Wal-Mart

From June 2003 - Wal-Mart's Social and Econimic Impact - Earlier this year, Fortune Magazine named Wal-Mart the nation's most admired company. It now has more revenue and more employees than any other U.S. company. Wal-Mart's growth over the last decade is unprecedented -- the company has gone from being a successful discount retailer to being a dominant force that no other retailer can ignore.

"In a four-part series for Morning Edition, NPR News explores the rise of Wal-Mart, examining the company's low-cost philosophy, its impact on more traditional mom-and-pop retailers and its growing pains as Wal-Mart fights lawsuits alleging it discriminates against women and resists paying overtime to its employees."

Musings

• Summarize the main criticisms of Wal-Mart made by the company's critics. Which ones, if any, do you think have any validity.
  
  
• Check out the Frontline documentary, "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" Again, summarize the main criticisms of Wal-Mart made by the company's critics. Which ones, if any, do you think have any validity.
  
  
• Give us your impression of Wal-Mart or big-box stores generally, including the impact (good or bad) they may have had on your own community.
  

Sell, Sell, Sell

Here are three different Frontline documentaries from the public television station WBGH in Boston:

• Merchants of Cool - "They spend their days sifting through reams of market research data. They conduct endless surveys and focus groups. They comb the streets, the schools, and the malls, hot on the trail of the "next big thing" that will snare the attention of their prey--a market segment worth an estimated $150 billion a year. They spend their days sifting through reams of market research data. They conduct endless surveys and focus groups. They comb the streets, the schools, and the malls, hot on the trail of the "next big thing" that will snare the attention of their prey--a market segment worth an estimated $150 billion a year.
  
  
• The Persuaders (11/9/2004) - "Americans are swimming in a sea of messages. Each year, legions of ad people, copywriters, market researchers, pollsters, consultants, and even linguists—most of whom work for one of six giant companies—spend billions of dollars and millions of man-hours trying to determine how to persuade consumers what to buy, whom to trust, and what to think. Increasingly, these techniques are migrating to the high-stakes arena of politics, shaping policy and influencing how Americans choose their leaders. In "The Persuaders," FRONTLINE explores how the cultures of marketing and advertising have come to influence not only what Americans buy, but also how they view themselves and the world around them."
  
  
• The Secret History of the Credit Card - "It's one of the most wonderful times of the year for the banking industry's most lucrative business: credit cards. In the coming weeks, millions of Americans will reach into their wallets and use plastic to buy an estimated $100 billion in holiday gifts. But at what cost? In "Secret History of the Credit Card," FRONTLINE^® and The New York Times join forces to investigate an industry few Americans understand. In this one-hour report, correspondent Lowell Bergman uncovers the techniques used by the industry to earn record profits and get consumers to take on more debt."

Musings

• Summarize the main arguments for any one of these three documentaries. Which points do you find most or least compelling.
  
  
• Draw a connection between any of these documentaries and any material in any of these pages: Wal-Mart, Stuff, Malls, or Born to Buy.
  

Born to Buy

"Social economist Juliet Schor's new book is Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture. Schor says children as young as 18 months can recognize logos. Marketers capitalize on the influence of young minds on parents' wallets." Listen here (9/4/2004 - 6:56).

Also listen to Kim Masters's NPR piece, For Toddlers, a World Laden with Advertising (7/31/2006 - 8:14), or this series from CBS news, Hard Sell: Marketing to Kids.

Musings

• Compare any two of the pieces above. What essential points do they share? Which one do you most more persuasive?
  
  
• Describe a personal anecdote from your own life, as parent, child, student, or educator, that shows the power of advertising or shopping more generally on the lives of children.
  
  
• Nearly everything about the Amish is fascinating, nothing more so than the undeniable visual beauty of their world, at least as captured in Bill Coleman's photographs. What do you feel makes Coleman's photographs of Amish children especially haunting ? Do you think there's connection here between the effect of the photographs and the special nature of the children's stuff?
  
  
• Check out the web site for the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. What do you find here that may be of use to concerned parents or educators? Check out their links page to find other related sites that might be helpful, and explain why.