Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

November 9th, 2005 · No Comments

Boing Boing: Movie — WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price

The saddest part of this documentary is a series of shots of abandoned Main Streets, empty store after empty store, with Bruce Springsteen’s plaintive version of “This Land Is Your Land” as accompaniment. But vanquishing thousands of small businesses coast to coast is not Wal-Mart’s only crime, its critics say.

They also cite the company’s treatment of its employees, whose average annual income is under $14,000. The company offers health insurance, but it is so expensive, employees say, that most people can’t afford it. According to the documentary, company representatives openly recommend that workers sign up for government-aid programs instead.