Business

Walmart Cuts Benefits, Raises Health Care Payments

VIVA OBAMACARE! By FITSNEWS || Retail giant Walmart may eventually create all those jobs promised so many years ago by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley.  Or maybe it won’t … the economy touted by the Palmetto State’s “Jobs Governor” is a lot like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates.  You truly never…

VIVA OBAMACARE!

By FITSNEWS || Retail giant Walmart may eventually create all those jobs promised so many years ago by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley.  Or maybe it won’t … the economy touted by the Palmetto State’s “Jobs Governor” is a lot like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates.  You truly never know what you’re gonna get.

Either way … will the Walmart jobs be worth having?

Eh … this week Walmart announced (via the bizarre headline “Providing Quality Benefits for our Associates”) that it was changing its health care benefits for 1.3 million workers in response to “rising healthcare costs.”

Oh, and that pesky economy.

“This year, (health care) expenses were significant and led us to make some tough decisions as we begin our annual enrollment,” the company stated. “As a result, today we announced that our associates will see an increase in premiums for 2015.”

Ruh-roh …

The typical Walmart grunt – who makes less than $13 an hour – will see his or her premiums increase from $18.40 to $21.90 per pay period. So yeah, that press release headline probably should have read “Jacking Health Care Costs on our Associates.”

Walmart is also eliminating health benefits for part-time employees who work less than 30 hours a week …

So … is all of this due to Obamacare?

Yes, according to the company.  Back in March, Walmart warned it would be incurring an additional $330 million in health care costs due to the implementation of the new law.

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94 comments

Walfart October 7, 2014 at 4:45 pm

I foolishly stopped at Walmart the other night and while checking out the woman in front of me tried to run no fewer than 10 debit/credit cards. Literally stopping 3 times to call someone for a pin number. When none of the cards worked, she reached into her wallet and retrieved a $100 bill. Never once turned to me to render an apology for holding me up an addition 10 minutes during her shenanigans. This planet would be better off without a good number of air stealers roaming it.

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Smallest Violin October 7, 2014 at 4:49 pm

Poor you. How about avoid Walmart all together next time?

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Walfart October 7, 2014 at 4:51 pm

Sure, but I decided that after I stuck my hand in a bin of “fresh” pole beans and came back with slime all over it. The con artist with all the debit cards was only icing on the cake.

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Smallest Violin October 7, 2014 at 4:54 pm

The biggest con artist of all is the Walton family. They appreciate you marks for the business.

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Walfart October 7, 2014 at 4:56 pm

A con artist is a con artist, there’s no difference if they’re billionaires or your average grifter.

jessief October 8, 2014 at 9:57 am

Yes it matters: the billionaires have more power to ruin many more people

5 Minutes October 7, 2014 at 5:23 pm

Fakebook takes the cake.

Squishy123 October 7, 2014 at 5:25 pm

WTF is a pole bean? You mean green bean?

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Buz Martin October 7, 2014 at 6:35 pm

No.green beans are not as long and “pole-like”. “Pole bean” refers to haseolus coccineus, a.k.a. runner bean, scarlet runner bean, or multiflora bean.

Walfart October 7, 2014 at 9:25 pm

No, I mean a pole bean, you ignorant bastard.

CorruptionInColumbia October 7, 2014 at 4:52 pm

You should have been in Kroger (Irmo) or the Bi Lo in West Columbia a few weeks ago with me. One cashier, one line, and in each store, each time on different nights, some jackass was holding up the line for over 30 minutes each time with some special need of theirs. In the Bi Lo, quite a line was forming and the male and female duo were apparently engaging in extreme couponing or similar. In neither case, did employees see fit to open another line or at least “suspend” the transaction temporarily to give the long-suffering customers who were lined up a chance to get through the line and then get back to the ones causing the tie-up. One guy in line in the Bi Lo even asked employees to open another line and they refused.

In the Bi Lo, their muzak system was playing the old 1970’s Paul McCartney song “Band On The Run”. When the part of the song that goes, “if I ever get out of here…” played, we all got a chuckle out of that.

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Gone October 7, 2014 at 4:56 pm

This is basically everywhere in Columbia. The place is a warmer Detriot in the making. Glad I was only there for two years.

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Common Sense Rules October 7, 2014 at 5:22 pm

That’s what causes customers NOT to return.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 7, 2014 at 5:27 pm

Yep! You got that right! So far, I have managed to avoid returning to either establishment. While I am sure I will one day, I’ll try to put that day off as long as possible.

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Smirks October 8, 2014 at 8:41 am

Stores that advertise coupon doubling or accepting coupons from other stores, those are the ones they hit up most.

jessief October 8, 2014 at 9:55 am

Sounds like a great reason to me.

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Smirks October 8, 2014 at 8:40 am

I hate extreme couponers. Hundreds of extra slips of paper to scan, and of course some of them don’t work and they have to argue about it. Not only that, but sometimes the number of items and number of coupons crash the register (thank you dinosaur technology) and it has to reboot just to continue scanning crap.

What the hell are you going to do with 100 sticks of deodorant anyways?!

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CorruptionInColumbia October 8, 2014 at 8:51 am

I dunno, have fresh pits forever maybe?
:-)

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Jackie Chiles October 8, 2014 at 10:27 am

Don’t worry bro, the Pedigree dog food you bought at Bi-Lo wasn’t made by SLAVES like the Pedigree dog food suckers buy at Wal-mart.

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Not Funny October 7, 2014 at 5:25 pm

Likely stolen cards.

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jessief October 8, 2014 at 9:54 am

identity stealers seems more like it

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Robertson October 7, 2014 at 4:47 pm

Why would anybody still shop at that dump? Fuck Walmart.

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Mark Petereit October 7, 2014 at 5:14 pm

Because after everyone else’s health care costs get jacked by Obamacare, those “low prices every day” start looking pretty good.

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Ha Ha October 7, 2014 at 6:14 pm

Yeh poor ol Wal Mart.

They just ain’t makin enough!

Get off your knees Bo!They zippin it up!

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jessief October 8, 2014 at 9:50 am

In reality, buying at Wal-mart is a high price to pay if you knew that the people who manufacture “Wal-mart stuff” are underage and getting miserable pay in already poor countries. Any of them could be you or a relative of yours someday if our economy goes bankrupt thanks to the greedy 1% at the very top. Think how your actions (buying such bargains) are actually making them richer and your 99% fellow Americans poorer. You have the choice.

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Jackie Chiles October 8, 2014 at 10:25 am

In reality, stuff manufactured at Target comes from a factory next door the the Wal-Mart one, so you can get off your high horse and pretend that shopping elsewhere will end globalization.

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Mark Petereit October 8, 2014 at 10:31 am

In reality, this is the “global economy” liberals have been pining for forever.

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Jackie Chiles October 8, 2014 at 10:33 am

Exactly. Short of ending NAFTA, the WTO, and enacting new tariffs, most everything you buy will come from third world countries, regardless of the store you buy it from.

Mark Petereit October 8, 2014 at 10:35 am

Right. And hey, while we’re at it, let’s raise our country’s minimum wage and drive even MORE labor into the hands of abused children in third-world nations.

Squishy123 October 7, 2014 at 5:22 pm

Because here in SC, it’s where you go when you want to be seen as a big spender. You’re not going to get that at Dollar Store.

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Well October 7, 2014 at 7:12 pm

“Why would anybody still shop at that dump?”

Cause on certain things they have low prices and we’ve so many poor here in SC they need all the help they can get by buying shit cheap with their “benefits” card.

Most of them haven’t figured out that Aldi’s is cheaper on most stuff.

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The Colonel October 7, 2014 at 8:06 pm

When did Aldi start selling tires, or fishing poles or drugs or name brand anything? Wal-Mart is an excellent retail model like them or not.

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Well October 7, 2014 at 8:16 pm

“When did Aldi start selling tires, or fishing poles or drugs or name brand anything?”

That isn’t what I said. Re-read what I wrote. I also never said they don’t have an “excellent retail model”.

Are you an offended Walmart greeter or something?

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The Colonel October 7, 2014 at 8:30 pm

I was really addressing Robertson but also your point. Aldi may be cheaper but they don’t have name brand and you can get it all in one trip at Wally World.

jessief October 8, 2014 at 9:52 am

Yes, very soon many Americans will lose their jobs and will be flooding to Wal-Mart to get hired: then all your family will be going there in one trip – each day. And then, you’ll feel the pain of no health insurance because they’ll make 100% part-imers with less than 30 hrs!!!!! Yoo hoo…

Robertson October 8, 2014 at 9:39 am

Of course you’d think so. Nevermind that model relies on gov’t benefits to cover their dismal rate of pay. Nice to know you support gov’t benefits when they’re used to prop up large companies.

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The Colonel October 8, 2014 at 11:26 am

You do realize that every company in the country,in fact, every enterprise in the country including the Army, Navy , Air Force and Marines Corps has workers who are eligible for welfare benefits? That’s one of the oldest liberal red herrings around, what else you got?

Frank Lee Morals October 7, 2014 at 4:47 pm

Democrats are finished for 20 years. National Security including border control and Obamacare will prevent them from holding any power and negate the judicial appointments by Obama.

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euwe max October 7, 2014 at 4:51 pm

Sell the country to the highest bidder!

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Vanity October 7, 2014 at 5:20 pm

Yep. Sold out to China. Nobody much wants to invest in the USA anymore. But they sure want your tax dollars.

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euwe max October 7, 2014 at 6:42 pm

The rich sucked America dry just like they did Detroit – and they put the money off shore in gold, so they can spend it while we clean up their mess.

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Wealth Vampires October 7, 2014 at 7:03 pm

“The rich sucked America dry just like they did Detroit”

lulz

It happened under Democrats watch too, all Dem mayors since 1962.

euwe max October 7, 2014 at 7:31 pm

Fuck the democrats.
Did I mention democrats?

Wealth Vampires October 7, 2014 at 7:59 pm

Goooooodddddd my young(or not so young) apprentice! (channeling Palpatine)

Fuck them all. Each and every pols that would suck us all dry in the name of our welfare, Republicans included!

jessief October 8, 2014 at 10:00 am

Let’s CHANGE the FACES in CONGRESS once and for all. Vote for new incumbents to see what they would do since we all know too well what the ones in office have done already. Who agrees with me?

Jackie Chiles October 8, 2014 at 10:29 am

Naive dolts.

Wealth Vampires October 8, 2014 at 12:09 pm

lmao!

+100

Squishy123 October 7, 2014 at 5:23 pm

If China wants to collect on our debt, there will be no selling, it’ll be a foreclosure.

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euwe max October 7, 2014 at 6:41 pm

The rich sucked the blood out of America, and then threatened to leave – as though they would leave while there was anything left to steal.

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What reality? October 7, 2014 at 4:59 pm

You need to get out more.

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Mark Petereit October 7, 2014 at 5:15 pm

If we had an informed electorate, sure…

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Get A Grip October 7, 2014 at 5:28 pm

The damage is done by Obama and his cronies. Its over for the USA. China rules now with Russia following up behind it. The USA has been sucked till there is almost nothing left to suck from it.

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Wealth Vampires October 7, 2014 at 8:01 pm

“The damage is done by Obama and his cronies.”

The damage has been done over generations by Republican and Democrat alike.

Let us not pretend otherwise. They are all culpable.

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jessief October 8, 2014 at 10:01 am

Obama the antiChrist?

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SCBlues October 8, 2014 at 5:06 am

“Democrats are finished for 20 years”
LOL Another Fox “News” disciple.
I’m ready for Hillary!

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Smirks October 8, 2014 at 8:44 am

Don’t worry, Karl Rove assures us the Republicans have Ohio… Any second now…

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Jackie Chiles October 8, 2014 at 10:30 am

It was funny watching that tool try to ignore numbers and still claim Romney the winner.

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euwe max October 7, 2014 at 4:50 pm

That’s a start.

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Smirks October 8, 2014 at 8:35 am

Various Walmarts have tried that already, making employees work through their breaks, or clock out and continue working. The Department of Labor won’t let the free market do its thing, dammit!

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euwe max October 8, 2014 at 10:44 am

It’s a conspiracy to keep libertarians from demonstrating the cosmic truth of libertarianism – the god that doesn’t exist fashioned the rules of commerce for those that believe in it.

Help thou mine unbelief!

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Compassionate Commie October 8, 2014 at 12:17 pm

The “free market” is nothing more than voluntary transaction among people, no belief in deity necessary.

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euwe max October 8, 2014 at 1:55 pm

voluntary transaction

——–
yup – no force necessary – everyone is a good actor… just because.

Compassionate Commie October 8, 2014 at 7:34 pm

didn’t say everyone is a good actor….just that it’s voluntary.

euwe max October 8, 2014 at 8:06 pm

what happens when no one volunteers?

Compassionate Commie October 8, 2014 at 12:16 pm

“The Department of Labor won’t let the free market do its thing, dammit!”

So much butthurt from you when it comes to the evil free market.

Look, the simply fact is that these people are worth what they are worth. The DOL will only eventually exacerabte the problem if low/no skill people being unemployed.

I understand you feel for them, but you aren’t the one paying the bills so endorsing theft or force to pay them beyond their skill level doesn’t score you any moral victory points, but more importantly, isn’t going to solve the problem of them not being able to help a company earn enough to pay them what you think they should be paid.

Yes, Walmart makes money, but it’s their money and people like you should not be able to tell them how much of it they get to keep.

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Smirks October 8, 2014 at 8:35 am

Various Walmarts have tried that already, making employees work through their breaks, or clock out and continue working. The Department of Labor won’t let the free market do its thing, dammit!

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Scooter October 8, 2014 at 10:11 am

You can leave and get a job elsewhere. No one is stopping you.

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euwe max October 8, 2014 at 10:40 am

I’m looking forward to the day they can no longer compete with China.

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Jackie Chiles October 8, 2014 at 10:29 am

That won’t happen. Slaves are too expensive to keep up. More likely, Wal-Mart will resemble a 1900s mill village where everyone works at wal-mart, rents homes from wal-mart, banks at wal-mart banks, and buys stuff they need to live at wal-mart. With the coming mini health clinics in wal-marts, they will also seek treatment for ailments at wal-mart.

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Frank Lee Morals October 7, 2014 at 4:55 pm

Cassidy in LA and Perdue in GA will win however a runoff may happen due to third party candidate. Both run even further ahead in a 2 person race.

The rate increases for Obamacare were delayed by Obama until after the mid terms-mid November.

Guess what. If these runoffs happen they will happen after the rate increases are announced and people are informed they have lost their insurance.

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9" October 7, 2014 at 4:57 pm

NO.It’s not Obama.It’s Haley.

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Bend Over And Ready Yourselves October 7, 2014 at 5:19 pm

Most everyone’s health insurance, since Obamacare rolled out, went up must more than this. Government is a crock of corrupt and lawless crap. Its all about profit. There is a serious lack of empathy and common sense anymore. And why? Well, Greed and what can I sucker someone out of rules. I hate to sound negative, but the USA is over. Its done. Its gone. Who will Obama blame next? He sure has played a major roll in destroying what was left over after Bush and Clinton. And its a wonder why the Secret Service was so lax in protecting Obama; they hate him, too .. lol

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jessief October 8, 2014 at 10:04 am

what? Obama the antiChrist?

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Mr. Compassionate October 7, 2014 at 6:23 pm

I better still get a smile and a cart from that fucking greeter. Who knew they made enough to take a pay cut? Maybe pretty soon they’ll have to pay Walmart for supplying them a roof over their heads.

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Native Ink October 7, 2014 at 6:25 pm

Wal-mart eliminated greeters a couple of years ago.

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Buz Martin October 7, 2014 at 6:37 pm

Now they have grunters. Voluneers, I think. They don’t greet people. They stand in the way of your getting a cart, and they grunt at you. Some of them may poop their pants while doing so.

I think I recently recognized one of the local Walmart grunters as my former therapist.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 8, 2014 at 8:53 am

Interesting new definition for “grunters”. Previously, I thought of grunters as what was occupying the stall in the men’s room when you walk in and hear that grunting and notice two sets of shoes, both facing the same way on the floor of the stall. That is my cue to decide I didn’t really need to use the bathroom that badly and leave.

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Buz Martin October 8, 2014 at 9:03 am

I was just riffin’. But what you describe is much like the “wide-stance romance” fellers. I do tend to avoid them myself. NTTARWT. But: Ew.

CorruptionInColumbia October 8, 2014 at 9:18 am

I was just having fun with gross visual imagery. I know what you are talking about with the “grunters” in Wal Mart these days. It sure isn’t what old Sam intended for it to be.

Still, I have fun weirding people out with stuff like that, when I can. Luckily, I have never been confronted with that situation, but I know people who have. It sounded quite disturbing, to say the least.

Mr. Compassionate October 7, 2014 at 7:09 pm

Really? Seriously, there’s always one there at the one I go to, and just like Buz say’s, he literally “grunts” at me when I come in.

They don’t seem to hand me a cart anymore….but that fits with Buz’s very funny/accurate description of what they’ve become.

Oh well, I suppose it’s just a matter of time before Walmart automates about everything and makes them homeless.

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Time to say goodbye October 7, 2014 at 6:37 pm

Last year my individual healthcare premium went up 20% plus, and my in network deductible more than tripled. Too bad I don’t have Walmart to blame. The Affordable Healthcare Act has me shaking in my boots about the next wave of increased costs or a partisan IRS Bully. By the time I get to be 75, I’ll be ready for Zeke Emanuel’s death shroud.

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Scoooter October 7, 2014 at 7:20 pm

I did not know that Walmart was in the insurance business. You folks voted for The Great One. Let him handle it. He has screwed everything else up.

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Elfego October 7, 2014 at 7:36 pm

Obamacare is forcing all of this on the public,go make love to him!

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Thomas October 7, 2014 at 8:36 pm

Gee…I wonder just how many 100’s of millions of tax payer dollars are being siphoned off the General Fund to cover the same healthcare cost increases for our state/local public workers on that Blue Cross plan? Anyone? Current cost increases 2013-14? 2015-16? Projected? No wonder our sales taxes are going up and our roads and prisons are crumbling. Wake up tax payers, we are being skinned alive to give 10% of our population and their spouses and kids to age 26 free healthcare! It all comes from tax payer dollars no matter how you slice it.

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Beartrkkr October 8, 2014 at 8:28 am

As you implying that the state workers get free healthcare?

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Insurance October 8, 2014 at 9:19 am

The article is misleading. The workers premiums increased by 14%. Walmart is self funded, therefore they pay all claims up to a certain amount and then their stop loss kicks in. A question that needs to be asked is what is the increase history over the last 3 years. If employees have not had an increase in 3 years, then a 14% increase doesn’t seem nearly as bad.

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jessief October 8, 2014 at 9:45 am

Let’s TEACH them a LESSON they will not recover from. BOYCOTT Wal-Mart, Target, and Papa Johns chains during the month of OCTOBER.

Hit them where it hurts the most: their greedy pockets. Money is the only language they understand so stop making them richer. Support other businesses even when things cost a little bit more.

WHO AGREES with me that a month-long BOYCOTT during OCTOBER may teach them not to mess with their employees for increased profits?

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Scooter October 8, 2014 at 10:21 am

Walmart is in business to make money for its stockholders. They are not a social service organization and are not obligated to provide anything free or subsidize anything to you. If you don’t like it, you can sit on your porch with your lip pooched out.

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Jackie Chiles October 8, 2014 at 10:32 am

If I don’t buy stuff from those places in October, I’ll buy twice as much in November. Seems kind of idiotic to boycott them for a month.

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Rocky October 8, 2014 at 10:23 am

Oh my God! The premium increased $3 a pay period of expanded coverage. Holy cow. The world is ending, the world is ending. All is lost.

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TaraDeSaussure October 8, 2014 at 1:19 pm

I never go there due to the way it treats its employees. Obamacare did not do this; Walmart did it on its own. It should be able to wrangle the lowest cost possible prices for its employees due to its clout in the economy. It does so in other areas.

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aikencounty October 8, 2014 at 3:12 pm

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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aikencounty October 8, 2014 at 3:15 pm

Gee, how does COSTCO pay for their “associates” health insurance and provide an excellent wage, plus retirement?
Their CEO is so dumb that his salary is only $375k.
If he cancelled their insurance and cut them to minimum wage, he could really “earn” a raise.
YOU BETCHA!

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MonaLott October 8, 2014 at 7:45 pm

Owned by a family worth more than the combined bottom 40% of the US population. Greed?

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