Ralph Lauren Logo on it. That Ralph Lauren windbreaker sells for $140, but the
kid in the sweat still only makes 15 cents. feel better??

 

[afterhours]

The fact that he's willing to work at 15 cents means that he feels the job pays better than his next best alternative.

+1
and Canadians should also think of how to use good looking women from Bangladesh at a discounted rate (not that I know any good looking woman from there, but I hope they have some).