<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GoodreadsResponse>
	<Request>
		<authentication>false</authentication>
		    <method><![CDATA[]]></method>
	</Request>
	<review id="20240381">
    <user id="846102">
    <name><![CDATA[Judy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Redlands, CA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/846102-judy]]></url>
    <image><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1214882217p3/846102.jpg]]></image>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">74915</id>
  <isbn>0143038788</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780143038788</isbn13>
  <ratings_count type="integer">608</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">157</text_reviews_count>
  <title>The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World's Most Powerful Company Really Works--and How It's Transforming the American Economy</title>
  <average_rating></average_rating>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170869319m/74915.jpg</image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74915.The_Wal_Mart_Effect_How_the_World_s_Most_Powerful_Company_Really_Works_and_How_It_s_Transforming_the_American_Economy</link>
<author>
  <id type="integer">42499</id>
  <name>Charles Fishman</name>
  <ratings_count type="integer">714</ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">184</text_reviews_count>
</author>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Apr 15 14:15:27 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Apr 15 14:16:51 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A fascinating look into the way Wal-Mart creates their low prices, and the effect those low prices are having on manufacturers (putting many of them out of business, including the ones who sell to Wal-Mart and are basically blackmailed into regular price cuts), consumers (we buy more and more because it is such a &quot;good deal,&quot; and we are caring less and less about quality), employment (low price requirements force more manufacturers to go overseas for labor), competitors (yes, Wal-Mart does put them out of business), and workers (Wal-Mart's poor wages and benefits packages are setting a low standard for the industry). The author does his best to present the positive side of Wal-Mart as well--how it has changed the way American manufacturers package and transport their products, for example. Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world, and getting bigger. An astounding fifty percent of Americans live within five miles of a Wal-Mart (although there isn't one in NYC). Super Wal-Mart is bigger than the next few grocery chains combined. However, while Wal-Mart collects a lot of data on us as we shop there, they keep their corporate information very private. The author points out how little scholarly research has actually been done on Wal-Mart in comparison to other corporations, largely because it is so hard to get even the most basic information from them. I was stunned to learn how large Wal-Mart actually is, how it can control its manufacturers, and its growing power outside the U.S. Fishman offers lots of interesting detailed examples, including the creation and marketing of the &quot;Makin' Bacon&quot; tool (I now want one), how Wal-Mart can sell Chilean salmon for $4.68 a pound, how Levi cheapened their product in order to be able to sell at Wal-Mart, and the Snapper Lawnmower Company's gutsy defiance of Wal-Mart. The book may not stop you from taking advantage of Wal-Mart's &quot;Always Low Prices,&quot; but you'll look around you with new eyes when you do.]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20240381]]></url>
</review>

</GoodreadsResponse>