Penn and Teller on Walmart

[neverforgetlol]

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You can't? I quit my job a few months ago. Now, granted, I wasn't working at WalMart, but the job police didn't come by and try to stop me from quitting.

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Would you quit your job if you didn't have another one lined up? Makes a difference, doesn't it? And I'm betting you have some skills that had other employers wanting you to work from there, decent education, etc.

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You're conflating coercion initiated by other people and economic and biological realities. WalMart doesn't cause your hunger, then use that to extort you into working for them.

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You're right, walmart doesn't force me to work for them. But they do know I need that job working for them to get money to be able to buy that food, so they can use that fact to exploit the relationship. If I work at walmart, until I have another job offer they determine whether I eat or not.

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So what?

WalMart needs its customers a hell of a lot more than than the customers need WalMart. Is it unjust for customers to use this leverage to get WalMart to offer lower prices?

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The difference being a consumer can easily go to another establishment to buy.. whatever they are buying at walmart. The employee cannot just go to another store and automatically get employment. The consumer relationship with walmart is much different than the employee.

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Gosh, that sounds scary. Reassigned to the Lawn and Garden siberia!

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You are really ignorant. This is coercive and threatening behavior by walmart. Why do you think people might want to unionize? It's almost like they are stuck with the job they have and want to make it better.

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What difference does this make? College educated white collar professionals don't need to eat? They don't have families?

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No, educated professionals have more specialized skills, which helps their power in the labor market. A experience surgeon (to take an extreme) has his choice of where to work, he'll get offers from all over and can choose whichever one he wants. On the other extreme the guy who dropped out of high school, got no other training and has no skills beyond operating a cash register is in the opposite situation. White-collar professionals fall closer to the surgeon.