Walmart's War Room

The New York Times has an article on Walmart's new war room that works just like the ones we see in movies with the joint chiefs gathered around with all the president's honchos.  What are they preparing to battle? The fact that most everyone hates them.

Personally, if they had asked me, I would have advised them to just start a blog.  It would have been a lot cheaper and more effective to create a conduit in which their customers, impacted towns and neighborhoods, employees, vendors and free speech advocates could have talked back to them. The war room makes me think that the America's largest retailer would rather just shout down their detractors. There are two many of us and nearly all of us would prefer a simple interactive conversation to more thunder from a monolith.

Comments

[Robert Nelson]

I agree

[Evan Erwin]

Let's not be completely nieve. If Wal-Mart was to start a blog, I'd bet $100 it would be:

- Just like Google's blog, completely self-contained with no links to any other websites or companies

- COMPLETELY devoid of comments (ie, shut off)

They're too isolated to open themselves up to criticism. :(

[Jeremy Pepper]

While a blog would have been a complimentary tool to the war room, you have to wonder what the percentage of Walmart customers, impacted towns and neighborhoods are wired and blogging/reading blogs.

This might be a digital divide issue, where a blog would be only reaching one part of the audience. If that were the goal, that would be fine.

[Tim Jackson- Masiguy]

Wal-Mart has become the new favorite target of corporate distrust. Really, I'm no fan, I don't know that there is anything they can do to gain much public trust. A blog might help, though I doubt that they would allow for much interactivity. I don't know what they can do now to be seen more favorably by those who already don't like them.

[/pd]

Walmart does have a blog does it not ?? I think Rubel blogges this !!

[Tapia]

So, what is this blog? http://www.walmartfacts.com/stories/

[shel]

Tapia,
It is what it is. Thanks for linking to yourself in your comment.

[Big hungry Phil]

Is there any way to contact walmart if you have an idea for their war room? It's frustrating to feel that you have the answer and don't know who to tell.

[Troy Olson]

I was recently fired from wal-mart. I know first hand how terrible they treat there employees. they yell at us infront of customers, try and make us look stupid, the managers only think of themselfs and not there employees. The reason i was fired is because my Great grandmother has just died the other day and i asked them for a day off to go to her funural they then said yes. then later that shift they called me into the personel office and told me i was unreliable and that i was fired. in my opinion i think Walmart should either form a Union or be shut down.

[Beverly]

I don't know who is at the helm at Wal-mart, but they are making some stupid decisions. They are trying to get away from being a discount store. Have you noticed they are going to a more upscale clothing line? Groceries are getting higher too. You see more high gross items, than items that the everyday working Joe can afford. Whoever is making the decisions, they need to put them in the stores working, so he can take some of the heat the employees are taking. I feel so sorry for some of them. They work them to death, pay dirt cheap wages and expect their last pint of blood. It is a shame that some other comapany can't knock them off their pestal! One other things they treat the people that deliver them products, like dirt. I know that for a fact. They don't appreciate a thing those folks do for them and God forbid if you let them run out of product. Oh well, I am out of there now, but my heart does go out to all the poor souls that are still working there.