Phone campaign strikes nerve with Wal-Mart

[Robbien]

BENTONVILLE — Walmart-Watch.com and its parent nonprofit organization, the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics, struck a nerve within Wal-Mart when the group launched an automated phone message campaign in the backyard of the Bentonville-based company on Monday.

By Thursday afternoon, the world’s largest retailer fought back with a cease-and-desist letter that the group summarily dismissed. "Legally speaking, we find their letter utterly meritless," Walmart-Watch. com spokeswoman Tracy Sefl said. "We will continue the (calls) on the schedule we have planned."

The following is the phone message at the center of this latest rift between Wal-Mart and its detractors: "Hello, I’m calling with a special message for anyone who works for Wal-Mart. As you know, Wal-Mart has had a number of serious legal and ethical problems. To help make Wal-Mart a better and more fair place to work, the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics is seeking anyone who knows of wrongdoing within Wal-Mart. You will be treated with complete confidentiality. Call toll free at 1-800-577-1635. Again, 1-800-577-1635. This has been a message from the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics. You can learn more at WalmartWatch (.) com. Thank you for your time and assistance."

Wal-Mart spokesman Marty Heires said he doesn’t think the messages will result in anything. "We have alerted our associates that these calls are being made," Heires said. "We think this is a desperate attempt to try to collect information and embarrass the company."

http://nwanews.com/story.php?paper=bcdr§ion=News&storyid=21187

Sponsors of the walmartwatch website are Common Cause, Sierra Club, George Mason University, a service union and a women's group.

[Renew Deal]

1. There will be nothing to "embarrass the company" with if they didn't

do anything wrong.

[tavalon]

23. Yeah

I call what Walmart is spouting the Rumsfeld Doctrine.

The atrocity isn't what happened at Abu Ghraib, it's that people photographed it!

It isn't that Walmart does unethical things, it's that people keep trying to expose it!

Hey, if it worked for Rummy, why not give it a shot?

[freedom_to_read]

2. "We have alerted our associates that these calls are being made,"

... sounds more like "threatened our associates" to me.

[Stand and Fight]

5. I was thinking the same thing....

:evilgrin:

[ashling]

13. Taking a cue from Bolton

the wanted to "congratulate" them.

[unblock]

20. what other reason would they have to "alert" them?

if they weren't alerted, they would ... find out when they were called! oh my goodness! can't have that!

[Selatius]

3. Can we bust Wal-Mart with RICO violations for intimidating whistleblowers?

[Straight Shooter]

4. "We think this is a desperate attempt to try to collect information ..."

Unspoken but implied: ... and we are desperately trying to smother any truths which may surface in this anti-Wal-Mart campaign.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

6. Rock. On.

I love WMW!

DTH

[damntexdem]

7. Boycott Wal-Mart.

Don't let your money flow through their bank accounts.

[cthrumatrix]

8. BINGO

[Tansy_Gold]

9. The line was busy

when I tried to call.

I'm an ex-Wal-Martyr and I have a few experiences they might be interested in.

I'll call back later.

[tkmorris]

12. You posted some of your experiences once

It's been awhile since I read it but I'm pretty sure I saved that post somewhere. You definately should contact them and share. You also might consider contacting Robert Greenwald, the guy who created Outfoxed. He is making a new movie about Walmart and was looking for people like you apparently.

http://www.walmartmovie.com/

[ima_sinnic]

10. now I'm almost tempted to get a job there just so I could spy on them

[gratuitous]

11. Yes, Marty, it IS an attempt to collect information

Very perceptive of you. Whether it's a "desperate" attempt is, I suppose, a matter of opinion. And what the information reveals might indeed be "embarrassing" to your corporate overlords. I'd prefer the term "actionable."

Po tay to, po tah to. It still means a whole bunch of Wal-Mart money laid out to defend their sleazy corporate practices, so I'm okay with it. Although you might want to brush up your resume, Mr. Heires.

[HerbieHeadhunter]

14. I received one of these calls two nights ago...

as did my parents. I suppose I could share with them a union busting pamphlet I received while working at the Wal-Mart Home Office as a translator just out of college, but that pamphlet is rather well known.

That being said...the rumor mill in NWA (Northwest Arkansas) is that Lee Scott is going to get canned. Stock is flat, lots of lawsuits, bad corporate image, and being a basic shithead haven't served him well lately.

[barb162]

15. there was a web site called "Wal-Mart sucks.com" and I think

Wallie's had it shut down a few years ago. These employees would write in with this unbelievable horrible stuff on the working conditions, etc. Below is another Wallie's sucks site from both employees and customers

http://www.livejournal.com/community/walmartsucks/

[noamnety]

19. The old site is alive and well

http://www.walmartsucks.org/

(The old Canadian version of it has incorporated the US operations.)

[barb162]

22. oh thanks! I like reading this stuff aboutwhat companies

are really like behind the zillion dollar corporate ad campaigns. KMart sucks was a great web site too.

[barb162]

16. I hope the Wallie's response to this backfires and the phone campaign

is a huge success. That store needs bigtime fixing

[salin]

17. George Mason University??

Interesting.

Back in the eighties it had the reputation in the metro DC area of being one of the much more conservative larger universities in the region. Perhaps this has changed. But it sure surprised me to see GMU listed among the sponsors of walmartwatch.

[brentspeak]

18. Well, at least they identify themselves

and don't remain anonymous with their automated calls as the Republicans do with their smear-calls during campaigns.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

21. WM has been turned down twice in my neighborhood. see link for try #3

This is the closest to my neighborhood, yet. No way could the current intersection handle the additional traffic.

There are actually a couple of farms in the area, as well as a nice, low key, middle class bedroom community.

An area where small businesses and restaurants thrive. An area with offbeat, eclectic clothing stores, bakeries, and a long standing grocery store. There are several unique little stores with everything from antiques to pet supplies.

They and citizens of the area are coming together. MKJ

http://www.no72ndavewalmart.com/

The tides are turning....


edited for overuse of the word "eclectic"

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[depakid]

25. One of the things I like about peak oil is....

that Wallmart is toast- sooner rather than later.

More than just toast, they'll be completely vilified in 15 years or less.

In the meantime, every little campaign like this one helps.