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Author Topic: Wal-Mart in Britain  (Read 7893 times)

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theinevitable

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Wal-Mart in Britain
« on: April 18, 2009, 08:45:47 pm »
So, I am doing a big ol' project about Wal-Mart's public relations campaign for my economic anthropology class. I am getting bogged down by how much I want to say, and I keep creating really horrible sentences with too many hyphenated words and things in scare-quotes. At least I get to talk a lot about the Protestant Work Ethic.

But in my research I stumbled upon this, the Wal-Mart cheer for Great Britain:

Give me a A!
Give me a S!
Give me a D!
Give me a A!
Give me a pocket tap!
(everyone taps one pocket)
Give me a profit tap!
(everyone taps the other pocket)
What's that spell?
ASDA.
I can't hear you
ASDA
Whose ASDA is it?
It's my ASDA!
Who's number one?
The Customer! Always!

Awesome.
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Ruta Bagas

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2009, 10:58:16 am »
I have a sneaking suspicion this is not yet pervasive.
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Doc

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2009, 11:04:45 am »
I got the impression it is something they make employees do on training days or something similar? Not part of a long term marketing strategy (one hopes).
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Choop

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2009, 05:37:27 pm »
wal*mart can kiss my asda


(sorry)
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theinevitable

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2009, 05:46:03 pm »
It was inspired by the company cheers Sam Walton saw Korean companies doing every morning. The US version is a more normal "gimme a W, gimme an A..."
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Doc

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2009, 09:52:54 pm »
On further reflection there's something kind of tragic about a chant that asks 'who's number 1' and the answer is 'not me, never me'
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theinevitable

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2009, 10:29:09 pm »
this is what I am saying in my paper.

it is really interesting how they have created this mythology where wal-mart has become number one through hard work and efficiency, not at all by driving its competitors out of business, avoiding unionization, etc.
reading their history of the company and stuff is insane.
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Social pressures exist
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You're gonna find that your head's been kicked in
You're gonna do it all for the grind

Doc

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2009, 10:42:14 pm »
If it's not too intrusive I might be kind of interested in reading this when you're done with it. I love this kind of stuff. Like that freaky american apparel story someone linked a few months back.
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Ruta Bagas

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #8 on: April 20, 2009, 12:54:07 am »
Quote from: Doc on April 19, 2009, 11:04:45 am
I got the impression it is something they make employees do on training days or something similar? Not part of a long term marketing strategy (one hopes).

I'm pretty sure they haven't made any of the employees I know do it.

I wish they had. The aftermath would be extraordinary.
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Harlock Hero

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2009, 06:49:00 am »
I worked at Wal-Mart for a few months a few years back, and this was a daily requirement. I'm in the US, though, so the chant was the more traditional "Give me a W!" thing.

Two points to note:

1. When they get to the hyphen, they say "Give me a SQUIGGLY!!" "SQUIGGLY!!", and everyone has to wriggle suggestively.

2. After "Who's number one?" "Customer! Always!", you're supposed to do a fist pump and go "HOO-AH!!" like a Marine.

Just thought you'd like to know.
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theinevitable

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2009, 07:15:41 am »
Yes.

This class... sometimes we are reading some crazy social theorist, and I want to say "this is bullshit, this guy is just some crazy academic who wanted to make a name for himself."
And then I go out in the world and realize... it's all true.

Similar things happen when I watch comedies set in office buildings, etc.

IT'S REALLY LIKE THAT.
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Social pressures exist
And if you think about them all of the time
You're gonna find that your head's been kicked in
You're gonna do it all for the grind

theinevitable

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #11 on: April 20, 2009, 10:18:23 am »
case in point: Wal-Mart's webpage on Diversity is the most tone-deaf and heavy handed thing I have ever seen.

“We have put specific programs in place to ensure we have a talent pool of women and minorities who are well prepared for management jobs.”
"We put our diversity on display"
and to top it all off:
a link to a video of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
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Social pressures exist
And if you think about them all of the time
You're gonna find that your head's been kicked in
You're gonna do it all for the grind

Doc

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2009, 10:31:03 am »
Maybe this is what happens when people who are really good at working at wal mart finally make it to management positions? I mean a few of those assistant managers have to filter through to somewhere important eventually? Maybe the company has been around long enough that the people in charge are now people who drank the kool aid back in the day?
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KeithHernandez

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2009, 10:46:49 am »
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AugustWest

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Re: Wal-Mart in Britain
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2009, 12:50:38 pm »
Quote from: theinevitable on April 20, 2009, 07:15:41 am

Similar things happen when I watch comedies set in office buildings, etc.

IT'S REALLY LIKE THAT.

The Office is not funny because it is absurd.  It is funny because it is painfully realistic.

Pain..ful..ly
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