Wal-Mart laid bare
US moviemaker Robert Greenwald’s expose Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices seems to have caused quite a stir - see here and here for some examples.
The movie explores the effect that ‘big box’ retailers have on small communities, something that New Zealand has seen with the spread of The Warehouse into New Zealand’s cities and towns.
It also looks at Wal-Mart’s industrial relations practises - such as paying staff low wages.
It is about time that retailers and manufacturers were held to account for the way they operate. Films like this, and the work of the many fair trade groups around the world, serve to educate consumers about shopping ethically.
For too many years unscrupulous manfacturers and retailers have quietly raked in huge profits off the backs of their own workers and those in Third World sweatshops - and at the expense of struggling local businesses.
Thanks Mr Greenwald for making this movie and helping to educate consumers.
November 25th, 2005 at 7:46 pm
Do you have Walmarts in New Zealand?
Also — I’m surprised you haven’t posted about the Starbucks strike over there. Or did I just miss that post?
November 25th, 2005 at 10:29 pm
I have a lot of respect for Greenwald as a journalist after seeing his movie “Outfoxed” earlier this year. It takes a lot of guts for movie makers in the US today to defy the corporate media and bring honest journalism to the screens.
Another must see movie in this same vein is “The Corporation”.
Cheers,
Z
November 25th, 2005 at 10:42 pm
Ewwwps, forgot to mention that another thing I muchly respected Greenwald for is that he released all his interviews from the Outfoxed movie under the Creative Commons licence. Link here for anyone who is interested:
http://www.archive.org/details/outfoxed_interviews
November 26th, 2005 at 1:54 am
hi Green LA girl, I am not an expert but no Wal Marts, and there was a mention of the Starbucks strike on Campbell Live the other night (though I didn’t watch and would be interested to know what the jist of it was). From what I can tell Starbuck’s doesn’t have the hold here that it does in the states, but I am not sure what sales figures look like vis whether they may pose a real threat to independent coffee shops here in the forseeable future
November 26th, 2005 at 4:07 am
Great to see the Starbucks and now KFC workers going on strike here (in NZ) for higher wages.
November 26th, 2005 at 10:08 am
yeah..raise the minimum wage plase…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
December 2nd, 2005 at 5:14 pm
I may be completely wrong but I was told once that NZ was one of the first places in the world that a McDonalds had to close down due to lack of use, it was the one on K’rd in Auckland. Now thats something we should be proud of!