Lies At Wal Mart (presented at Duesseldorf University, Germany)

Lies at Wal-Mart

Narrativity and deception in Life at Wal-Mart

Cornelius Puschmann

Background

Corporate blogs

How do we define what a corporate blog is?

A blog written and maintained by the employees of a company that is used to

further organizational goals.

They can fulfill extra-organizational functions

marketing

public relations

customer relationship management

...or serve intra-organizational goals

recruiting

knowledge management

inter-unit communication

Organizational and functional types of corporate blogs

five different types grouped according to authorship and function:

product blog, image blog, knowledge blog, strategy blog, multi-purpose blog

product blog , image blog, knowledge blog, strategy blog, multi-purpose blog

product blog , image blog , knowledge blog, strategy blog, multi-purpose blog

product blog, image blog, knowledge blog , strategy blog, multi-purpose blog

product blog, image blog, knowledge blog, strategy blog , multi-purpose blog

product blog , image blog , knowledge blog, strategy blog, multi-purpose blog

The (corporate) blog prototype

- blogs as a genre are distinct from blogs as a publishing technology

- writing that is published using a blogging software can be more or less typical of

the genre (more or less “bloggy”)

- blogs as a genre are historically rooted in the tradition of web diaries and most

continue to be written in this style by private individuals

- positive qualities of the perceived antecedent genre are extended to blogs in

general, including corporate blogs: honesty, clarity and personal involvedness

- very often characteristics of spoken communication are linked to blogs (“blogs are

conversations”) and these characteristics are positively noted

- blogs are seen by corporate communicators as having the potential to overcome

the credibility crisis they are in, because the form of the blog alone evokes

positive genre characteristics that corporate communications lack

The (corporate) blog prototype

- average length of 220 words per post (personal blogs: 199; press editorials: 480)

- average sentence length of 20.1 (personal blogs: 12.7; press editorials: 25.2)

- average word length 4.4 (personal blogs: 4.6; press editorials: 4.6)

Life at Wal-Mart

A few facts about Wal-Mart Stores, Inc

- world's largest retailer, largest corporation and largest employer in the United

States and Mexico

- net income of 12 billion dollars in 2006

- each week, approximately 100 million customers, or one-third of the US

population, visits Wal-Mart's US stores

- criticized for: the corporation's extensive foreign product sourcing, treatment of

employees and suppliers, low wages, resistance to union representation, insurance

benefits, sexism, child labor, environmental practices, the use of public subsidies,

and the economic impact of stores on the communities where they operate

Life at Wal-Mart: an atypical corporate blog

- blog entries are actually “letters to the editor”, (allegedly) written by Wal-Mart employees and posted by the staff maintaining the blog

- the (alleged) authors address the reader to share their first-hand insights about the company

- the (alleged) authors are neither fully identified nor fully anonymous

- the (alleged) authors concern themselves with a quite narrow range of topics and express themselves with very little stylistic variability

- the (alleged) authors unanimously praise Wal-Mart and criticize its detractors, either explicitly or implicitly.

Walmartfacts.com and Life at Wal-Mart

Communicative strategy

You cannot separate Wal-Mart associates from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Either your are for them both, or against them both.

http://www.walmartfacts.com/LifeAtWalmart/2006/08/cruise_on_down_and_see_if_you.aspx

the blog seeks to

blur the line between the corporate entity and those in its employment

create the impression that Wal-Mart's employees fully support the management's policies

persuade the reader that Wal-Mart's employees have the most accurate understanding of the company and its conduct

associate certain values (patriotism, family, religion) with the company and the people who work there

anthropomorphize the company and its (positive) acts

bottom line:

Wal-Mart's employees are good, working-class Americans

concrete examples (e.g. testimonies) of Wal-Mart's morally positive behavior trump more abstract negative counter-examples such as figures, studies and expert opinions

Post structure and post prototypes

prototypical blog posts

Type A: the career/life story

Type B: the crisis or incident account

Type C: the opinion piece

Type A

Frames Wal-Mart as a part of blue collar American culture. The testimony of

personal success associated with a a career at Wal-Mart is used to rebuff critics.

Type B

Highlights the moral and materials support the company supplies in a time of crisis

to its associates. Rebuffs claims of sub-standard health care benefits.

Type C

Political lobbying and influencing in areas of interest for the company.

Life at Wal-Mart: career / life story

I grew up in rural Arkansas in a family with five kids where both Mom and Dad worked at a

shirt factory. We always planted a big garden and raised enough chickens, pigs, or cows

to provide most of our own food. Mom made a lot of our clothes. As children, the five of

us all did various jobs for folks in the area to earn a little spending money for

ourselves. We picked strawberries, caught chickens, hauled hay, you name it. We didn't

earn a lot of money and we worked hard for it. We would try to save up for trips "into

town. " Every once in awhile, there would be some livestock to take to the sale barn in

Harrison and one or two of us would get to go with Daddy. This was a much anticipated

event because once the livestock was sold we would go to Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart, we kids

had enough money to buy lots of stuff! It was such a treat and those memories will always

be dear to me. I am going on 18 years with Wal-Mart. I still believe, as my parents did,

that people who believe they are owed anything just because they exist are

extremely misguided. I find it almost poetic that I'm a part of a company that can help

make life affordable for people who are working hard to raise a family like my folks did.

Life at Wal-Mart: crisis / incident account

Jan. 31 started out like any other day. It was cold and blustery, but quickly turned into

one I will never forget. About 10:30 a.m. I received a call from my daughter-in-law,

Bobbi, who works in the transportation building telling me her water had just broke and

they were on their way to the hospital. I arrived shortly after they did and spent the

next 19 hours waiting for our precious Kendale to be born. He didn't breathe right off

like babies should so they rushed him to the nursery. After a few hours, Kenny and Bobbi

were able to see their beautiful baby and all we could do was stare through the glass at

how beautiful he was.

Our awe soon turned into fear. The next morning Kendale was rushed to Springdale and from

there he was flown to St. Louis Children's Hospital. We found out Kendale had

transposition of the great arteries which meant he would have to have major heart

surgery. [..] The day of the surgery was as traumatic as it could be. Our morning started

at 3 a.m. so we could spend a precious few moments with Kendale before the surgery. At

first, all went well with the surgery. Then, it took a drastic turn for the worse.

Kendale had some catastrophic problems and was not able to survive the surgery, leaving

this life on earth while only being 5 days old.

Kendale had many people praying for him and many of them were from my Wal-Mart/Sam's Club

Family. I know there are many people who will criticize Wal-Mart, but I know in my time

of need, the people I work with now at Sam's Club and the people I have worked with in

the past in Wal-Mart Operations, did everything they could to help me and my family

through the most painful time we have ever experienced. [..]

My sincere thanks isn't enough to give to all of you for the many cards, flowers [..]

Life at Wal-Mart: opinion piece

I just wanted to share my thoughts on the new little stubby, squiggly fluorescent

bulb.My husband and I started using these bulbs when we were in Tahlequah, Oklahoma,

before moving to Fayetteville in August of 2005.

My husband is the Maintenance Supervisor at an apartment community in Fayetteville, and

he put the little squigglies in the Clubhouse - and wouldn't you be amazed to know that

it has cut down their electric bill by $1,000 per month. The next step - we put these

bulbs in all of our light outlets at home and lamps - and yes, we have saved too. The

next thing he did was place these little squigglies in the light outlets outside all the

apartment complexes that are turned on automatically on a timer. I have no idea how much

this is now saving the complex's management, but they sure have made our electric bills

go down.

Plus there are other bonuses by using these bulbs, beside your billfold:

1) They start off dim and the longer they are on, the brighter they become;

2) They don't get hot like other light bulbs (you have no idea how many times I've burned

my arm or hand on a hot light bulb while cleaning - which should also be noted as a good

thing for small children - I jumped recently when I hit one of these bulbs while cleaning

and then I laughed because it didn't hurt - it was just my reaction from hitting light

bulbs so many times while cleaning); and

3) They are so much easier to get out of the socket if you accidentally break one.

[...]

Life at Wal-Mart: linguistic characteristics

pronoun & possessive determiner use : exploration of deictic ambiguity (YOU, WE/OUR and THEY/THEIR); 1PP refers to the (alleged) author who remains semi-anonymous and is not identical with the publisher

tense mixing : narrative episodes, often referring to a point in the past that is not exactly specified

discourse markers : items signaling scripted orality (non-standard spelling, emphasis markers) and indicating a specific sociolinguistic frame (blue collar Americans) are frequent

Life at Wal-Mart: post titles and pronoun use

[ 1 ] " I still can not believe everything that the company has allowed me to achieve"

[ 2 ] " I just wanted to share my thoughts on the new little stubby, squiggly fluorescent bulb."

[ 3 ] "Thank you, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, for having so many good associates"

[ 4 ] " I don't have to tell you - Wal-Mart came to the rescue!"

[ 5 ] The care and support from my company is overwhelming.

[ 6 ] Kendale had many people praying for him and many of them were from my Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Family.

[ 7 ] "Do it better. Do it for less. Do it every day."

Life at Wal-Mart: posts and pronoun use (YOU/YOUR)

1. "Cruise on down and see if you can possibly be against what you find there." in Life at Wal-Mart

tion away from our associates and their efforts. Load up you r bus and come on down to the Gulf Coast and see what our

UFCW has been working hard to tear down and defame them. you cannot separate Wal-Mart associates from Wal-Mart Stores

parate Wal-Mart associates from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Either you r are for them both, or against them both. Cruise on down

them both, or against them both. Cruise on down and see if you can possibly be against what you find there.

5. "Get out and vote!" in Life at Wal-Mart

ent us. Being the largest employer in the United States, do you really think that the people you are electing are represe

voting can make a huge difference in this country. What are you changing, that is in you r control, in you r area of respon

7. "I left there with a smile on my face." in Life at Wal-Mart

ny makes in the lives of others. I wanted to write and tell you about a wonderful associate from Store 54 in Springdale,

Life at Wal-Mart: posts and pronoun use (WE)

1. "Hello Mr. Sam, how are you today?" in Life at Wal-Mart

mers. The store had only been open a couple of months since we had just moved from the old store 1 building into the new

-Mart and Sam's employees to get out and vote. This is what we can change in our area of responsibility, because the fact

cting our company are going to affect our lives. The people we elect are supposed to represent us. Being the largest empl

y face, but more importantly, my son left there asking when we can go back and see him! I wanted to write and tell everyo

ity. That is service! Melvin, keep up the good work and we will be seeing you soon.

6. "We did not get behind on a single bill!" in Life at Wal-Mart

ollege. One Friday night I was working the service desk and we we re very busy. The checkouts we re full and we had no one

7. "Mr. Sam shook everyone's hand, and thanked us for all our hard work." in Life at Wal-Mart

tle shocking to see Mr. Sam in hunting clothes, even though we had all heard the stories of him touring stores dressed th

Life at Wal-Mart: posts and pronoun use (THEY)

1. "We did not get behind on a single bill!" in Life at Wal-Mart

art and the associates helped us through a very rough time. they held bake sales, car washes, etc. , and I'm really proud

2. "Don't speak about what you don't know." in Life at Wal-Mart

ily did not need anything. After I got out of the hospital, they continued to check on me and welcomed me back with open

3. "I couldn't imagine working anywhere else." in Life at Wal-Mart

niority, favoritism and certainly not race, color or creed. they actively seek out diversity and truly appreciate it. I'm

4. "'Respect for the Individual,' is practiced by our associates every day." in Life at Wal-Mart

carrying my bags. Most of these people do not know me, but they still ask to help. It is comforting to know that the maj

5. "Wal-Mart was right there with support." in Life at Wal-Mart

for my husband asking if there was anything that we needed. they gave my husband the time off to sit at the hospital whil

6. "We are not even close to being as bad as we are made out to be." in Life at Wal-Mart

money. But the one thing they don't talk about is how much they make and how often they give themselves raises. If Presi

Life at Wal-Mart: tense switching

tense switching/mixing: narrative episodes, often referring to a point in the past that is not exactly specified

[ 5 ] With the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina upon us, I wanted to express my appreciation for what the company did for me during that time last year. I was in Louisiana for the storm. Born and raised outside of New Orleans, I lost my home to Katrina. I was working at Distribution Center 6048 at the time and as traumatic as the whole catastrophe was, the good people at my DC supported me. I don't know if I could have made it without them or Wal Mart. I am at DC 7045 now, and even though the memories of Katrina haunt me, I know I work for a company that stood by me and thousands of others just like me. This is one of the reasons I am proud to be an associate at Wal mart.

Life at Wal-Mart: common verbs

Rank Word POS Frequency

1 was VBD 200

2 have VHP 102

3 is VBZ 94

4 had VHD 81

5 be VB 67

6 are VBP 64

7 been VBN 60

8 were VBD 49

9 am VBP 35

10 do VVP 34

11 have VH 34

12 has VHZ 30

13 work VV 28

14 did VVD 27

15 make VV 25

Observations

Observations

1. Life at Wal-Mart consciously uses certain positive characteristics attached to the form of blogging for PR purposes.

2. Linguistically it conforms with a strict socioeconomic profile (so strict, in fact, that the lack of variation alone is suspicious) and attached that profile to the positive qualities of the blog form.

3. Furthermore, the blog exploits the often unclear relationship between speaker, listener and mediator (the invisible blog editor) to simulate immediacy and spontaneity

4. As a result, the reader is under the impression that he is engaged in a free, two-way exchange with hard-working, middle-class Americans who are recounting concrete examples of positive corporate behavior on the part of Wal-Mart.

In truth, the communication is strictly one-way, the speakers are essentially anonymous (and thus the factuality of their stories unverifiable) and no sequence of positive personal experiences impacts the reality of the company's policies in any way.