Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9106 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-07-24
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Synopsis
Director Robert Greenwald (OUTFOXED) continues his expose of disturbing corporate doings with WAL-MART – THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE. From the benefits packages and treatment of staff to the effect of the company on small businesses, the documentary addresses the simple question: does America benefit from the presence of this low-priced chain? Employee testimony and statistics make Greenwald's case clear and effective, and the stories of enforced, unpaid overtime and the death of small businesses make for a compelling case against the company.

Customer Reviews

The high cost of a below par documentary
I think the film maker missed a trick by wearing his heart on his sleeve and smacking us in the face with his foregone conclusions before he'd even stated his case. He may as well be related to the small business owners he interviewed.

Examples include - ominous and sinister music and slo mo footage the second anything relating to Walmart appears, whilst poignant and soulful guitar solos feature whenever a small business owner talks.
Lots of American flags belonging to small business owners flying in the face of evil corporate America etc. YAWN... I don't disagree with the case he's trying to present, but the spoon fed sentimentality, one sidedness and sheer amateurishness of Greenwald's attempt evoked a hardened cynic in me I never knew existed.

This is a Michael Moore wannabe - a clumsily scripted, unbalanced and sentimental piece of work.

Essential viewing
This brilliant documentary is political film-making of real relevance, pertinent to anybody who has ever shopped in a supermarket. Which is basically all of us.
Wal-Mart is famed for its cheap t-shirts, cheap socks, and massive buckets of chicken wings all for a dollar each. Everything is cheaper in Wal-Mart; you can even buy coffins there. Wal-Mart is woven into the fabric of American life. No doubt about that. It is the biggest retail organisation on the planet.

Driven by the mantra `every year must be more profitable than the next,' Wal-Mart's march though America has been relentless. Unable to increase prices to maintain rising profits, Wal-Mart has been obliged to do 2 things instead: expand remorsefully and squeeze costs.

We don't have Wal-Mart here in the UK, but we do have TESCO. If you want to see what the Devil looks like, watch this movie. This is essential viewing.

Watch this.
There's nothing much I can add to Ian David Curry's excellent review below but I feel compelled to give my recommendations to this documentary. One of the previous reviewers said this was a one sided film. What is the other side? This film presents nothing but facts. For another opinion talk to the bosses at Walmart. One scene that I remember was a woman recalling being car jacked in the Walmart parking and threatened with her life. This is apparently a fairly common occurence in Walmart parking lots. This all happened with security cameras watching the whole thing. These cameras are not set up for the customers safety however, they are in place to watch out for any union reps who might appear. Get this. No police were called and no security appeared to help the lady.