From the Daily News:In the borough of Queens, Walmart is no joking matter.
That may explain the outrage when the Queens Tribune newspaper reported last week that the discount giant had moved into the Atlas Park mall under the cover of dark.
But it was part of the weekly's annual April Fool's Day issue, replete with a doctored picture of a Walmart sign above the buildings at Atlas Park.
The gag didn't amuse members of the union representing grocery workers.
"Some people looked at the story and thought it was real," said Pat Purcell, spokesman for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500. "Dozens of our members called in, a little freaked out..."
The story, with the byline "Wiegot A. Bigbocks," said Walmart was hoping to open the first of many stores in the city in Queens. It jokes that parking fees at the mall have jumped to $73 an hour.
"The good news is that our members passed this unplanned drill with flying colors," said Bruce Both, president of the union. "Our switchboards were inundated with calls from members who were ready to drop everything and head to the picket line."
The bad news is that your members are morons.
Unfortunately, this statement was not part of the joke, although it should be:
"It says a lot about our journalistic integrity that people read our stories and have high expectations," Nussbaum said.
The Trib has more about the mall's real predicament.
43 comments:
I love April Fool's Day- when otherwise serious newspapers pretend to be The Onion.
The Queens Tribune is the biggest joke of all...even when it's not April!
The Tribune pulls this every April, and people will always react this way. You'd think they'd learn after a while. It will be a shock when they don't.
Are the whore ads a joke?
The Tribune pulls this every April, and people will always react this way. You'd think they'd learn after a while. It will be a shock when they don't.
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Shocked that people are snookered?
You are obviously a newbie when it comes to Queens politics.
Maspeth Mom says...
The editor of The Trib really thinks that people take that newspaper seriously - I think the jokes on him. Its a waste of money and a waste of time.
The gag didn't amuse members of the union representing grocery workers.
Too bad for the grocery workers who are like sheep and allow their leaders to give them a line of fear that Walmart could do to them:
If we had a Walmart at Rego Park we would not have the crap stores that moved in recently. We would be saving money and unions should not be the arbiters of who moves in a property. For the most part, the unions fear Walmart because they pay greater wages than the paltry scale a cashier or stock receive at a Met Food or other supermarket. Worse, stores like this take on illegal employees that unions allow because ultimately they hope to sign them on soon. Union offical make 20-30x more than the average worker they represent. Your food costs bear most of these costs in higher prices of goods you purchase.
"If we had a Walmart at Rego Park we would not have the crap stores that moved in recently."
Wal-mart is the king of crap stores.
You can buy anything at Walmart that you can buy in any other store. You think Target, KMart, etc don't sell made in China crap? Don't believe the unions' hype.
Anonymous said...
The Tribune pulls this every April, and people will always react this way. You'd think they'd learn after a while. It will be a shock when they don't.
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Shocked that people are snookered?
You are obviously a newbie when it comes to Queens politics.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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Far from it. I'm shocked that people have such short memories.
Walmart would destroy all of the mom and pop shops in Forest Hills.
After Walmart just add more McDonalds, Home Depot's, and Dunkin DOnuts. Those will be the only ones who won't get crushed by them.
You already have Sears, Target, Century 21, etc, and the mom and pop stores fared just fine.
Walmart would destroy all of the mom and pop shops in Forest Hills.
-----------------------------
What Mom Pop Stores?
All i see are Pizzera Uno, Fridays, NYSC, Boston Market, Sprint, Verizon, Victorias Secret, Mandees, etc, etc.
Anonymous said: "If we had a Walmart at Rego Park we would not have the crap stores that moved in recently. We would be saving money and unions should not be the arbiters of who moves in a property. For the most part, the unions fear Walmart because they pay greater wages than the paltry scale a cashier or stock receive at a Met Food or other supermarket."
"UNIONS fear Walmart"!!! what a freakin' joke that statement is! Perhaps you meant it to be one - another April Fool's joke for sure - a little late but what the heck.
Unions want HEALTH BENEFITS for their employees . . . .
I assume you support our President's Health Care reform - if that is the case or if you already have health insurance - then yeah - get a job at Walmart.
Also - so you have more of an understanding of the whole picture here - Walmart closed 200 of its stores not that long ago because they KILLED the competition - since ALL their products come from China. Walmart closed these stores because they were left competing with ITSELF!
Unions support AMERICANS! perhaps you should too.
Unions support AMERICANS! perhaps you should too.
They do? They support union management, not the workers.
Why all the anger at Wal Mart?
What about: Home Depot, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Bed Bath Beyond, Target? Are they all union stores?
What about the crummy corner bodegas? Do they pay union wages?
Shenky, Nussy, and Raffy - the reincarnation of the 3 Stooges. Yuk-yuk-yuk. The Tribune - a non-stop Horace Harding Fun Fest.
DEKE - 1. Walmart has ONLY products from China on their shelves - 2. The areas that they KILLED the competition in have NO OTHER employment alternative.
The crummy bodegas, etc. are supposed to be paying minimum wage and following Americans' rules for a safe work environment - ya' think they are Deke?
Until we all start acting like Jesus Christ - LONG LIVE UNIONS!!!
Corruption exists EVERYWHERE - and the only way to fight it is by dealing with it one incident at a time.
Bottom line - You don't throw out the baby with the bath water.
oh and Deke - you never answered my question regarding health care. Is that because you don't want to?
What happened to Free Enterprise? I love Walmart and would love to see one at Atlas Park. People would come from all over to shop there. Jobs would be created. I don't care about union or non-union. That's up to the employees if they want that. I just want to shop and I want convenience (everything under one roof). I WANT WALMART!
oh and Deke - you never answered my question regarding health care. Is that because you don't want to?
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'cause Deke and the kid are taken care of .... until its time to post bail....'
Anonymous: "That's up to the employees if they want that."
They do.
Unfortunately, collectively they have been fighting for the right to unionize for YEARS.
You want everything under one roof? - yuk. you probably are not into quality and couldn't care less about creative expression in fashion or home decor. You probably would be happiest in gray pajama-like garb - you know, like the Chinese used to wear under Chairman Mao.
NOT ME - when I'm not shopping at Bloomies or Macy's Nordstrom's etc., I enjoy browsing in the little Soho shops or artist's shops throughout the COUNTRY.
WALMART - KEEP OUT of my nab! AND BRING BLOOMIES BACK TO FRESH MEADOWS!!
oh and Deke - you never answered my question regarding health care. Is that because you don't want to?
I missed something here, you asked ME a question on health care?
I see where you said this:
I assume you support our President's Health Care reform - if that is the case or if you already have health insurance - then yeah - get a job at Walmart.
But:
1.) That isn't exactly phrased as a question
2.) I didn't appear in this comment thread until AFTER you made that statement.
Deke - I am extending you a formal invitation herewith to comment on my statement regarding union members' health insurance coverage. . .
Anonymous sadi 'cause Deke and the kid are taken care of .... until its time to post bail....'
LOL!
Deke - I am extending you a formal invitation herewith to comment on my statement regarding union members' health insurance coverage. . .
After careful consideration of your formal invitation, and factoring in your level of intelligence, I've decided NOT to respond to your "question".
I've declared you the "winner", and I direct you here to claim your prize:
http://www.reoiv.com/images/random/
arguing_over_internet.jpe
Deke - you are not responding - because you can't.
You are not capable of intelligent political discourse. You are here - under the guise of different posters - to VENT.
I cannot open the link BTW.
Actually - I was just was able to open it now.
I will no longer be posting in this forum.
People that poke fun at the mentally challenged are sickos.
so you let deke shut you down, babs?
oh come now, deke has enough problems to deal with.
do stay on board and watch the fun!
http://faroutshirts.com/images/
Gameover-web-final.jpg
there is NOTHING funny about poking fun at people with Down's Syndrome.
These people are brighter than people like Deke inc. here OBVIOUSLY - a spec of dirt is a higher life form than Deke actually - now that I'm thinking about it - and certainly they have more heart and soul.
If I had to choose to live like Deke or a life like a child with Down's Syndrome - I would choose the latter - hands down.
To stay in this thread - and perhaps this forum - is to contribute to the lack of integrity on the internet as well as to the decay of society on the whole.
Everyone hates Walmart. Except the public.
Babs, you're soooo predictible.
Employees of Walmart have been "collectively fighting for the right to unionize for years." They HAVE the right to organize. It's federal law. By a wide majority their employees DON'T WANT A UNION.
But the left can't accept that.
actually it is YOU that was the predictable one on this issue - I was CERTAIN you would challenge that particular sentence - I one upped you AGAIN.
how about doing your homework before commenting and making yourself look like a fool once AGAIN.
Google it yourself next time.
Wikipedia:
"With close to two million employees worldwide, Wal-Mart has faced a torrent of lawsuits and issues with regards to its workforce. These issues involve low wages, poor working conditions, inadequate health care, as well as issues involving the company's strong anti-union policies."
From 2009 MSNBC website:
"But if there is one threat to Wal-Mart’s success, it may come from a desire on the part of its own employees to live better — with higher pay and more affordable health insurance. When that desire leads to talk of a union, Wal-Mart fights back hard.
Since its earliest days, the company has succeeded in keeping unions out. But that could soon become more difficult.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, has proposed a federal law — the Employee Free Choice Act, or EFCA — that would make it easier for workers to form unions and harder for management to block them."
NOW - tell me AGAIN how smart you are . . . .dumbazz.
AND BTW - I'm NOT opening up any links nor will I read any referenced links.
The public LOVES WALMART?!!!
ewwwww gross. . . .
Wow Babs -- you are so smart. You know everything and know what everyone wants. More people than most want Walmart. If you don't like Walmart, shop at Bloomies. That's your right. Don't impose on other people's rights.
If its the most successful store around, it must be popular. Otherwise, people wouldn't shop there.
NOT ME - when I'm not shopping at Bloomies or Macy's Nordstrom's etc., I enjoy browsing in the little Soho shops or artist's shops throughout the COUNTRY.
Typical liberal - loves to shop at Bloomingdales, Macy's, Nordstrom's, chi chi boutique shops in Soho, and effete rural shops that cater to urban yuppies.
But when she drives past Wal Mart in her luxury car (no doubt a foreign import - Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Infiniti, etc.), she pops a blood vessel because millions of lower income consumers want to buy their necessities at low prices and save some money in the process!
Indeed! How dare those poor slobs save money! Don't they know Wal Mart is a non-union store! The nerve of those slobs! Why don't they shop at chi chi shops in Soho like I do?
The indignity of it all!
chi chi shops in SoHo certainly aren't union.
who cares? the people who work retail in New York are paid well as most are paid salary PLUS commission.
Many who work department stores are also on salary plus commission - they were also union years ago - I don't know about now.
LOVED retail MYSELF years ago. I sold cosmetics in the BEST stores. Maybe I'll do it again one day when I retire.
MILLIONS of people BTW have no choice but to shop at WALMART for the simple reason that there IS no other store around.
Also - chichi shops don't sell "necessities". Egads you appear so totally boorish though.
People in New York who work in retail are paid well because they get paid salary plus commission?
HUH?
What fantasy world are you living in?
Have you seen the stories recently about the tip jars?
also Grasshopper - I don't buy foreign cars.
I buy GREEN whenever possible - AMERICAN whenever possible (chichi SOHO artists' shops sell AMERICAN MADE jewelry etc.) AND IF I know a store to be involved in sweatshop abuse like Victoria's Secret or Disney I don't shop there! I also no longer wear real leather - I buy designer vegan bags from manufacturers like "Matt and Nat" - I also eat veg 4x per week. (beans are cheap - you may want to consider becoming a vegetarian).
I believe myself to a typical left of center American.
soooo Grasshopper - let's review what you've learned this evening together: YOU are a dumbazz.
Tip jars in Bloomies? - what are you talking about Crappy?
99.9% of minimum wage earners in this city don't work at Blooomie's.
Well - they should work there - there are a lot of opportunities in department stores as there are businesses within each store which are separate entities - for instance there are "reps" for fine china and crystal or "regional sales managers", etc. Shoes - commission plus salary, cosmetics, carpeting, furniture - same.
Support THESE stores and you support middle America much more than Walmart does by paying employees $15.00 per hour. That job is fine for someone going to school or a retiree looking to get out of the house.
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