I have been working for Wal-Mart for almost three years now and I have to say it is the WORST place I have ever worked.  I have done factory jobs, daycare and even cleaned hotel rooms, (that one was disgusting!) but I have never been treated so poorly by an employer.  They project themselves as family-oriented but that is far from the truth.  They do not care about the associates or their families.  I used to have a comfortable position working from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.  When I took this position they were fully aware of my family situation because my husband also works for the same store.  His shift being 10:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.  It was working out for us because we didn’t have to put the baby in daycare and we had a little bit of time together as a family.  Then one day, out of nowhere, they tell me that my new shift will be from 4:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. 

Now, seriously, where am I going to find a sitter for 10:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.?  I was told that I did not have a choice in the matter and that no other positions were available within the store.  Luckily, we were able to find another family member to watch the baby.  During the holidays, my crew and I were staying late every day, sometimes until 3:30 a.m. to make sure everything was stocked and ready for the Christmas rush.  When we went into work on Friday (the last day of our pay period) we were told that we could only work for one hour and forty-five minutes because we were not allowed to get overtime pay.  After all of our hard work, time away from our families and not to mention some of the crew have at least an hour drive to get to the store, we weren’t even going to be properly compensated! 

A few days later I was explaining our situation to one of the associates who work in the cash office and she told me the reason for denying us overtime.  The way things work at Wal-Mart is that the store manager gets an annual bonus based on how much money is left over from the store budget.  Therefore, every dollar we don’t use for supplies, repairs, or associate wages goes directly to the store managers pocket.  Last year our store manager received a bonus check for $87,000.  It seems to me that the only family she is concerned with is her own. 

Another incident took place just a few days ago when I got a phone call from the personnel manager telling me I needed to come in A.S.A.P.  I have been out on workers compensation because I hurt my back on February 12, 2009.  When I went in to see what the problem was, the co-manager told me that if I did not return to work or bring in a paper from my doctor within two days, I would be terminated.  He told me that I had to sign a paper saying that I agreed with this decision and I refused.  I feel that they are only concerned with the amount of money I am costing them because I am receiving workers compensation and they really don’t care about my well-being or my family at all.  When Sam Walton started this company, he was all about family.  I think that if he were alive today he would be disgusted to see how things have changed.