Walmart Movie Analysis

Threat Level Midnight

MGMT 382, 12:00pm Monday Class

Rheanna Ladron De Guevara
Mohammad Shojaei
Danielle Seymour
Teresa Radtke
Curtis Anson
Amy Self

Walmart is quite arguably one of the largest multinational grocery retailers in America. The corporation routinely produces record sales, earnings, and employs more than 2.1 million full time employees. Last year Walmart earned a record four hundred and five billion dollars in revenue. The company was founded in 1962 by business entrepreneur Sam Walton. Walmart’s past (2006) advertising slogan, “Low prices, always”, accurately reflects the appeal the store has to the masses. In an attempt to attain a wider and more diverse customer base, in recent years Walmart has adopted the new slogan: “Saving people money so they can live better lives.” While there’s no doubt about Walmart’s low prices, it’s questionable as to whether Walmart actually allows people to “live better lives.” Not only this, but the ethicality of Walmart’s business practices seem unsound to say the least. After watching the film “Walmart: the High Cost of Low Cost”, the ethicality of Walmart’s business practices and the impact the company has on the communities in which they expand into become apparent. While some argue that Walmart makes unethical decisions quite often that harm the communities they expand into, others assert that Walmart operates within the law and is simply doing business rather than acting unethically within such communities.

Why is it ethical?

The film focuses on making Walmart the target of the woes of several small communities, some of which have turned from once thriving downtown areas into ghost-towns. Throughout the film, the viewers are shown a pattern of destruction created by the economic and social turmoil which results when Walmart moves into their town. The common