Walmart Associate Handbook (unauthorized) What Do You Think?

GHF65 · Aug 21, 2005

Vanessa said:
Honestly JDPierce,

If your original piece/proposal was damaged on a CD-RW, then I can understand you drafting another piece, however what you have posted here is very unclear to the reader and if it is the same of which you gave an agent, I'm surprised he didn't fire you; Or perhaps he did by not getting back to you. I'm not trying to be funny, but there's a lot of work to do to this. You're not clear of what your intentions are. And I know you've mentioned that you are working on this. Wishing you luck on that.

My other concern is that you seem very adamant in bringing this huge company down with the inside scoop. If you're telling the truth, how are you obtaining your facts, and is it sourceful? I just hope you know what you're doing, because I'm sure Wal-mart has the best of attorneys that are willing to rip you apart if any part of your book is without facts. Wishing you the best on that as well.

Vanessa, I have to agree with you on all counts.

Julie, I read and reread what you posted. First, unless you have something more potent to reveal than that WalMart's clothing lines are produced in Malaysia and other third-world countries, you're beating a dead horse. Everyone knows that. It's on the labels.

Second, you mention that you and several family members have worked for WalMart, mostly as hourly "associates"--stocking shelves and working the registers. I hope some of your sources are higher up in the company and that there's some real news afoot. If not, you're not going to get the interest you expect.

Finally, the price of the company's stock has little to do with prices in the stores. I've been making my living in the stock market since the 70's and grew up in a major corporation, so I consider myself knowledgeable in this area. The price you see quoted in the paper is what some guy paid to buy some other guy's shares which were purchased by him from yet another guy. The company doesn't continually issue new stock and sell it to the public to offset expenses. Jamesartchie is right. Prices are going up across the board thanks to economic stressors. Stock prices drop when a) the economy is in trouble and there's not enough disposable income to allow people to invest some of it, and b) when confidence in the company's ability to sustain itself is in question.

You've got a good book concept. Just make sure you can back it up with enough fascinating insider information to make it appealing to the public.

jdpierce · Aug 22, 2005

Sheryl Nantus said:
I'm almost afraid to ask - WHERE did you get this agent?

and be sure to check the Preditors and Editors website before signing with anyone...

and as mentioned above - you need to tighten this query up bigtime - as it stands I'm not sure WHAT the book is about, other than WalMart...

The Query has been written differently.
An aquisitions editor from Behler helped me out, quite a bit.

jdpierce · Aug 22, 2005

Schoolmarm said:
Vanessa, I have to agree with you on all counts.

Julie, I read and reread what you posted. First, unless you have something more potent to reveal than that WalMart's clothing lines are produced in Malaysia and other third-world countries, you're beating a dead horse. Everyone knows that. It's on the labels.

Second, you mention that you and several family members have worked for WalMart, mostly as hourly "associates"--stocking shelves and working the registers. I hope some of your sources are higher up in the company and that there's some real news afoot. If not, you're not going to get the interest you expect.

Finally, the price of the company's stock has little to do with prices in the stores. I've been making my living in the stock market since the 70's and grew up in a major corporation, so I consider myself knowledgeable in this area. The price you see quoted in the paper is what some guy paid to buy some other guy's shares which were purchased by him from yet another guy. The company doesn't continually issue new stock and sell it to the public to offset expenses. Jamesartchie is right. Prices are going up across the board thanks to economic stressors. Stock prices drop when a) the economy is in trouble and there's not enough disposable income to allow people to invest some of it, and b) when confidence in the company's ability to sustain itself is in question.

You've got a good book concept. Just make sure you can back it up with enough fascinating insider information to make it appealing to the public.

I have 35 executives listed as previous contacts along with the associates. I started hourly and worked as a salaried field manager in four states.
I have thirty plus years of retail experience and I thought it was on there somewhere although I have changed it.
The stock goes up and down and is in many ways directly related to sales. The sales are not going to continue to increase as they have in the past and market share is suffering due to the company's inability to hire and retain associates...it is in the book.

Sassenach · Aug 27, 2005

jdpierce said:
The stock goes up and down and is in many ways directly related to sales. The sales are not going to continue to increase as they have in the past and market share is suffering due to the company's inability to hire and retain associates...it is in the book.

As mentioned, that's not exactly news, nor is it enough to fill a book.

book_maven · Aug 30, 2005

Good morning, JD.

I was looking through some new publisher catalogs last night and came across two new books to which I wanted to alert you since you will probably need to address them in your query letter.

Wal-Mart World edited by Stanley D. Brunn will be released by Routledge in September. According to the catalog, publicity includes major review attention and radio interviews; advertising includes the NY Review of Books, The Nation and the Chronicle of Higher Education. According to the copy, "Wal-Mart World is the first book to look at ... [its growth] in global perspective ... How Wal-Mart manages this transition in the near future will play a significant role in the determining of the character of the global economy."

The other book, The*Bully*of*Bentonville by Anthony Bianco wil be released by Doubleday in January 2006. Its catalog copy reads in part "The definitive portrait of the juggernaut that is reshaping America ... exposes the zealous, secretive, small-town mentality that rules Wal-Mart ... shows how Wa-Mart has drives down retail wages ... even as their substandard pay and meager health-care policy have led to a double-digit employee turnover, why their agressive expansion inevitably puts locally owned stores out of business and how their pricing policies have forced suppliers to outsource work ... Their power even influences what Americans can read, watch and listen to ... [It is] based on interviews with ... employees, managers, executives, competitors, suppliers, customers and community leaders." The author has been a senior writer at Business Week and was the coauthor of the magazine's cover story on Wal-mart.

I tell you this not to discourage you--for I truly wish you well--but to let you know your upcoming competition.

Walmart Associate Handbook (unauthorized) What Do You Think?

GHF65

practical experience, FTW

jdpierce

jdpierce

Sassenach

5 W's & an H

book_maven

Reader Extraordinaire