I shop at Walmart only when no other store will do, which is far too often if you ask me. I loathe setting foot in that store and I agree that their produce is often poorly taken care of and their clothes are absolute garbage. And, oh yeah, their labor practices stink to, as one would expect given their cheap prices. I would prefer to pay for good quality products and know that the employees are treated fairly, but THAT won't be happening anytime soon in Mexico.
Unpaid work experience for kids that age is alive and well in places like the UK and imho a good introduction to the real working world. Especially here where so many people perform menial tasks for low wages for their livelihood. Granted the UK work experience kids dont pack groceries but even doing that teaches customer service skills, presentation, punctuality, dealing with money, organisational skills, teamwork etc. If it brings a few extra pesos into the household and gives the kids some extra pocket money I see no problem with it. Of course, large corporations will always take advantage of free / cheap labour for their own gain, but that's not exclusive to Mexico. I'm far more interested in this, have you been? was it any good?
Not yet Steve, I'm trying to find someone else who has gone, to see if it's worth the 45 notes their charging. Apparantly they have korma, jalfrezzi and a beef one, popadoms, mango chutney, mint sauce and 3 hours free lager, you dribbling yet! Every Tuesday! Sounds really good, could be dangerous for wednesday morning in the office though!
Not going to get into the Walmart debate, but in defense of the cerrillos (aka bagger kids), I agree with Wabash and others. And this is done in EVERY supermarket in Mexico, not just Walmart. There are age requirements that are supposed to be enforced, but of course they aren't always (I remember Canuck telling me her fellow spoke with someone about a very young looking cerrillo). One mother told me that her son could make 75-100 pesos in a four hour shift, and she thought it was great for what it taught him. She said that he's learned the value of money, money management, and what those fancy sneakers REALLY cost now that he has to save the $ for them. I know this is a bizarre custom, and that's why tourists don't follow it when in Cancun...I mean, hey, I never dreamed that I'd have to tip the bagger! But when I moved back to the States, I came VERY close to handing the bagger at my local market a tip...luckily a friend stopped me.
About kids ages on working in Mexico, there is a law that states that every minor has to provide a consent letter from their parents or legal guardian autorizing. The social and economical backround of these kids dictates that they have to work.Some to help their families ,some to save or spending money. The salaries in general in Mexico are even lower than Cancun. So is the Desire for a higher education or the economical possibilities to get one. Then some people with higher education get paid so bad or are taxi drivers. About Walmart, my captains wife works there and he says they get constant courses, recognition and promotions. The salaries will never be exactly the same as in Walmart in the States At Walmart I have found stuff that I could not do so in other stores, same with Soriana, and or Comercial Mexicana it would be great to have all you want at one place but, there are specifics that you need that you cannot find where you find other things you need. Same with City Club, Sam's, Costco I go to each for different things. 15 years ago at the corner of Tulum and Coba (office depot) there was the SUPER DELHI it was the only place in all the state to get imported products and so very cheap. Then they had one in Plaza Kukulcan.You could not even get Pringles or Advil if not at this places. And everything was imported. I have a friend that is planning to establish an Importing Exporting company. They are starting big in Mexico City. I heard that one of their targets are people from other countries living in Mexico (products from back home), they are going to do a market study, this project is coming in 2 years to Cancun or the Riviera (probably).
Your friend should do well with this business. I looked into doing the same thing a few years back and from what I found from my reasearch, there is clearly a market for this. I just didn't want to deal with the potential headaches that import/export can have. Keep us posted on your friends progress!! Michelle
i grew up in indiana and lived in florida many years. To me it is common sense to tip the bagger if they help you to the car................. We used to love shopping during the day when the seniors were working at Soriana. My wife and I would have fantastic conversations and would think nothing of tipping 20-30 pesos.. with the kids we always tipped 5-10 pesos. my favorite was a kid who worked outside and was sharp. he coordinated taxis, and taking groceries to the car. a future executive...
