A certain smiley face might be frowning this week as many in the MSU community join a national campaign challenging the superstore, Wal-Mart, to become a better corporate citizen.
As part of Wal-Mart Higher Expectations Week, more than 1,200 events in each state, including protests, legislative town hall meetings and screenings of a new documentary "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" have been organized, said Nu Wexler, spokesman for Wal-Mart Watch.
The nonprofit organization has been working to publicize allegations that the superstore practices discrimination against employees, other corporations and the environment all in an effort to keep prices low.
Wexler said the name of the week was a spin-off on a statement once made by Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.
"He used to tell his employees that high expectations are the key to everything and we certainly agree," Wexler said. "We know we are going up against the largest company in America, but hopefully our efforts will make a difference in the form of positive changes for the company."
Allegations against the chain include that it offers unaffordable employee health care. A discrimination lawsuit against the corporation accuses that the more than 1 million current and former female Wal-Mart workers who earn five to 15 percent less than their male counterparts. Many argue the prices Wal-Mart offers discourage small businesses and also force suppliers to relocate production to accommodate the prices Wal-Mart demands.
On Tuesday, several members of the MSU community protested outside a Lansing Wal-Mart at 409 N. Marketplace Blvd.
Dan Fogleman, spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said the groups organizing the week are driven by a special interest agenda who probably don't know all the facts.
"Meanwhile, we are doing what we do best, which is taking care of our 130 million shoppers each year and our 1.3 million associates," he said.
MSU alumna Kristy Bousquet, who participated in the protest, said she has personally felt the effect of Wal-Mart and doesn't shop at the store.
"Wal-Mart put my dad out of business, but it happens all over. You just can't compete," she said of her father's former greenhouse business. "Corporations are monsters and they need to be kept in check and the only ones who will keep them in check are the people."
Watching the protesters as he left the store, Lansing resident Jeff Lippert said he hasn't heard any of the negative feedback concerning its business practices.
"It's just a place here — they have a lot of good stuff," he said. "I will continue shopping here."
Wal-Mart created 210,000 jobs in the last year and new health benefits will cover an additional 100,000 employees, a statement released by Wal-Mart said.
Although Wal-Mart does hurt "mom and pop" businesses, it offers competitive prices and a larger selection of goods, said Naveen Khanna, a professor in the Eli Broad College of Business.
"You have to take the good with the bad," Khanna said. "You don't want Wal-Mart to become a monopoly, a lot of the efficiency we see now will diminish. As long as there is competition in the discount market, we are probably better off because of Wal-Mart."
International relations senior and president of MSU College Democrats Stephen Purchase said young people, who often benefit from lower priced items, need to be aware of the larger picture.
"Might you save a few pennies on Easy Mac? Yeah. In terms of taxes, higher health-care costs, there are lots of ways that cost is ultimately absorbed by the society at large," Purchase said.
