Thursday, July 28, 2005

Wal-Mart turns Chinese

Wal-Mart has just opened a new store in Shanghai, China. This, to me, is not that big of an event. Well, except for one thing that nags at the back of my mind.

When Wal-Mart first started making its big push, several decades ago, its big advertising spiel was that it bought and sold American made goods at every opportunity.

While 'buying' American made products, it drove the manufacturers into the ground by forcing them to sell at cut-rate prices. If the manufacturers wouldn't sell at the prices that Wal-Mart mandated, they would simply buy from China. All the while saying that they bought American.

The small shop owner in many towns throughout America couldn't compete and went under. The workers at the stores, in need of a job, end up at Wal-Mart. More often than not working for less than they made before.

I guess now they can run the same spiel on the Chinese. 'We buy Chinese whenever possible' they can spout, as they probably look to cheaper manufacturers elsewhere. I suppose we can call it Wal-Mart nationalism.

Since Sam Walton died the company has changed its spiel from 'we buy American' to 'everyday low prices'. Wal-Mart does sell at low prices. It's to bad they chose to do so while undercutting the American way of life for the ordinary wage earner in America.

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