Documentary exposes Wal-Mart’s flaws

By Paul Mullin

A new documentary revealing the darker side of the retail giant Wal-Mart was shown on the Lawrenceville campus on Thursday, Nov. 17, as part of a pre-release screening of the film.

Rider was one of 3,600 screening sites for the documentary, entitled Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, which was part of a discussion sponsored by the Gender Studies Program and the Rider chapter of Voices for Planned Parenthood (VOX), and organized by the South Jersey chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

The discussion focused on the recent legal trouble Wal-Mart has been in regarding its treatment of women.

“One of the big problems women are having recently is that they can’t get emergency contraceptives from Wal-Mart,” said Marilyn Quinn, who hosted the program and is a member of South Jersey NOW.

The film also emphasized the treatment of women by Wal-Mart, not just in the United States, but also in the locations to which it has outsourced jobs, such as Bangladesh, Honduras and China.

One female interviewee in the film recounted an experience she had when a male administrator dismissed her from the company.

“I asked him ‘Why? Because I’m a woman or because I’m black?’ And he said, ‘Two out of two isn’t bad.’”

But, as Quinn acknowledged, “It goes way beyond women being discriminated against.”

The documentary also showcased the devastating effect Wal-Mart’s low-cost price schemes have on small, family-owned businesses. When a new Wal-Mart was built in Middlefield, Ohio, business after business went under until, as one person interviewed described it, it resembled a “ghost town.”

Environmental practices were also called to the attention of the viewers, like the Clean Water Act violations that are in abundance for the bargain retailer. In addition, the film included startling admissions from factory workers in China who said they were told to lie to inspectors.

“I didn’t know how bad they were,” said Sam Cicero, who viewed the screening. “There are so many bad things, but the worst is probably how they treat their workers.”

Further evidence against Wal-Mart was its heavy anti-union stance, with some franchises even going as far as to bring in anti-union “rapid response teams” with corporate jets.

VOX and South Jersey NOW are continuing their fight against Wal-Mart with several upcoming protests.