Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Price

1399 Words6 Pages
For the average American, Wal-Mart is a convenient place to shop for a variety of different products, from electronics to sporting goods, at consistently unbeatable, low prices. But as Wal-Mart becomes an increasingly ubiquitous part of American society, controversy has grown about the implications these low prices have on small communities, and the U.S. economy at large. In Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices, film maker Robert Greenwald examines multiple examples of negative impacts Wal-Mart has had on communities and individuals. Greenwald interviews former and current employees, and others impacted by Wal-Mart as the basis for the research, video and audio of the film, and organizes the film to cover a variety of different topics, from abuses of worker's rights, to detrimental effects on small business. The film utilizes first hand accounts of individuals directly or indirectly impacted by Wal-Mart, as well as statistics from various government agencies, University studies, and news reports as the basis for its research. Greenwald interviews dozens of subjects, retail sales associates, former store and district mangers, small business owners and employees, and factory workers in China, to provide an array of perspectives. By providing personal accounts of injustices and detrimental effects, the movie is made more personal by putting a face behind the statistics. Stories include small business owners, and even entire small towns that have been wiped out due to being unable to compete with the retail giant, employees struggling to feed and provide healthcare for their families, and subhuman working conditions in overseas factories. Statistical evidence is also provided throughout the film to provide broader perspective to these stories, so that the viewer does not perceive these as isolated incidents. Statistics include the overwhelming number of Wal-Mart

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