The Wal-Mart Effect

By: Charles Fishman

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Drawing on unprecedented interviews with former Wal-Mart executives and a wealth of staggering data - such as that Americans spend $36 million an hour at Wal-Mart stores - this is an intimate look at a business that is dramatically reshaping the American economy.

Wal-Mart is not only the world's largest company; it is also the largest company in the history of the world. Though 70 percent of Americans now live within a 15-minute drive of a Wal-Mart store, we have not even begun to understand the true power of the company and the many ways it is shaping American life. We know about the lawsuits and the labor protests, but what we don't know is how profoundly the "Wal-Mart effect" is shaping our lives.

Fast Company senior editor Fishman, whose revelatory cover story on Wal-Mart generated the strongest reader response in the history of the magazine, takes us on an unprecedented behind-the-scenes investigative expedition deep inside the many worlds of Wal-Mart. Fishman penetrated the secrecy of Wal-Mart headquarters, interviewing 25 high-level ex-executives. He journeyed into the world of a host of Wal-Mart's suppliers to uncover how the company strong-arms even the most established brands. And he journeyed to the ports and factories, the fields and forests where Wal-Mart's power is warping the very structure of the world's market for goods.

Wal-Mart is not just a retailer anymore, Fishman argues. It has become a kind of economic ecosystem, and anyone who wants to understand the forces shaping our world today must understand the company's hidden reach.

©2006 Charles Fishman (P)2006 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"In the end, Fishman sees Wal-Mart as neither good nor evil, but simply a fact of modern life that can barely be comprehended, let alone controlled." (Publishers Weekly)
"He brings to light the serious repercussions that are occurring as consumers and suppliers have become locked in an addiction to massive sales of cheaper and cheaper goods." (Booklist)

Mildly Entertaining

Lots of anecdotal information, some hard data but above all inconclusive. In depth economic analysis would have been nice and is lacking in the book.

A solid listen

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Sometimes it repeated itself but other than that I thought it was a good book

What did you like best about this story?

Kept a pretty even take, remained as unbiased as possible, in my opinion

What aspect of Alan Sklar’s performance would you have changed?

Nothing

Could you see The Wal-Mart Effect being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, definitely not

Any additional comments?

Worth one listen

Very informative

Everyone in America should listen to this. It is an eye opener.

Not exciting but you learn a ton about walmart

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would make it a bit shorter. It is not repetitive though.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

Was The Wal-Mart Effect worth the listening time?

It was worth listening to. It will make you more conscience when you buy from supermarkets. It teaches you how it effects the WORLD ENVIRONMENT, WORLD ECONOMIES, and PEOPLE from small towns in South America to big cities in the US.

i thought it was fair

a few other reviewers thought it was lopsided or poor on economic theory. But thought it was as fair as it could be with the information present. It was worth a listen.

Great book. offered in a FACT based way. A+

Love or hate Wal-Mart you will be shocked, and pleasantly surprised by how Wal-Mart truly works. As a long haul driver for Wal-mart, I am a true product of the Wal-mart effect. if you think you're not....listen to this book...you may be very surprised.

Buy This Book

Intriguing and thought-provoking. Regardless of how one feels about this massive retailer, its place in the global business community and its effect on our culture are undeniable. Whether a driving force on culture or merely a reflection of sociological change, the book provides significant food for thought and conversation. Well worth the time.

A Very enlightening book.

I have a couple of friends who work for Walmart. Things that they have told me about the place got me curious. I was certainly delighted to find this audible book.
I live in a very small town and we are getting a new Walmart super center built right down the road.
I can honestly say that I now consider myself a "former" Walmart shopper. I will certainly take my business to Target. Yes, I'll miss Sam's Club but I'll get over it!
I recommend this book to anyone who is a Walmart shopper or a former shopper.
It simply amazed me to hear some of the tactics used by Walmart to be able to keep their prices lower. 95% of the products that Walmart carries are made in China! They are trying to bankrupt Target, Kmart, Sears, Lowes, & Home Depot just to name a few.
Walmart carries the same products such as Lowes or Home Depot. The difference in the products other than the price is that Walmart has those same name brand products made in China, using cheaper and more light weight parts. Walmart coerces those manufacturers to be the ones who have to repair or replace the product if it malfunctions. Even though Walmart had it manufactured in China. This of course, is very costly to the maker. If the maker doesn't agree to these arrangements, then Walmart refuses to carry the product.
I will NEVER set foot inside a Walmart again.
If I can't buy American, I don't need it.

If you EVER shop at Wal-mart, PLEASE read this!

What did you love best about The Wal-Mart Effect?

It's hard to say I "loved" anything about the book, but it certainly reinforced my dedication to boycotting Wal-mart at any cost. I'm more convinced than ever that Wal-mart is as culpable as Wall Street for the state of our economy.

What I didn't realize before was how Wal-mart tramples (and sometimes bankrupts) suppliers in their pursuit of "Always Low Prices"; the suppliers (and their employees) bear the brunt of the ever-lowering prices, NOT Wal-mart. I hold Wal-mart responsible in large part for the loss of American jobs to China (and elsewhere), and the transition from REAL American jobs to Wal-mart jobs. I credit Wal-mart for the fact that almost EVERY product (excepting the most exclusive brands) on the market now is junk, designed to be replaced every few years. Standards overall have declined to the lowest common denominator because that's the only way other stores can even begin to compete with Wal-mart. It used to be that appliances would last decades; now you have to buy a Sub-Zero refrigerator or a Viking stove if you want an appliance that will last more than a few years! (The story about Levi-Strauss is one good case in point.) I used to think it ridiculous to buy extended warranties because I was sure large-ticket items I bought would last forever; now they seem a waste of money because you can practically replace these items when they break down in a few years. Thus, I hold Wal-mart responsible for further separating the Haves from the Have-Nots.

My favorite illustration of this "anti-democratization" concerns lawn mowers: A Wal-mart shopper might avoid buying a Snapper mower because of its cost, but he ends up replacing the Wal-mart- purchased mower every couple of years because they're cheap enough to be considered "disposable". So the old mowers end up in a landfill, while the "expensive" Snapper starts season after season, and ends up being the "bargain" over time. So the person able to afford a Snapper ends up spending less in the long run, just as the wealthiest people pay the least for credit and (perhaps) the lowest taxes! Wal-mart is Robin Hood in reverse, helping the wealthy get wealthier on the backs of the poorest. (This theory of anti-democratization is my own extrapolation: if it offends you, don't blame Charles Fishman!)

I remember many years ago when Wal-mart first came to my town in Georgia, they picketed outside Publix because Publix sold items not made in America. Today what percentage of Wal-mart merchandise is made in the USA? Sam Walton must be rolling in his grave...

My great fear, now that Wal-mart is plunging deeply into the organic market, is that organic producers will be forced into the same race to the bottom that so many other markets have. One day the ONLY people to enjoy natural health will be those who live on what they can grow themselves, or wealthy enough to buy their food from "boutique" farms and ranches. Since it's daunting to think how anyone can produce EVERY food they need, and store or preserve it from season to season, once again it will be just those wealthiest who will have access to abundant natural health. Thanks again, Wal-mart!

Any additional comments?

Four comments:

1) I apologize for my fervor and the length of this review. I'm sorry if I sound like a communist.

2) I was really struck to learn how the earliest employees' purchases of Wal-mart stock made millionaires of those who held on to it, compared with current purchases of the stock, which don't even make good toilet paper.

3) I doubt that the Wal-mart race to the bottom which leaves the (organic, hormone-free, pastured, local and sustainable) "cream" for the wealthiest 2% can be reversed, thus restoring the world's health and economies, but boycotting Wal-mart makes me feel like one TINY drop in the bucket which I can easily provide! If a LOT of us did the same, who knows? When it comes to making purchases, our best votes are with our feet and wallets!

4) Please, read this book!

Amazing makes you see clearly

I loved this book. It hit home very much like the book "Fast Food Nation". It made me think about Walmart in a whole new way and how it has changed our society and business around the globe. It never states Walmart is good or bad... it just makes you see all sides of it and think about the future.