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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
I've never shopped at Wal-Mart anyway because there isn't one convenient
to me, but in light of the recent discussion I'm wondering if Kohl's is OK to shop at? Anyone know how fairly they compensate their employees? Thanks. -- Cheryl S. Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 7 mo. And Jaden, 2 months Cleaning the house while your children are small is like shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing. |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
"Cheryl S." wrote in message
... I've never shopped at Wal-Mart anyway because there isn't one convenient to me, but in light of the recent discussion I'm wondering if Kohl's is OK to shop at? Anyone know how fairly they compensate their employees? Honestly, Cheryl, I don't know. They're not a retail chain that operates in my area, so I don't have any experience with them. FWIW, my impression from what I've read is that most retail chains/department stores pay relatively low wages compared to what employees of unionized grocery stores earn. Most of them pay better than Wal-Mart, though. Honestly, I shop at Target and some of the other low-wage payihng chains because I can't buy everything I need at the supermarket (think clothes, toys, etc., and you get the idea). There is not always an alternative to a fairly low-paying retailer for at least *some* goods. I just try to shop at stores that I know pay better wages and benefits when I can (as I can do in the case of buying groceries from unionized supermarkets). -- Be well, Barbara (Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [20mo] mom) This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop: "Rejuvinate your skin." -- Hydroderm ad Daddy: You're up with the chickens this morning. Aurora: No, I'm up with my dolls! All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful. Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
Circe wrote in message
news:TC6ub.7354$iS6.2526@fed1read04... Honestly, Cheryl, I don't know. They're not a retail chain that operates in my area, so I don't have any experience with them. Oh - didn't know they weren't national. They're somewhere between a Target and a JC Penney, usually near a mall but not in the mall IME, and sell clothes, toys, and household goods but no food. They often have really good deals on kids' clothes, and probably women's clothes too, but I so rarely buy clothes for myself I don't know. FWIW, my impression from what I've read is that most retail chains/department stores pay relatively low wages compared to what employees of unionized grocery stores earn. Most of them pay better than Wal-Mart, though. Honestly, I shop at Target and some of the other low-wage payihng chains because I can't buy everything I need at the supermarket (think clothes, toys, etc., and you get the idea). Some of the Wal-Mart commercials seem really creepy now that I know how they *really* treat their employees. There is not always an alternative to a fairly low-paying retailer for at least *some* goods. I just try to shop at stores that I know pay better wages and benefits when I can (as I can do in the case of buying groceries from unionized supermarkets). Shortly after the discussion here I asked one of my friends about her cleaning service and she said she'd picked it because they were one of the only housecleaning companies that provide their employees with health insurance. I do think it is good to be aware of that to factor into decisions about where to purchase goods and services when possible. -- Cheryl S. Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 7 mo. And Jaden, 2 months Cleaning the house while your children are small is like shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing. |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
Cheryl S. wrote:
I've never shopped at Wal-Mart anyway because there isn't one convenient to me, but in light of the recent discussion I'm wondering if Kohl's is OK to shop at? Anyone know how fairly they compensate their employees? No idea at all personally, but I found this article with a little googling. I don't know how accurate it is, but here ya go: http://bostonworks.boston.com/globe/...02_retail.html Best wishes, Ericka |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
"Cheryl S." wrote in message ...
I've never shopped at Wal-Mart anyway because there isn't one convenient to me, but in light of the recent discussion I'm wondering if Kohl's is OK to shop at? Anyone know how fairly they compensate their employees? Thanks. If you are interested in helping those who earn low wages, you are better off shopping at stores which do not have or follow a living wage policy. The living wage and, most especially, the minimum wage are artificial impediments which slow the economy, cause economic inefficiencies and encourage discrimination. 'Fair Trade Coffee' is a good example of the failure of such ideas. By overpaying for a commodity businesses encouraged more individuals to enter the market. Now those S. American coffee growers/laborers are facing increased competition from SE Asia and other parts of the world where growing and selling coffee was at one time cost prohibitive. Unfortunately in 2003 results are not measured by what is accomplished, but by what is intended. -TOE "The prosaic, depressing and somewhat shameful fact is that the secret to getting ahead is just what my parents told me it was." -P.J. O'Rourke |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
Shortly after the discussion here I asked one of my friends about her
cleaning service and she said she'd picked it because they were one of the only housecleaning companies that provide their employees with health insurance. Interesting. Part of the reason so few people I know use housecleaning companies is because they'd rather pay their money directly to the person doing the work, instead of having some bureaucrat take the lion's share and pay the actual cleaning people low wages. :-) (Also, the individuals tend to do a much better job.) Of course, it's relatively easy to find individual cleaners in my area; I suppose that might not be true everywhere. I do think it is good to be aware of that to factor into decisions about where to purchase goods and services when possible. -- Cheryl S. That's one reason we prefer to avoid chains whenever possible. I like to support local small businesses. I get my prescription drugs at a local pharmacy instead of a supermarket or Rite-Aid. I buy toys at the little shop down the street that sells both new and used items, rather than at Toys R Us. I buy books at the local independent booksellers (fortunately my 'hood is blessed with many of them) or, when I want or need to order online, from powells.com, rather than from Barnes & Noble. I tend to buy hardware at the local shop rather than at Home Depot. Sadly, I do mostly buy clothing at chain stores, because it is *so* much more convenient and cheaper. But for most other things, there is little or no difference in price or selection as between the mega chain store and the neighborhood business. And you often get much better service in the smaller store, too. Holly Mom to Camden, 2.5 yrs |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
HollyLewis wrote:
Interesting. Part of the reason so few people I know use housecleaning companies is because they'd rather pay their money directly to the person doing the work, instead of having some bureaucrat take the lion's share and pay the actual cleaning people low wages. :-) (Also, the individuals tend to do a much better job.) Of course, it's relatively easy to find individual cleaners in my area; I suppose that might not be true everywhere. That's one reason we prefer to avoid chains whenever possible. I like to support local small businesses. I get my prescription drugs at a local pharmacy instead of a supermarket or Rite-Aid. I buy toys at the little shop down the street that sells both new and used items, rather than at Toys R Us. I buy books at the local independent booksellers (fortunately my 'hood is blessed with many of them) or, when I want or need to order online, from powells.com, rather than from Barnes & Noble. I tend to buy hardware at the local shop rather than at Home Depot. Sadly, I do mostly buy clothing at chain stores, because it is *so* much more convenient and cheaper. But for most other things, there is little or no difference in price or selection as between the mega chain store and the neighborhood business. And you often get much better service in the smaller store, too. There seems to be some confusion here. The living wage and minimun wage hurt small businesses. If you want to help the Wal-Marts of the world, be sure to push for strict wage laws. These laws prevent small businesses from starting up and favors large corporations. -TOE Holly Mom to Camden, 2.5 yrs |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
"Tom Enright" wrote in message
om... There seems to be some confusion here. The living wage and minimun wage hurt small businesses. That's the conventional wisdom and the business lobby certainly like to trumpet it as fact. A recent survey (1998) of small businesses suggests otherwise, however. While the study revolved around a hypothetical minimum wage increase from $5.15 to $6.00 an hour, which hardly represents a "living wage" by most people's standards, it seems to pretty much blow out of the water the idea that minimum wage laws result in either significant disemployment or measurable harm to the majority of small businesses. From http://www.levy.org/docs/pn/98-3.html: "It has long been the conventional wisdom that an increase in the minimum wage results in lower employment. This wisdom stems from both theoretical precepts taught in most economic textbooks and statements from employers regarding their anticipated reaction to an increase. It is also suggested that much of the opposition to the minimum wage comes from the small business community. Arguments against raising the minimum wage presume that an increase reduces profits for small businesses and forces them to lay workers off. There is little empirical evidence measuring the actual responses of small businesses to changes in the minimum wage. What is available is anecdotal evidence, the results of a few studies by academics on the effects of the minimum wage on the teen labor market, and the predictions of the minimum wage study commission that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage might result in a 1 percent reduction in teen employment (Kosters and Welch 1972; Welch 1974, 1978; Meyer and Wise 1983; Neumark and Wascher 1992). Most of the studies on the teen labor market were conducted during the 1970s and early 1980s. What has been done recently, most notably the work of Card and Krueger (summarized in Card and Krueger 1995), has been controversial, not simply because critics argue that the conclusions are wrong, but because the findings represent an affront to the orthodoxy of the economics profession and a threat to those with a vested interest in resisting minimum wage increases. According to Card and Krueger (1995), when California and New Jersey both increased their minimum wages, there were no adverse effects on employment. These findings were confirmed for New Jersey and Pennsylvania (Card and Krueger 1998). Implicit in all the theoretical or empirical work regarding the minimum wage is the assumption that the minimum wage is set above the competitive market clearing level; that is, the wage is high enough so that labor demand dictates the number of people hired. Little is known about the relative sensitivity of firms' labor demand to changes in wages, a concept known as "wage elasticity of demand." In the minimum wage commission study mentioned above, a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage resulted in a 1 percent reduction in employment (a wage elasticity of 0.1). In the work that follows, we suggest that in a range of wages around the current minimum wage this estimate of wage elasticity is too high. In other words, small business employers are extremely insensitive to changes in the minimum wage. Most empirical research on the minimum wage focuses on a specific group of employees (teenage workers) or a specific industry (the fast-food industry). In this policy note, we present some early findings from more comprehensive data obtained through a survey of small businesses conducted at the Levy Institute. The data provide useful information on the hiring and employment practices of small businesses. Our analysis suggests that a large majority of small businesses were not affected by the recent minimum wage hike. Further, there is strong evidence that were the minimum wage to be increased from its current $5.15 per hour to $6.00 per hour, the hiring practices of most small businesses still would not be affected. These findings add to the considerable body of empirical research on the minimum wage that contradicts the theoretical presuppositions that have driven minimum wage policy thus far." You can read the remainder of the survey at the same URL. -- Be well, Barbara (Julian [6], Aurora [4], and Vernon's [20mo] mom) This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop: "Rejuvinate your skin." -- Hydroderm ad Daddy: You're up with the chickens this morning. Aurora: No, I'm up with my dolls! All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful. Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman |
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
HollyLewis wrote:
Interesting. Part of the reason so few people I know use housecleaning companies is because they'd rather pay their money directly to the person doing the work, instead of having some bureaucrat take the lion's share and pay the actual cleaning people low wages. :-) (Also, the individuals tend to do a much better job.) Of course, it's relatively easy to find individual cleaners in my area; I suppose that might not be true everywhere. They're not always easy to find, they're not always good, and the costs of experimentation can be high since they're often not bonded and insured. They also tend to take more time (since they tend to work solo rather than in teams). That's not to say there aren't some advantages as well, or that one shouldn't use that option. I'm just saying that there are advantages to services too, if you can find one that's ethical and well run. Best wishes, Ericka |
#10
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FAO Circe / Living wage at Kohl's?
On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 08:25:43 -0800, "Circe" wrote:
There is not always an alternative to a fairly low-paying retailer for at least *some* goods. I just try to shop at stores that I know pay better wages and benefits when I can (as I can do in the case of buying groceries from unionized supermarkets). Interestingly and pertaining to this discussion, there is an article about Walmart in FastCompany magazine's december issue. I can't give a URL because the december issue just came out and is not online atm, but the URL for the magazine itself is http://www.fastcompany.com/homepage/index.html The article talks about how Walmart's drive for lower prices and it's clout as the biggest retailer (and in fact, that largest US company actually) is driving suppliers into outsourcing jobs even faster than they were before Walmart's pressure tactics and how companies that supply the goods for Walmart are being squeezed into unprofitability in various ways. One example they used was Vlasic Pickles. Walmart wanted the gallon jar of vlasic pickles and got it to sell at $2.97, but vlasic then lost much of its high end business which had a higher profit margin to the sales from walmart on which they made only a few pennies a jar. Vlasic tried to renegotiate the price and eventually, they were allowed to sell 1/2 gallon jars for $2.79, but by that time, it was too late. While it wasn't *a critical factor,* Walmart's tough insistence certainly played a part in the fact that Vlasic filed for bankruptcy in January 2001. Another example is Huffy Bikes. Huffy committed to supply Walmart with an extra thin-margin entry level bike. Sales took off on this bike and the company could not meet the production for Walmart unless they stopped producing some of their high end bikes which were more profitable per unit. So to free up production for Walmart (because Walmart doesn't renegotiate when it wants something), they gave the designs for 4 of their high-end bikes to their competitors. Huffy didn't just relinquish profits to keep Walmart happy, they relinquished profits to their competitors. Huffy made its last bike in the US in 1999. Walmart is the number one retailer of bikes and about 98% of all bikes are now imported from China, Mexico and Taiwan. A third example is Levi Strauss. In order to sell to Walmart, Levi had to restructure itself to sell less expensive clothing. Levis as sold by Walmart are less in price, but they have also been downgraded in terms of their quality, so what Levi will gain if its Walmart line takes off will be at the expense of its reputation as a quality brand of jeans. And Levi is closing its last two US plants. A company that had 60 US plants 22 years ago and that was known as one of the most socially responsible companies will have no plants at all by 2004. It won't be making any clothing, it will simply be importing its jeans. There was a lot more in the article that was interesting. The December issue is on newstands now and I don't know when they will put the issue online. -- Dorothy There is no sound, no cry in all the world that can be heard unless someone listens .. The Outer Limits |
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