The New York Times is running a story that is quite disturbing on just how nasty it gets inside of Wal-Mart. All the stuff that we are talking about on the outside of Wal-Mart? It is also being talked about inside of Wal-Mart. And the tone of which the Lee Scott, the CEO of Wal-Mart takes with his employees is a lot less friendly than with the public.
But its tone is at times biting. In his response to the store manager who asked about retiree health benefits, Mr. Scott wrote: "Quite honestly, this environment isn't for everyone. There are people who would say, 'I'm sorry, but you should take the risk and take billions of dollars out of earnings and put this in retiree health benefits and let's see what happens to the company.' If you feel that way, then you as a manager should look for a company where you can do those kinds of things."Lee Scott tries to respond to all the negativity to Wal-Mart and the bad press that it has been getting:
A recurring theme is the attacks on Wal-Mart's image and managers' worries that these attacks are undermining employee morale and the company's ability to grow. Asked if the negative publicity has slowed Wal-Mart's expansion, Mr. Scott responded: "I think it probably has. You can't get letters that say, 'I read where you're doing this and therefore I'll never shop with you again,' and assume everyone who writes that is just some nut. Some of those are real people who don't know us and believe what they've read."You know what though? I have worked with these people at their headquarters in Bentonville, AR. I spent two and a half years flying back and forth to that place to work with these people. What is sad is that Lee Scott is so disingenous to the public about the true Wal-Mart. If the people shopping at Wal-Mart had a chance to fly out to Bentonville and to observe Wal-Mart employees are, they would all stop shopping there. They treat vendors like trash. They treat suppliers like trash. They are a bunch of smug arrogant people out there. If you had to work with them, I feel for you. It is bad. Don't fool yourself Lee, Wal-Mart is every bit as bad as the media portrays it to be.