Walmart workers filmed playing iPad frisbee
Apple-lobbing contest
Four Walmart employees were said to have been sacked this week after filming themselves deliberately throwing what they claim are boxed iPads around one of the supermarket chain's stockrooms.
The workers, from Walmart's Pikeville, Kentucky store, can be seen lobbing boxes carelessly around the room.
“This is why you don’t buy an iPad from Walmart,” quips one.
As one of the other group members grabs a box and hurls it towards the ground, the cameraman jokes, "I hope nobody buys that."
What he should have been thinking is, I hope nobody finds this video and posts it on the internet. But someone did:
An anonymous tipster discovered the recording and sent it to Reddit user SenorPierre, who uploaded the footage to the web. According to posts on the site, the lads all subsequently lost their jobs.
Some viewers have questioned whether it's all a fake. But even if they were tossing empty boxes around as a joke, you can bet the store's managers didn't see the funny side. ®
COMMENTS
Nothing to see here...
Having spent a short stint working at UPS I can say this sort of thing is pretty much par for the course in logistics. Our sort and load staff threw, kicked, and deliberately dropped things all the time. Similarly, I've seen many warehouse employees and shipping/receiving drones engaged in such activities. These people are almost universally underpaid and made to work in conditions that are at the very least unpleasant (IE: conditions that create resentment). These folks also generally have very little opportunity for advancement in their company. Background checks are minimal at best, as companies have a hard time filling such positions. I don't think that justifies these sorts of actions by any stretch, but there is nothing surprising here. Well I guess I am surprised these guys were dumb enough to film themselves doing it, but that's about it.
Tips to avoid this:
-Don't put "Fragile" or any other such thing on a box EVER!!!
-Ship expensive things in a plain looking box (not one that says iPad, Dell, Cisco, etc.)
-Put at least 2 large and clear shipping labels on the box (no flipping to find it)
-Completely cover any old shipping lables
-Don't put arrows pointing to the correct orientation of the box
-Ship small heavy things in larger boxes
-Just assume they will be doing this and pack your shipment accordingly
-If bubble-wrap/packing peanuts are cheaper than replacing your shipment, use more. No, waaaaay more!
AC for obvious reasons.
according to apple....
according to apple they are flying off the shelves anyway !!!
Re: Wal-Mart Employee satisfaction?
I deeply regret that I can only upvote this once.
I'd also like to widen the debate a little and plant another thought...
The people looking after you aging and/or infirm relatives in care homes? For the most part they're on minimum wage and have crappy dehumanising terms of employment (zero hours contracts, rock bottom minimum holiday and sick leave entitlements shift pattern which vary at little or no notice and make no allowances for the needs of the employee and/or their own families, minimal job security, that sort of thing...).
The people looking after your kids in privately run nurseries and pre-schools? Pretty much the same for the most part...
The people on the ground in the private companies who are tendering to take over public services currently provided by government and local authorities? Guess...
Pay minimum wage, offer lousy standards of job security, and give demumanising working conditions: Get minimal effort, low levels of commitment, and a bad attitude.
Now imagine that rather than working in Walmart's stock room moving consumer goodies from one place to another these guys are in a care home feeding, cleaning, and providing for the basic day to day needs of your parents and grandparents, or doing the same for your pre-school children in a creche, or maybe they're collecting your rubbish, or perhaps dealing with disposal of hazardous waste. That's your future that is. Or maybe it's your present...
Re: As they say...
George Bush kept his job for 8 years.. just sayin'
