The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transformin...
Wal-Mart isnt just the worlds biggest company, it is probably the worlds most written-about. But no book until this one has managed to penetrate...
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Mar 14, 2008
Pige
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Having a family in the grocery business (and being a product of one of the most economically distraught states in the country-Michigan) of course likely aroused my interest in this book more than most. But, as the book so thoughtfully and throughly puts forward, Wal-Mart truly affects us all, whether we shop there or not. Now don't think that this book was simply one big stoning fest at Wal-Mart, it's not. The author covers the positive and the negative of this the largest company in the count
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Oct 25, 2007
james
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Overall the book does a good job laying down the issues. It asks a lot of questions and tries to answer them. The writing is well organized, written in a way anyone can understand, and is very easy to read. All the sources are cited. Wal-Mart itself was of no help witing this book, and it is clear a lot of effort went into getting the interviews.
You're going to learn a lot about Wal-Mart reading this book. If you're in a hurry, much of the writing is anecdotal and you can skip o More...
You're going to learn a lot about Wal-Mart reading this book. If you're in a hurry, much of the writing is anecdotal and you can skip o More...
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Feb 16, 2008
Ryan
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So I only got to disc 3 (of 6) before I gave up. There's just only so much hating of Wal*Mart that I can do in one week.
Actually, this book did help me see that Wal*Mart is not entirely evil. Suppliers don't necessarily like them b/c Sam Walton effectively stole the pants in the relationship. However, Wal*Mart's history is riddled with several examples of what happens to ethics when low prices become the ultimate goal: breaking the law. From sexual discrimination to large-scale emplo More...
Actually, this book did help me see that Wal*Mart is not entirely evil. Suppliers don't necessarily like them b/c Sam Walton effectively stole the pants in the relationship. However, Wal*Mart's history is riddled with several examples of what happens to ethics when low prices become the ultimate goal: breaking the law. From sexual discrimination to large-scale emplo More...
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Jan 02, 2009
Kara
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Read it whether you shop at Walmart or not....although, I am hoping you don't already. The book is a bit redundant, but the shorter, more personal stories in each chapter help the book along.
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Jan 10, 2009
Christine
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I found this throughly engaging. Loved reading it and I'm not much for non-fiction. It definitely is something to think about and I highly recommend it. Very accessible style of writing.
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Nov 22, 2008
David
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I didn't expect to enjoy this book, but I forged ahead and was surprised. This is a fascinating and eye-opening "look behind the scenes." In the early chapters, you find yourself cheering for "the largest corporation in the history of the world" as they manage to drive down prices and increase efficiency. But gradually the layers are peeled back to expose the impact of those innovations - both on the lives of employees, American producers, and overseas farms and factories. T
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Oct 12, 2011
J.c.
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The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman
Reviewed by J.C. Dickinson A5 English
A wonderful book written by Charles Fishman, The Wal-Mart Effect, shows abundant research and ability to show both sides of opposing views. Charles Fishman, being a well known investigative journalist, went all in on this book. Using many different people, ideas, and statistics to show the effects that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has on every persons life, being big or small, Fishman shows all point More...
Reviewed by J.C. Dickinson A5 English
A wonderful book written by Charles Fishman, The Wal-Mart Effect, shows abundant research and ability to show both sides of opposing views. Charles Fishman, being a well known investigative journalist, went all in on this book. Using many different people, ideas, and statistics to show the effects that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has on every persons life, being big or small, Fishman shows all point More...
Sep 08, 2011
Kkraemer
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This is a great book! I thought it would simply be the liberal rant about big box retailers and how they destroy the very essence of American life. While the book most certainly includes that perspective, it shows a complex set of circumstances and possibilities that I'd never considered. It notes, for example, that at one point, Wal Mart wanted to be able to offer a wider range of deodorants, but their shelves were full. They needed either more space or smaller deodorants. It occurred to s
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Jan 31, 2011
Anthony
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Two chapters into this book I was shocked how interested I actually was. This should maybe not have been such a surprise considering I went out and bought a book specifically because the topic intrigued me, but the first hundred pages or so are really very much worth reading, even if you already feel you've considered the issues (say, by reading Fishman's article about Wal-Mart, out of which the book grew, or this piece about Wal-Mart and monopsony, which got me interested). Nearer the end I was
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Aug 14, 2010
Rachel
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As many of you know I am NOT a fan of Wal-Mart. I read this book to add fuel to my fire. As well as adding some logic behind my dislike of this megastore. My dislike of Wal-Mart came simply from trying to find a jar of sauerkraut. This was not the first time I couldn't find something in Wal-mart. But it ended up being the last time. As I was flung from employee to employee six times--I abandoned my shopping cart in the store and left. Rarely to return. I have not missed going to Wal-Mart.
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Feb 05, 2010
Kay
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At the urging of my son [a Wal-mart rejecter:] I [a Wal-mart conflicted:] tracked the book down. It was full of information- both good and bad on the corporation. One of my most interesting discoveries was a study they conducted on Oklahoma City shoppers classifying them into 4 types: champions, enthusiasts, conflicted [me:] and rejecters [my son:]. They found that the conflicted group were the 2nd most frequent shoppers and spent almost as much as the champions.
I have said for More...
I have said for More...
Feb 13, 2011
Steve
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The reason I choose to read this book is Wal-Mart has always fascinated me. In 1997 I had to read Sam Walton's book for a Marketing class. At the time, Wal-Mart was the first to really capture the just-in-time computer networked information and it was working.
I liked shopping late on at night and see merchandise roll in off the trucks straight on to the floor. No warehouse, no holding pens, straight on the to floor. My Calculus professor's claim to fame was developing a program that a More...
I liked shopping late on at night and see merchandise roll in off the trucks straight on to the floor. No warehouse, no holding pens, straight on the to floor. My Calculus professor's claim to fame was developing a program that a More...
May 02, 2010
Mike
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This is not a great book, but it's a good book about a great subject. My friend told me to read it. He likes to think of himself as a gun-toting right-wing bible-thumping wing nut. This book had him ranting for days about the evil empire, and now he's spewing all kinds of heretical stuff about the need for government regulation and safety nets, and how people really don't know what's best for themselves. That should be enough to recommend it.
To my surprise, I found the book well bala More...
To my surprise, I found the book well bala More...
Nov 24, 2009
Michael
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This is, as the title promises, Fishman’s effort to mine the depths of Wal-Mart’s business model and explain how, over the course of 44 years, this model has transformed the world’s manufacturing, delivery, and retailing structure. I feel the author admirably delivers this narrative without the vitriolic hyperbole of Bill Quinn (who’s book on the subject I also enjoyed). Additionally, this effort seems quite comprehensive despite working around the veil of secrecy obscuring the Bentonville beast
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Sep 12, 2009
Matthew
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If you've ever wondered if Wal-mart is evil, this is the book for you. The answer is, it isn't -- not in the anthropomorphic villainous bad guy sense. But Fishman does cite some interesting academic studies that show the presence of a Wal-mart is correlated with the rate of poverty falling at a slower pace in various counties. He also cites many instances when the company has been secretive and non-transparent to such a degree that it really does feel like they are purposely hiding something. Bu
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Aug 19, 2009
Sharon
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I found the data this author compiled to be fascinating. Everybody has always pitted Walmart against Target but did you know Walmart does all of Target sales in a year my March 17? It's not just big, it's really big.
I only made it to page 200 before I found it very repetitive and just returned it to the library. Yes, Walmart pays low wages to people who don't have college degrees, if they paid them more, people wouldn't go to college. The book also spends a lot of time talking about More...
I only made it to page 200 before I found it very repetitive and just returned it to the library. Yes, Walmart pays low wages to people who don't have college degrees, if they paid them more, people wouldn't go to college. The book also spends a lot of time talking about More...
Jan 27, 2010
Sara
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I was not really surprised by anything in this book, but the anecdotes were interesting. I felt that it was very heavy-handed at times in its critique of Wal-mart, even though the critique definitely seems deserved. Perhaps the author thinks his audience needed to be hit over the head with "this happens to suppliers, and that is bad" versus just telling us what tends to happen. I admit I often have that sort of critique of non-fiction (Omnivore's Dilemma did the same thing, in my o
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Jul 08, 2009
Nora
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I can not tell you why this book had me fascinated. It has a ton of numbers--statistics with which I usually have no patience for but I just kept plugging away. I'm a "Champion" Walmart shopper; voting with my debit card.
He cites a study of the types of Walmart shoppers and found that the second tired type, those that that bought almost as much and spent just as much as the champions, had a lot of contempt for the store and didn't really like it for various reasons. H More...
He cites a study of the types of Walmart shoppers and found that the second tired type, those that that bought almost as much and spent just as much as the champions, had a lot of contempt for the store and didn't really like it for various reasons. H More...
Jun 26, 2010
Josh
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A very balanced look at the world’s most powerful company and how it works. It points out the good and the bad and doesn’t shy away from either. A great example of how a very admirable concept, namely to always deliver low prices on the behalf of their customers, can be a great thing to start and can then morph into something very bad as the scale of things change. Wal-Mart is no longer subject to market checks and balances. When it was, finding low prices worked great and removed lots of in
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Oct 27, 2009
Donald
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If you are one of the population who loves Wal-Mart, keep your blinders on and stop here. Personally, I hate Wal-Mart. I hate what it has done to American manufacturing, I hate that it stupidly mistakes lower quality for lower prices, I hate waiting 15 minutes to check out because only 3 of the 300ish checkout lines have an actual employee present. I go there as little as possible, and only when compelled by a spouse/kid/parent/etc.
Given my feelings for Wal-Mart, it is no surprise More...
Given my feelings for Wal-Mart, it is no surprise More...
Aug 17, 2011
Joe
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After an 18-year effort to keep Wal-Mart OUT of my community, it has now passed it's final hurdle(going before the State Supreme Court)and will be coming. I decided to educate myself about the company and read this book. I feel it is a fair portrayal, but I'll let anyone who reads it decide for themselves. A little about the author Charles Fishman: A Senior editor at "Fast Company". In 2005 he was awarded the prestigious Gerald Loeb Award, the highest award in business journalism, for
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Sep 20, 2010
Laura
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Wal-Mart is a competitive culture that has gone unchecked.
The culture permits or encourages illegal practices.
For me the book makes the case that the negative practices outweigh the positive things Wal-Mart did. Also the positive practices seem to be in Wal-Mart's past.
Fishman describes it as neither good nor bad but a new practice that needs new policy.
The book describes how sprinklers are made. Last summer, I bought a sprinkler - and it broke More...
The culture permits or encourages illegal practices.
For me the book makes the case that the negative practices outweigh the positive things Wal-Mart did. Also the positive practices seem to be in Wal-Mart's past.
Fishman describes it as neither good nor bad but a new practice that needs new policy.
The book describes how sprinklers are made. Last summer, I bought a sprinkler - and it broke More...
Feb 25, 2010
Jeff
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Every single point in this book was awesome. Some interesting facts learned: Mexico's number one employer: Wal-Mart (after being non-existent in Mexico in 1992), Chili's number 2 export: Salmon, and the comparison of Southwest Airlines as the Wal-Mart of the skies, except that it is pleasurable to fly Southwest, while it is not pleasurable to shop at Wal-Mart. The main problem I had with this book was the repetition of statistics. I think he said in way too many forms the number of Wal-Marts ope
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Aug 03, 2011
Meghan
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Just finished this over the holidays. I picked it up b/c I used to work at WMT and I'm not fond of shopping there, although it seems to be a necessary evil once in awhile. Excellent writing...the stories at the beginning of each chapter really draw you in, and he is definitely not WMT-bashing, just talking about the real effects WMT has on our (and the world's) economy.
Now I'm seeing the "WMT effect" everywhere...last night noticed it with some new Revlon compact makeup I bought (not More...
Now I'm seeing the "WMT effect" everywhere...last night noticed it with some new Revlon compact makeup I bought (not More...
Jun 11, 2009
Heather C.
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I don't think it is ridiculous to say that everyone should read this book. It is neither pro nor anti Wal Mart, just a thorough, analytical look at how Wal Mart is reshaping your life--whether or not you have ever stepped foot in one. And you probably have, because, as Fishman says, most people in our country live within five miles of one. And we spend $34 million EVERY HOUR there. I thought this was a good balance of showing the (little--my opinion!) good that Wal Mart is worth, and explaining
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Jun 29, 2011
Dustin
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I started reading this with the expectation that I would be exposed to terrible secrets that exposed Wal-Mart as an unholy tool of pure evil. But that wasn't the case. After I was done, I was left with the feeling that Wal-Mart was beyond description. They are responsible for bad things. They bring quality standards down for products to squeeze out the lowest possible price. They force outsourcing for these cheap goods. They kill smaller businesses. But they're also a large part of domestic busi
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Jan 28, 2009
Bradley
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I was really quite impressed by this book. I was anticipating a fairly standard anti-everything screed, only to find that that Fishman was quite balanced about the effect that Wal-Mart has on all of our lives. He looks at most sides of the equation: supply and production, demand and shopping, and everything in between. For people eager to understand how one company has changed the way that we shop (even if one makes a point of never going to Wal-Mart, the effect that it's had on other retaile
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Oct 11, 2011
Curtis
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This is a pretty good book. It lacks bite though. On the one hand it attempts to expose Wal-Mart for the beast that it is, but in a very nice, apologetic manner. On the other hand it seems to be in Wal-Mart's corner, justifying and backing up Wal-Mart culture and practices. Fishman's tone and language is way too sympathetic to Wal-Mart in his dressing down of the megalomaniacal corporate superpower. I needed a book that just ripped Wal-Mart to shreds from beginning to end and this book did
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Aug 05, 2010
Julie
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This book has been on my "to read" list since it came out in 2006. I was expecting a harsh invective. The subheader, "How the world's most powerful company really works--and how it's transforming the American economy," seemed to imply all sorts of abuses.
In fact, the book is a lot more balanced than I would have thought. To take a comparison from the last chapter, asking, "Is Wal-Mart good or bad?" is similar to asking, "Are cars good or bad?" Th More...
In fact, the book is a lot more balanced than I would have thought. To take a comparison from the last chapter, asking, "Is Wal-Mart good or bad?" is similar to asking, "Are cars good or bad?" Th More...
Jul 22, 2009
Todd
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A balanced and well researched analysis of how Wal-mart is changing the business world and the US economy. While I'm no fan of the retailer, there is no doubt that from a market standpoint Wal-mart has been a remarkable success. Unfortunately this success has come at the expense of jobs, taxpayers, small businesses and the environment.
Fishman makes the claim that the company is operating with a small business mindset and that has not yet come to terms with it's size and power. I hav More...
Fishman makes the claim that the company is operating with a small business mindset and that has not yet come to terms with it's size and power. I hav More...
