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H&M and Wal-Mart destroy and trash unsold goods
Shine ^

Posted on 01/08/2010 7:02:35 AM PST by Scythian

This unsettling discovery was made by graduate student Cynthia Magnus outside the back entrance of H&M on 35th street in New York City. Just a few doors down, she also found hundreds of Wal-Mart tagged items with holes made in them that were dumped by a contractor. On December 7, she spotted 20 bags of clothing outside of H&M including, "gloves with the fingers cut off, warm socks, cute patent leather Mary Jane school shoes, maybe for fourth graders, with the instep cut up with a scissor, men’s jackets, slashed across the body and the arms. The puffy fiber fill was coming out in big white cotton balls.”

The New York Times points out that one-third of the city's population is poor, which makes this behavior not only wasteful and sad, but downright irresponsible. Wal-Mart spokeswoman, Melissa Hill, acted surprised that these items were found, claiming they typically donate all unworn merchandise to charity. When reporters went around the corner from H&M to a collections drop-off for charity organization New York Cares, spokesperson Colleen Farrell said, “We’d be glad to take unworn coats, and companies often send them to us."

(Excerpt) Read more at shine.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: walmart
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To: Marty62
Americans pull together when the Country is in peril.

This company will respond to the level of this disaster. A lot of you are going to have to make decisions above your level. Make the best decision that you can with the information that’s available to you at the time, and, above all, do the right thing.
--Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott, Jr., as Katrina bore down on the Gulf Coast.

I don't know if this guy's still the CEO, but as long as he is, I'm cutting Wal-Mart slack.
61 posted on 01/08/2010 7:45:13 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: VanDeKoik

She decided to start whining about something that had no bearing on her, her health or her well being.

Too many nosy scumbags out there looking for a reason to start complaining over matters that don’t effect them one way or another.

This chick manufactured outrage to puff herself up as a crusader against the heartless corporate monstrosity.

michael moore style attack liberalism at work.


62 posted on 01/08/2010 7:46:15 AM PST by Dr.Zoidberg (Warning: Sarcasm/humor is always engaged. Failure to recognize this may lead to misunderstandings.)
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To: sueuprising

The unions hate Walmart. They spread rumors that are happily gobbled up by the uninformed. They’ve been trying to unionize Walmart for years. Maybe H&M is non-union too.


63 posted on 01/08/2010 7:46:24 AM PST by ladyjane
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To: New Yawk Minute

Oops! I kinda used Goodwill as a generic name for all thrift stores.

However not all thrift stores are selling 7.00 shirts like the new suburban-friendly Goodwill’s. I wont even touch those places. They are total rip-offs.

I also dont mind if the place makes money off of their items. Many of the stores in my town use the money to fund missions, churches, food kitchens, and job training. They also have to keep the lights on.


64 posted on 01/08/2010 7:48:43 AM PST by VanDeKoik (Iran doesnt have a 2nd admendment. Ya see how that turned out?)
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To: Reddy

“Just another WM bashing liberal.”

Exactly. I wonder what upscale clothiers do with unsold suits and dresses? I bet they don’t give them to the poor.


65 posted on 01/08/2010 7:50:02 AM PST by PLMerite (Ride to the sound of the Guns - I'll probably need help.)
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To: thefactor
There is no Walmart in NYC so I would like to know where they came from.

Doesn't that make the story a fabrication?

66 posted on 01/08/2010 7:52:30 AM PST by Eaker (Where I'm from, "Gang Colors" is Realtree and Mossy Oak. You know what I'm saying hoss. Rule.308.)
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To: Marty62
Even IF they didn’t want to donate, they could have offered deep discounts so that people in need could have a chance to buy this stuff.

...

No one said anything about FORCED charity.

TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

First, you can quit yelling at me. ;-P

Using public opinion/outrage/etc. to try and get a company to 'offer deep discounts' "IF they didn't want to donate" most certainly is "forced charity". Force does not necessarily emanate from the government.

To have such a "fire sale" regularly would change the business model and cycle for a store. Their customers would stop purchasing at "regular" prices, and would instead only patronize the deep discount sales. To make it contingent on showing income is very, very likely illegal.

You are correct that private charity is always preferable to government handouts, but "charity" is a gift that is given - and not one that can be taken, such as your original post implied.

Finally, Walmart following through on the terms of their contracts (when they stipulate destruction of merchandise) is explicitly "doing the right thing".

67 posted on 01/08/2010 7:52:57 AM PST by MortMan (Stubbing one's toes is a valid (if painful) way of locating furniture in the dark.)
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To: Scythian
The New York Times points out that one-third of the city's population is poor,

There is your problem right there. Raise the tax on the poorest to discourage being poor. They'll stop being poor or flee the city and NY will have less poor people. Seems to be the solution for all other social manipulations that statist taxes are used for.

68 posted on 01/08/2010 7:54:52 AM PST by listenhillary (I believe AGW is real now. It was caused by scientists and greenies LYING!)
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To: New Yawk Minute
And Goodwill sells them. Have you ever walked into one of their stores and look around? Many of their clothing prices are around the same, or just below walmart prices. They arent doing anyone any favors.

Gotta stick up for Goodwill here. I haven't seen this at all (Ohio). Our local Goodwill is incredibly low priced and I generally enjoy shopping there. Or at least sitting in a chair for an hour or so while my four teen/preteen daughters get their own cart and shop like they're on rodeo drive (very vivid imaginations they have). Two or three times a year the total bill comes to about $50, and the kids are thrilled.

90% of what the store has is junk, IMO, but the kids treat it as a sort of treasure hunt.
69 posted on 01/08/2010 7:57:19 AM PST by mmichaels1970
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To: Dr.Zoidberg
"She decided to start whining about something that had no bearing on her, her health or her well being. Too many nosy scumbags out there looking for a reason to start complaining over matters that don’t effect them one way or another. This chick manufactured outrage to puff herself up as a crusader against the heartless corporate monstrosity."

Kinda reminds you of the people here that want to boycott stores that don't say "Merry Christmas" doesnt it?

Like I said, no one had to listen to her, and the store didnt have to do anything. However, they got some major PR flak and they changed. Everyone operated freely, and without government pressure or fiat. If the store believed so strongly in what they were doing, they would have told her to bug off. Apparently they didnt. So what is the issue here? A free person ,leftist or not, used non-governmental means to get a policy at a private store changed. The private store, due to pressure from private citizens, some likely were customers, changed their policy.
70 posted on 01/08/2010 7:59:15 AM PST by VanDeKoik (Iran doesnt have a 2nd admendment. Ya see how that turned out?)
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To: Marty62

Wal-Mart does this all the time. You can buy end of season stuff for pennies on the dollar at Wal-Mart.


71 posted on 01/08/2010 8:00:51 AM PST by Angry_White_Man_Syndrome
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To: Scythian

“The New York Times points out that one-third of the city’s population is poor, which makes this behavior not only wasteful and sad, but downright irresponsible.”

Yeah, and the author wants to “boo hoo” about how bad these retailers are—instead misses the point that ONE-THIRD of the population is poor! You want to whine about something, whine about how your socialist thug government in NY is a complete failure and disaster. Your stifling enslaving burden of taxes is the first place to look. You want to help people? Then quit stealing their money!


72 posted on 01/08/2010 8:06:15 AM PST by WKUHilltopper (Fix bayonets!)
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To: Angry_White_Man_Syndrome

Our Walmart has a number isles devoted to markdowns. They used to have pretty good deals. I often cruise them to check prices and now I see very small reductions in price from the original shelf price.

I like Walmart, but they are counting on people that don’t pay attention to prices to snap up their markdown goods because they are in the markdown isle. It must be working.


73 posted on 01/08/2010 8:07:23 AM PST by listenhillary (I believe AGW is real now. It was caused by scientists and greenies LYING!)
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To: Scythian

I remember a few years ago, when photos were published of the cast offs from some Planned Parenthood Clinics. The outrage wasn’t focused at PP, but at the folks who went through their trash, and distributed photos of the deceased unborn. Planned Parenthood= Good. Dead babies-good, pictures of them- bad. Walmart=Bad. Coats with holes poked in them=bad. Pictures of cast off coats=Good.


74 posted on 01/08/2010 8:11:11 AM PST by sockmonkey
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To: pyx

The Walmart stores here donate to the various local charities. I saw it first hand when I worked at a children’s home. It was like Christmas morning when they were distributed to the kids and staff. What wasn’t used was then donated to the local thrift store.


75 posted on 01/08/2010 8:11:38 AM PST by CajunConservative (Obama, You Lie!)
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To: Marty62
This type of behavour is a SIN.

I agree. The stuff could be sold at liquidation prices to an eBay seller, who might be a stay at home mother trying to make ends meet. It could be donated to St. Vincent de Paul or Goodwill. The warm coats and gloves could be put to the use for which they were intended. But just the idea of wasting all that material and all that labor is truly abhorrent to me.

76 posted on 01/08/2010 8:12:10 AM PST by giotto
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To: mmichaels1970
Our local Goodwill is incredibly low priced and I generally enjoy shopping there.

Count your blessings. My local Goodwill is waay over-priced. So is the other so-called thrift store, St. Vinnie's. I've seen stuff, like housewares, in both stores, priced in excess of new price.

77 posted on 01/08/2010 8:20:11 AM PST by elli1
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To: giotto

Why not sell it at liquidation prices in the store?


78 posted on 01/08/2010 8:25:00 AM PST by listenhillary (I believe AGW is real now. It was caused by scientists and greenies LYING!)
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To: MortMan
On stipulation within a contract.

Your comments rang a bell with me. I had a job as security manager in a store of one of the biggest chains in Canada. Now taken over in Canada, the name no longer. Also in America. The position which of course nobody cared about at the current time, except the security manager was of "shrinkage". The system mandated that all slightly tarnished packages must be recorded and shipped somewhere or other.

No employee wanted to do paper work "on the floor" hence a massive amount monthly of goods being "junked". A decision was made to give toys (a favourite area of package opening and leaving) to the local Sally Ann. Great train set and all.

Later some of these goods turned up with some "indignant" customer, claiming a refund and getting it. The staff asked for a receipt and management told them "the customer is always right", don't ask to aggressively. (Yeah right!)

Excuse the screed, but a lot of words to describe the cleverest people on earth. The wonderful customers who know every trick in the book.

Sheer frustration afterward and to the incinerator, was the practice. Shrinkage was allowed at one and a half percent of volume. Ours ended up at nearly five percent shrinkage. (My demise).

79 posted on 01/08/2010 8:25:17 AM PST by Peter Libra
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To: Marty62

Agreed. Like dumping perfectly good food into the dumpster. It’s not like there aren’t organizations and distribution networks to take these goods off their hands. Our tax code has been designed to encourage charity even on the part of business. No excuse.


80 posted on 01/08/2010 8:26:08 AM PST by Oratam
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