Essay Is It Ethical or Unethical to Shop at Walmart?

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Is it ethical or unethical to shop at Walmart?

“If we work together, we’ll lower the cost of living for everyone… we’ll give the world an opportunity to see what it’s like to save and have a better life.” –Sam Walton (“What We Do”)

Walmart was founded on the belief stated above by its founder Sam Walton in 1962. “Saving people money, so they can live better,” was the main objective when Sam Walton opened the doors to the first Walmart (“History”). Today, Walmart is the world’s largest retailer and corporation in the United States and have been awarded and recognized by various organizations for being the best employer throughout United States and other countries. By the Fortune magazine, it is listed as one of the most admired

Even though Walmart is making a huge amount of profit nationally and internationally, they have lost millions in law suits against the way they practice business. One of the law suits against Walmart is discrimination against women. Over 70% of Walmart employees are women, however, there have been many lawsuits filed against Walmart from women from United States and around the world. The complains reported from women say they have been treated unfairly, Walmart does not protect them from sexual and other forms of harassment and men in the same position gets paid a higher wages (McDonald). Dukes vs. Walmart Stores, Inc., became the largest gender bias class action lawsuit in U.S. history representing over one million women. It charged Walmart with discriminating against women in promotions, pay, and job assignments in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964. Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 states,

“It is illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. The law also makes it illegal to retaliate against a person because the person complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. The law also requires that employers reasonably accommodate applicants' and employees' sincerely held religious practices, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the