After years of hounding Debbie Shank and her family, Wal-Mart says it will finally do the right thing.
Today, Wal-Mart agreed to allow the Shank family to keep the money they won from the trucking company responsible for Debbie's injuries.
Finally, the Shank family can put their fight with Wal-Mart behind them and focus on taking care of Debbie.
This was all possible thanks to the tremendous support from people like you.
Jim Shank released the following statement today thanking you and the rest of Debbie's supporters:
"I am grateful that Wal-Mart has seen their error and decided to rectify it. I just wish it hadn't taken them so long, this never should have happened. I sincerely hope no other family ever has to go through this.
"My thanks go first and foremost to my lord and savior Jesus Christ for the strength to bear up under all this. Thanks also to the citizens of the United States - it wasn't me who made this happen, it was the outcry of the people, and if there's a lesson in this story it's that 'we the people' still means something."
You showed Wal-Mart that we will not sit back while the retail giant takes advantage of a working family in need.
And Wal-Mart showed that it will never do the right thing unless we stand up, express our outrage, and force it to make the moral choice. That's why we need to continue to pressure Wal-Mart to do right by its 1.3 million American employees on issues like health care, discrimination, and working conditions.
For the Shank family, this is a bittersweet victory. Debbie's injuries will last a lifetime, and the emotional toll of this ordeal won't go away easily. But now they have one less obstacle to overcome -- and you helped make that happen.
On behalf of the Shank family and all of us at Wal-Mart Watch, thank you for your support.
Wal-Mart scolds business over healthcare By Jonathan Birchall and Francesco Guerrera in New York
Last updated: April 2 2008
The chief executive of Wal-Mart has criticised US business for not taking a lead in the debate on the future of US healthcare ahead of the presidential elections in November.
Lee Scott said in a Financial Times interview that he was “not particularly encouraged” by the public debate on the issues.
“I think government is going to be engaged after this election regardless of who wins, and I think business should be more involved in the discussion. I think it has long-term ramifications for our global competitiveness.”
Mr Scott said Wal-Mart, which has more than 1.3m US employees, had not taken “a firm stand” on what a national healthcare system might look like.
The retailer has in the past argued that reforms should focus on reducing costs rather than increasing employer funding of the system.
Some US corporate leaders say they have kept a low profile on healthcare for fear of being dragged into a political debate that could end up harming their companies’ image and finances.
One chief executive of a large US company said recently: “Healthcare is a minefield of problems. We don’t know yet how the debate will shape up and until then we don’t want to make our positions known.”
Mr Scott said some business leaders might hesitate to take on the burden of entering a debate that they were not required to be in. But “in our case we were already in the debate”, he said.
Union-led critics have repeatedly attacked Wal-Mart during the past three years over the level of healthcare provision for its low-wage workforce.
Its healthcare spending is below unionised competitors – principally the three leading supermarket groups – while being broadly in line with other retail competitors.
Mr Scott expressed satisfaction that in spite of the union campaign, Wal-Mart’s record had not become an issue in the Democratic primaries. Hillary Clinton served on Wal-Mart’s board from 1986 to 1992 when her husband was governor of Arkansas, the retailer’s home state.
Both Democratic presidential hopefuls say they want employers to either provide health insurance or to contribute towards costs, with Barack Obama saying he would set a percentage of payroll costs for health coverage.
A company as rich as Walmart provides pi** poor insurance and they want to lead this debate? ROFLMAO
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
If they paid for good insurance we would have to pay $5.00 for a 'made in China' plastic 'thingy' instead of $2.00 and the stock holders and the 401k folks would be screamin' for more return........
we are what we eat.......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Wal-Mart agrees with NYC mayor to toughen gun policies The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest seller of firearms, announced Monday it will toughen rules for gun sales, from storing video of purchases to creating an internal log of which guns they sell that are later used in crimes. J.P. Suarez, the chief compliance officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., appeared with outspoken gun control advocate Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York to announce the changes at a gathering of Bloomberg’s group Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Changes to come at about 1,100 Wal-Mart stores include: Creating a record and alert system to record when a gun sold at Wal-Mart is later used in a crime. If the purchaser of that gun later tries to buy another gun at Wal-Mart, the system would alert the sales clerk of the prior buy and could refuse to make the sale. Retaining the recorded images of gun sales in case law enforcement wants to view them later as part of an investigation. Expanding background checks of employees who handle guns and expanding inventory controls. Suarez said the tougher standards will come with some additional cost to the company. “The costs are, we think, part of what it takes to be responsible. Everything is not pain-free,” he said, adding that small sellers can implement many of the same rules. He did not say how long it would take to implement all the changes, but noted that software must still be created for an internal log of guns later used in crimes. Suarez said his company may receive some pressure from gun rights groups, but added, “This is not a signal that we’re getting out of firearms.” The National Rifle Association denounced the company’s move. “I view it as a public relations stunt that stigmatizes law-abiding firearms purchasers exercising their freedom under the Constitution,” said NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. He said that if politicians were serious about reducing gun crime they would worry less about legal sellers and buyers and get tougher criminal sentences for illegal gun dealers. “I honestly think it’s a corporation trying to curry favor with politicians as opposed to doing anything meaningful about stopping crime,” said LaPierre. Wal-Mart sells only rifles and shotguns in its U.S. stores, with the exception of Alaska sites, which also sell handguns. Bloomberg urged other companies to join Wal-Mart in the initiative called the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership. “We didn’t pressure them, they’re doing it because they think it’s the responsible thing to do,” he said. The mayors’ gun summit also unveiled a new lobbying effort to close what they call the “gun show loophole,” which allows sales of firearms without background checks between private individuals at gun shows. Bloomberg founded the group two years ago with Boston mayor Thomas Menino to reduce the flow of guns into the hands of criminals.
Wal-Mart expands low-price prescription drug program BY PEGGY HARRIS The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — Wal-Mart Stores, the world’s largest retailer, announced Monday it would expand its discounted prescription drug program to offer 90-day supplies for $10 and add several women’s medications at a discount. It also said it would lower the price of more than 1,000 over-the-counter drugs. The move marks the third phase of a company program that began in 2006 to provide a 30-day supply of generic prescription drugs for $4. The Bentonville-based company said the program has saved customers more than $1 billion. With the expansion, the company began filling prescriptions Monday for up to 350 generic medications at $10 for a 90-day supply at Wal-Mart, Neighborhood Market and Sam’s Club pharmacies in the U.S. Almost all the prescription generics in the company’s $4 program were included in the expanded $10 offer, said Wal-Mart senior vice president John Agwunobi. In addition, the company will add several women’s medications to its list of prescriptions available for $9, including drugs to treat breast cancer and hormone deficiency. For instance, alendronate, the generic version of osteoporosis medication Fosamax, will be added to the list. Company pharmacies will fill 30-day prescriptions of alendronate for $9 and a 90-day supply for $24 at a comparison of $54 and $102, respectively, that women previously paid for the same amounts, the company said. Tamoxifen, used to treat breast cancer, will be offered for $9 for a 30-day supply, as well as combination estrogen/methyltestosterone tablets, prescribed for menopause and hormone deficiency. Wal-Mart also will lower the prices of more than 1,000 overthe-counter medications to $4 or less in its pharmacies, company officials said. The company has sold over-the-counter medicines in the past at discounted prices, but revised and expanded its offerings specifically to include commonly used drugs that usually sell for $7 or more, said company spokesman Deisha Galberth. The over-the-counter medication price rollbacks represent about one-third of the retailer’s over-the-counter medicines. They include Wal-Mart’s Equate versions of popular drugs, including Zantac, Pepcid and Claritin, and Wal-Mart’s Spring Valley prenatal vitamins. Since 2006, Wal-Mart’s $4 generic drug program has expanded to every state, except North Dakota, where Wal-Mart has no in-store pharmacies. And many company competitors have followed the retailer’s lead. While stressing that the expansion was designed to help customers at a time of exorbitant healthcare costs and difficult economic times, Agwunobi said the program has worked in everyone’s favor. “This is the time for us now to begin building capacity,” he said. “It offers [customers’] employers potential savings. It offers the customers significant savings. It also offers us the ability to add capacity to our pharmacies without adding people.” Agwunobi expects the 90-day discount will increase the company’s market share of mail-order and online prescriptions as customers realize the value of the company offer. Wal-Mart Chief Operating Officer Bill Simon said the results in each phase of the program have been strong and prescription volume has increased, “exceeding our expectations.” He said the company would not, however, offer free generic drugs at its in-store clinics as some competitors have. “We’re in business to make money,” Simon said. “Free is a price that is not a long-term sustainable proposition.” Shares of Wal-Mart fell 53 cents to $56.97 Monday.
Recently, Wal-Mart’s advertising campaign seems to have shifted from focusing on “Everyday Low Prices” to a more eco-friendly message. In a recent ad, the company is promoting a new potted plant that contains no plastic, and therefore can be placed directly in the ground without a container to throw away. The ad claims that if all 200 million Wal-Mart shoppers were to buy one, 7 million pounds of plastic per year would not have to be produced, and thus it would reduce the use of petroleum. Wal-Mart is the No. 1 toy seller in the world, with sales last year topping $10 billion, according to trade surveys. I wonder how much plastic that amounts to? In the same magazine issue, profiling China as it prepares to host the Olympics this summer, it’s noted that 9 percent of all of China’s exported products to the United States end up for sale at Wal-Mart. That amounts to nearly $29 billion worth of products in 2007. Due in large part to American demand for lowcost, factory-produced goods, China’s oil consumption has doubled over the last 10 years. Environmental conservation is a global issue, not a national one. For Wal-Mart to advocate eco-friendly purchases here in the United States while fueling the growing pollution problem in China is shameful. Don’t be fooled: Under the guise of environmental concern, Wal-Mart has simply launched another scheme to increase sales. DAN RENAUD East Greenbush
They just hopped on the bandwagon of 'corporate responsibility'---if it sounds good to be true----duh,,,,it is.....as for those energy saving appliances they will be selling along with everyone else....the 'nominal fee' that National Grid will be collecting will NEVER be revoked, the NYS Public service commision wont 'get out of bed' with them------and the all time kick in the teeth----ENERGY PRICES WILL NEVER NEVER NEVER RETURN REMOTELY CLOSE TO THE PLACE THEY ONCE WERE.......there is too much 'wealth' to be had.......wealth not money,,,,money is just a tool for trade......
fear stimulates invention and mind changes, money stimulates the 'herd',,,,baaaaaaaaa........
and walmart mooooooooves on.........they are on the 'farm' too.......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
I understand the Buddha of the U.S. is coming to Washington Ave Ext in a couple weeks for the opening.
We all know who Buddha is.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Wal-Mart unveils first new format in a decade with small store brand By Jonathan Birchall in New York Published: May 16 2008
Wal-Mart says it will be pursuing a "passion for fresh and delicious food" and "the highest level of customer service" in small neighbourhood grocery stores - its first new format for a decade.
The world's largest retailer - best-known for sprawling superstores with minimal service levels - says that its planned 15,000 sq ft Marketside neighbourhood stores will be "dedicated to helping our customer answer the question 'What's for dinner?' "
The retailer is planning to prepare and serve food in the stores themselves, a new direction for Wal-Mart that mirrors the approach of more up-market retailers such as Whole Foods Market.
The stores will include a kitchen, food counters, and a handful of seats, according to planning documents.
Job advertisements for the first four locations in Arizona describe Marketside as "the neighbourhood market for busy people with a taste for fresh and delicious food" - a direct challenge to the similarly sized Fresh & Easy markets being opened by Wal-Mart's UK rival Tesco in the same communities near Phoenix.
The small format also allows Wal-Mart to expand its store footprint without risking the political opposition in the planning process that has slowed the expansion of its Supercenters in California and elsewhere.
At around 15,000 sq ft, the Marketside format is a third of the size of most of Wal-Mart's 134 Neighbourhood Market supermarkets, and less than a tenth of the size of most of its more than 3,400 superstores. The stores will be trading under a logo depicting a pile of stylised vegetables and fruits, with the Marketside name in green, and a small blue star providing the only branding reference to Wal-Mart.
Tesco has opened more than 60 Fresh & Easy neighbourhood stores since November around Phoenix, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and plans to open another 200 by the end of 2009.
It has also focused on providing fresh food at hard discount prices in a neighbourhood store. The UK retailer is currently in the midst of a three-month pause in its rapid roll-out, during which it expected to make adjustments to its store presentation and marketing.
Safeway, the traditonal US supermarket group, is due to start testing a new small format store in northern California later this year.
Well move over Price Chopper and Hannaford, the beast is on the move yet again!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
as the groceries and restaurants get more expensive---the savior will arrive to give us top notch cheap stuff---so we can feel like we are the jet setters....no longer shall the smokey bones, delmonicos, old country buffets or applebees suffice, we cant afford them.....good-bye bar chicken wings, nachos and pizzas........
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Scorpion stings young girl in Wal-Mart store BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. — One young shopper at a Wal-Mart in West Virginia had to watch out for more than falling prices. A 12-year-old girl picking up a seedless watermelon from a bin was stung Sunday by a tan, inchlong scorpion that had apparently stowed away in a shipment from Mexico. Megan Templeton, of Barboursville, was taken to the hospital as a precaution but later released. Her father, William Templeton, said the pain was a little worse than a bee sting. He initially didn’t believe his daughter when she said she had been stung by a scorpion, but then he saw the critter scurry underneath a box. It was captured by Wal-Mart employees. Most of the nearly 2,000 kinds of scorpions are not dangerous to humans. Richard Coyle, senior director of international affairs for Wal-Mart, said store employees believe the problem was with a single shipment of watermelons. “We are very concerned,” he said. “This is a very rare incident. When I spoke with the store manager, she said in her 17 years she had never heard of something like this.
Now we not only have illegal immigrants to contend with, but now their 'bugs' too?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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