Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Encyclopedia
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price is a 2005 documentary film
by director
Robert Greenwald
. The film presents an unfavorable picture of Wal-Mart
's business practices through interviews with former employees, small business owners, and footage of Wal-Mart executives. The film intersperses statistics between the interviews to provide large-scale examinations beyond personal opinions. The documentary was released on DVD
on November 4, 2005.
practices, detrimental impacts on small businesses, insufficient environmental protection policies, and poor record on workers' rights in the United States
and internationally. The film ends with interviews of community leaders that have prevented Wal-Mart stores from being built in their communities and an exhortation for others to do the same.
and unions through the Wake Up Wal-Mart
and Wal-Mart Watch
campaigns. Wal-Mart has disputed the factual accuracy of the statements made in the film. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price has been credited as one of the reasons that Wal-Mart created a public relations "war room" in late 2005 to respond to criticism.
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price is currently #25 on Rotten Tomatoes
' top films of 2005 with a rating of 93%.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald is an American film director, film producer, and political activist.-Early life:Greenwald was born and raised in New York City, the son of Ruth and Harold Greenwald. He attended the city's High School of Performing Arts...
. The film presents an unfavorable picture of Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
's business practices through interviews with former employees, small business owners, and footage of Wal-Mart executives. The film intersperses statistics between the interviews to provide large-scale examinations beyond personal opinions. The documentary was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on November 4, 2005.
Synopsis
While the film begins with footage of Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott praising the corporation at a large employee convention, the film spends a majority of its running time on personal interviews. A variety of criticisms of the corporation emerge from these interviews, demonstrating Wal-Mart's anti-unionTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
practices, detrimental impacts on small businesses, insufficient environmental protection policies, and poor record on workers' rights in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and internationally. The film ends with interviews of community leaders that have prevented Wal-Mart stores from being built in their communities and an exhortation for others to do the same.
Reaction
The film has been endorsed and promoted by, among others, MoveOn.orgMoveOn
MoveOn is an American non-profit, progressive or liberal public policy advocacy group and political action committee, which has raised millions of dollars for candidates it identifies as "moderates" or "progressives" in the United States. It was formed in 1998 in response to the impeachment of...
and unions through the Wake Up Wal-Mart
Wake Up Wal-Mart
Wake Up Wal-Mart is a campaign group founded by United Food and Commercial Workers Union. It is based in Washington, D.C. and is often critical of the business practices of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, and the largest private employer in the United States...
and Wal-Mart Watch
Wal-Mart Watch
Walmart Watch, formed in the spring of 2005, is a joint project of the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics, a non-profit organization studying the impact of large corporations on society and its advocacy arm, Five Stones.-Backers and funding:...
campaigns. Wal-Mart has disputed the factual accuracy of the statements made in the film. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price has been credited as one of the reasons that Wal-Mart created a public relations "war room" in late 2005 to respond to criticism.
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price is currently #25 on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
' top films of 2005 with a rating of 93%.