Wal-Mart has said it will turn up the heat and turn down the Justin Bieber music at stores to appease employees. But it's not addressing the most glaring problems in its supply chain, activists say.
Wal-Mart has long been criticized for low pay and erratic work schedules. So when the retailer arrives in a community, it stirs controversy — but it also brings jobs and low prices.
A study argues that the density of restaurants and large-scale food retailers in parts of the U.S. has been a major factor in the rise of obesity. But some see it as a "chicken and egg" problem.
Since 2012, Our Walmart, an employee labor group, has been staging strikes on the day after Thanksgiving. The group wants workers to get more full-time jobs and make a living wage of $15 an hour.
Rite Aid took the same step, leading many observers to note that the two companies are part of a group of retailers that's developing its own payment system, called CurrentC.