Shoppers gone WILD

Twenty people, including children, were injured when a woman at a San Fernando Valley Walmart store used mace against other customers in what authorities referred to as a "competitive shopping" incident.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a scuffle broke out shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday night, just before shopping was to begin, among customers waiting to buy Xbox gaming consoles and Wii video games.

Just more proof that so many people have lost their way, right? So THIS is what Christmas is about? So THIS is what the day after Thanksgiving is about? So THIS is what people value, give thanks for, and teach their kids to value and give thanks for?

Competitive shopping for video games?

Guess so.

See? When told later of what happened, Nakeasha Contreras, who arrived at midnight, said she wouldn't have been bothered: "I don't care. I'm still getting my TV," she told the Times. "I've never seen Wal-Mart so crazy, but I guess it could have been worse."

Still getting her TV? Could have been worse? Wow!

And then there is this! Joseph Poulose was hit with the pepper spray near the DVD and video games display. He blamed Wamart for failing in crowd control: "There were way too many people in a building that size. Every aisle was full," he told the Times.

Wal Mart is to blame because there were TOO MANY PEOPLE IN A BUILDING THAT SIZE?

Wow. Just wow.


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57331160/black-friday-shoppers-pepper-sprayed-in-calif/

YAY! We're first in line to get our cheap plastic crap made in China!

Oh, and there is one more thing to this story, of course: LINKAGE.

Examples from CNN:

* Black Friday shopping was marked by violence in at least seven states, including California.

* In 2008, crowds of frantic Black Friday shoppers trampled a Walmart employee in New York as he and other workers tried to unlock the door at 5 a.m.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-11-26/us/us_california-pepper-spray-suspect_1_pepper-spray-woman-surrenders-video-game?_s=PM:US

First two stories this morning on NPR dealt with courts

The first is the typical type of court story in the news media, a follow-up from an earlier story about a notable crime and arrest, the brutal murder of a news reporter in San Francisco, CA.

Now the suspect is going to trial, so the news media are talking about it again.

The second is a fascinating story about the massive class action lawsuit filed by more than one million women against Wal Mart. They allege gender discrimination, claiming that only one-third of managerial positions in the company are held by women and that women in similar positions as men make $1.16 less per hour.

Wal Mart responds by claiming they explicitly forbid discrimination and that these numbers are due to only a portion of stores. And they also claim they are "too big" to be sued.

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide the issue of whether Wal Mart can be sued.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/29/134866747/can-a-business-be-too-big-for-a-class-action-suit?sc=fb&cc=fp

A food revolution

This is an amazing story from the New York Times:

"Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, will announce a five-year plan on Thursday to make thousands of its packaged foods lower in unhealthy salts, fats and sugars, and to drop prices on fruits and vegetables.

"The initiative came out of discussions the company has been having with Michelle Obama, the first lady, who will attend the announcement in Washington and has made healthy eating and reducing childhood obesity the centerpiece of her agenda. Aides say it is the first time Mrs. Obama has thrown her support behind the work of a single company.

"The plan, similar to efforts by other companies and to public health initiatives by New York City, sets specific targets for lowering sodium, trans fats and added sugars in a broad array of foods — including rice, soups, canned beans, salad dressings and snacks like potato chips — packaged under the company’s house brand, Great Value.

"In interviews previewing the announcement, Wal-Mart and White House officials said the company was also pledging to press its major food suppliers, like Kraft, to follow its example. Wal-Mart does not disclose how much of its sales come from its house brand. But Kraft says about 16 percent of its global sales are through Wal-Mart.

"In addition, Wal-Mart will work to eliminate any extra cost to customers for healthy foods made with whole grains, said Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president for corporate affairs. By lowering prices on fresh fruits and vegetables, Wal-Mart says it will cut into its own profits but hopes to make up for it in sales volume. “This is not about asking the farmers to accept less for their crops,” he said.

Is this a crime story? You better believe it is!

Poor nutrition and inactivity kill about 300,000 Americans a year, so says the US CDC (Centers for Disease Control). And much of that is due to the foods we eat, that are marketed to us and sold to us by large companies. When those companies change, so too, will we.

Wal-Mart is significant " ... because Wal-Mart sells more groceries than any other company in the country, and because it is such a large purchaser of foods produced by national suppliers." Thus, "nutrition experts say the changes could have a big impact on the affordability of healthy food and the health of American families and children."



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/business/20walmart.html?_r=1&hp