Wal-Mart has big plans for the next decade. They have their sites on $50 billion in US-made products that they hope to buy over the next decade to help boost the US economy. As the largest private employer in the US, they plan to hire 10,000 newly discharged veterans over the next five years as well.
As Terry Lundgren, chief executive at Macy’s Inc. said about the plan to invest in American goods, “We would all love to do that, the customer will not pay more.”
While some are looking favorably on Wal-Mart’s plan, others have a more critical interpretation of their efforts. Some have criticized Wal-Mart, however, for not paying its workers enough and for selling too many products from countries like China. Wal-Mart, however, claims that approximately two-thirds of the goods that it buys for its stores come from the US.
Starting on Memorial Day in May, Wal-Mart has said that it plans to hire 100,000 US veterans, a move that is supported by First Lady Michelle Obama. As Wal-Mart US Chief Executive Bill Simon said, “We’ve developed a national paralysis that’s driven by all of us waiting for someone else to do something. But if we’re waiting on government, we’re waiting on a process that can’t act with the same speed as business.” They plan to offer a job to any honorably discharged veteran within the first year after active duty.