Wal-Mart to Shut Hundreds of Stores

[cali]

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to close 269 stores, including its experimental small-format Express outlets, in a push to streamline the chain that will eliminate 16,000 jobs.

The move by the largest private employer in the U.S. affects 154 locations domestically, according to a statement Friday. Overseas, the effort includes the closing of 60 money-losing stores in Brazil, a country where Wal-Mart has struggled. The plan will affect less than 1 percent of its total square footage and revenue, the company said.

<snip>


The cutbacks will affect 10,000 workers in the U.S., but Wal-Mart will give employees the chance to relocate to nearby stores. It also will provide 60 days of pay and one week of severance for each year with the company. Wal-Mart has 1.4 million employees in the U.S. and 800,000 abroad.

McMillon had signaled to investors that he was considering closing some stores during the company’s investor meeting in October. Still, the move doesn’t mean Wal-Mart is reducing its overall U.S. footprint, the retailer said on Friday. It plans to open 50 to 60 supercenters in the U.S. this year and 85 to 95 neighborhood markets, which are about the size of a typical grocery store.

<snip>
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-15/wal-mart-to-shut-hundreds-of-stores-including-express-locations

[jonno99]

1. I forget, are we supposed to celebrate - or be sad - about bad Wal-mart news?

[clarice]

11. In this case...I think sad. All of those poor people losing their jobs. .....

IMO....no reason to celebrate.

[jonno99]

14. Agreed. However, It seems that there are some on DU who are happy

to cut off their nose (workers) to spite their face (Walmart).

Makes poor sense to me...

[clarice]

16. I agree...it's always baffling when anyone puts ideology before actual humans. nt

[Kingofalldems]

24. WalMart has taxpayers pay for things they won't. Fact.

[Kingofalldems]

25. Like Walmart does.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_and_Dimed

[sinkingfeeling]

2. So 7-11 and Circle K can breathe a sign of relief that

the Express stores aren't going to be in every town.

[NightWatcher]

3. Just so Obama can turn them into FEMA warehouses for patriots who don't turn in there guns

Channeling my inner Alex Jones.

[madinmaryland]

29. LOL!! Thread win!!

[dumbcat]

4. Good

WalMart sucks.

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. Yes, it does.

But 10,000 low-skilled employees without jobs is nothing to celebrate. Stores or no stores, the Waltons aren't the ones suffering.

[clarice]

9. Ditto that. nt

[dumbcat]

15. True, but

it is for the common good. If we really cared more about the workers we would all go out and buy stuff from Walmart so they were more profitable at those stores and the workers could keep their jobs. But I don't see many of us advocating that.

What we really want is for Walmart to take less profit and pay their workers more. And not reward their investors so well. It's hard to do that if some stores are losing money. Should we try to support those losing stores to help their workers?

[Blue_Adept]

5. Supposedly 90% of the stores closed are within 10 miles of another one

That may not seem like a problem for someone like me here in MA, since we actually have two Target's inside the same sprawling town, but when you get elsewhere it can be really problematic. A problem of over-expansion being corrected.

[KamaAina]

6. "Brazil, a country where Wal-Mart has struggled"

Ordem e progresso!

[callous taoboy]

8. Good. I despise Mal-Wart.

I used to work there in college and it was a depressing experience. Upper management were misogynistic and racist.

[clarice]

10. But what about all of those people losing their jobs? I think that is the REAL issue. nt

[callous taoboy]

12. I feel for them, but where a Mal-Wart closes

perhaps a Costco will be built. A number of friends and family have abandoned Sam's Club and have joined Costco, a much better run company which treats its employees much, much better. Predatory companies like Mal-Wart must be shown the door.

[clarice]

13. I respect your opinion..but

I'm not sure that I agree. I think that all of us feel good when a company that we don't like closes,
but I think that we also forget how that closing affects REAL Americans.

[jonno99]

17. If we are to focus entirely on the employees then I agree. However, there are many on fixed

incomes who greatly appreciate (rely even) on Walmarts low prices...

[callous taoboy]

18. Yes, because Mal-Wart does such fine work with salaries and bennies.

The company is parasitic. They actually train new employees on how to go on public assistance. They "churn" employees- High turn over is part of their business model to help watch their bottom line. Read Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickel and Dimed for more detailed info on why Mal-Wart is one of the worst companies. And in terms of low income people needing this hideous company in order to survive: I'm a public school teacher working in the lowest paid district in TX and yet I make out just fine without them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_and_Dimed

BTW- What's this REAL Americans stuff?

[jonno99]

19. Thank you for presenting the workers side of the anti-walmart argument.

Btw - I don't disagree with your points.

However, The workers POV is not the only POV. Those who are on a fixed income might prefer a walmart over a costco (my original response) - for the simple reason that they might not find it convenient or even possible to buy food in bulk.

(not to mention that "let the poor shop at costco" sounds a little bit like "let them eat cake..." )

[callous taoboy]

20. Thanks for the concession, but you read too much into my post or

maybe you are confused in thinking that I am coming at this from the position of let them eat cake. I'll say it again: Mal-Warts dry up, and perhaps other, better forms of similar employment SUCH AS Costco move in to offer better jobs, salaries, bennies to displaced Mal-Wart workers. I boycott the local Mal-Wart in hopes that it may help in facilitating their demise. Win-win.

[jonno99]

21. Again, I don't disagree with your point. However, again they

represent the worker's POV.

In your "win-win" scenario (costco replaces walmart), the workers are one winner.

Who is the other winner?

[callous taoboy]

22. Myself, and other people who won't set foot in Mal-Wart.

[jonno99]

26. So, what you're really talking about is a win-win-loose.

iow - let the poor folks shop at Costco.

Got it...

[WillowTree]

28. Is there any history of Costcos opening up to replace WalMarts that have closed.

Have there been many of those?

[craigmatic]

23. I went to one of the closing stores yesterday. It was sad.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

27. Walmart was supposed to open two more stores in DC

in under-served areas...they pulled the plug on those as well, and the DC mayor is furious about it.