How Walmart Is Destroying America (And the World): And What You Can Do about It

a friend lent me this book about a year after a walmart supercenter came to our town of a little over 15,000. I personally found the majority of the information in the book outrageous! I cant understand how we let such a horrible place even exist in america. some things were obvious, like the sweatshops and about them not buy american made products. Other things like how they treat their vendors, cheat on their taxes, and claim to do charity work when all they do is ship the stuff their vendors donate in big walmart trucks so it just appears like they are helping, that shocks me.i always read other people's reviews of books ive already read in order to comment on what they have said and after reading the bad reviews of this book it doesnt even seem like those people have read the book. They shouldnt be allowd an opinion on a book they have not even picked up and given a chance. They give examples of how walmart has given to charity for their town, but i ask you this, IS THE MONEY COMING DIRECTLY FROM WALMART OR ARE THEY JUST THE MESSENGER? One reviewer was ignorant enough to say walmart was the best thing to happen to the world, a perfect example of someone who has not read the book writing a review.The most common argument is if you dont like walmart dont shop there. Well i dont shop there, i still have a supercenter destroying my town. bottom line NOT SHOPPING AT WALMART DOESNT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. The purpose of this book is to inform everyone of just how walmart "helps" america. the format is very simplistic, yes, but that is so it can be understood and reach a larger audience.Walmart is a multi billion dollar corporation that is truely destroying the world. Arm yourself with information and help stop this beast.

Some of the practices listed in this book are no more than what big business at the size of Wal-Mart's do. But with that said, many of the practices listed in this book are despicable. The fact that local mom and pop stores go out of business when Wal-Mart moves in would normally be considered a fact of life in American business today were it not for the ruthless way that Wal-Mart specifically targets them to drive them into the ground. The way Wal-Mart employees are treated, the way the vendors are ripped off. And most importantly, the way Wal-Mart uses people and disasters to further promote itself. All the while some of the richest folks in the world are running for tax shelters and dodging charities.What a shame, with practices like this, no wonder the rest of the world hates capitalism.Buy this book and reflect on the store you are supporting.

I don't often review non-fiction books, so I am rolling the flavor of this review around on my tongue trying to figure out how to interpret my taste of the book.The good points of the book are how Mr. Quinn outlines areas of defense for your community to patrol, like watching all of the zoning requests, even from companies that seem to have nothing to do with WalMart, for often they will purchase and then lease out to the hungry beast.He gives website information at the end of the book, so that if your interest (and ire) have been adequately sparked, there are outlets for your fiery resistance to flow into.And, he gives factual information on the tactics that WalMart uses to infiltrate small-town America and ruthlessly destroy small business owners.Most shocking to everybody should be the fact that WalMart is now the number one large-business employer in America...paying minimum wage and considering 28 hours a week to be "full time". No wonder America is slowly becoming a third-world country. In the past, when I actually shopped at WalMart, I felt like I was entering a third world country when I passed through those wheezing doors. Now I know why.Teetering on the edge of good-point/bad-point is the simplistic writing style of Quinn's book. On the one hand, it is easy to read and gets the point across rapidly. On the other hand, it tends to sound a bit like Grandpa "going off" as he sat around the old stove at night. (Sigh...those good old days long before WalMart...)The single most blatant bad point about this book was the fact that *not once* did Quinn mention that the simplest way to stop a carnivorous corporate giant like this is to STOP SHOPPING THERE. He made it sound so much like these places were plowed over with a bulldozer of incomprehensible size, when the simple statement of PROTEST NOW could go a lot further than the whining of people left in the destructive wake of this beast.Quinn also fails to mention that Small Business (as a singular entity) is still the number one employment means in America, and that it is worthy of supporting NOW before the claws of the giant draw arterial blood.The facts are that the general American wage is dropping because of minimum wage corporate giants like WalMart; that more people employed at poverty wage mean a greater burden on the country as a whole, and if left to the "Savage Capitolism" of Walmart, rather than the competitive forces of individuals and small business owners, America will eventually become a third world country itself...with a few very wealthy folks and an overall population of slave labor forces.This book is very good in that it is based on real information and will stir you into some sort of anger. The bad point is that Quinn should have spent more time in pro-active response rather than re-active response.Bottom line: If you don't like their presence, don't shop there. If people didn't patronize these places, they would go out of business. *steps off soapbox...bows to Quinn*

I recently watched a television documentary that presented very unjust conditions created by Wal Mart as it applies to surrounding businesses, cities, towns and especially to their employees. I must admit, the show was an eye-opener and prompted me to purchase this book. The book goes into much more disconcerting detail about these and many other topics. It contains interviews with former Wal Mart employees and managers, former business owners and former Wal Mart shoppers, all with mind-boggling tribulations about this Mega-Giant. However, the author, in his passion to impart his overwhelming mass of information, becomes rather repetitive in description. The 158 page paperback touts it is a Third Edition, ”Completely Revised and Updated”. The most recent copyright date is 2005 and obviously contains some outdated statistical data. Nonetheless, the fundamental nature of this publication has never been more significant than the present time. All should take the opportunity to read this most revealing book…

I wish I could make every shopper at the supermarket sit down and read this book. It is horrifying that any store can weld this much power.