| The CultBecoming a part of the Cult, consists of | | | | continued and changed occasionally to fit the position |
| being recruited a member of the cult, as a person | | | | that I held within the cult.The inclusiveness, the |
| that can be relied on to assume responsibilities and | | | | confidentiality of different situations became |
| accomplish all or almost all things requested.Depending | | | | paramount to my standing within the cult.If at any |
| upon the position you hold and the person that you | | | | time, I became a maverick or bucked my immediate |
| are attached to the most, any position can be | | | | supervisor I found that I would immediately pulled |
| engaging and can be so different from any other | | | | aside and put on notice about my conduct and how I |
| experience that you have had prior to Walmart in | | | | should go about repairing any damage I inflicted upon |
| almost any retail sector that you feel you are being | | | | the cult. All of it was done in a very nurturing way |
| chosen for great things.Along with morning meetings | | | | and during this type of situation I was informed how |
| and consistently being told how much you mean as | | | | I would be now and always expected to conduct |
| an individual to the company, by your recruiter, | | | | myself in the future.It is when the situation becomes |
| management and the general population you feel an | | | | personal and changes the actual way that a person |
| inclusiveness that is hard to describe. Before the end | | | | views life, that it simulates brainwashing.It is when |
| of each meeting the feeling, gets closer to being | | | | one person recruits another and has no reason for |
| accepted into a religious organization or sorority, and | | | | doing it other than their standing within the cult that |
| when you are accepted, in some way you sincerely | | | | it is not normal. When the only reward is the person's |
| begin to believe what you are being told is that you | | | | standing within the cult will be higher because the |
| belong to a new family. "The Walmart Family" You | | | | person knows what they are doing what is right |
| begin to believe that "The Walmart Way" is the | | | | according to Walmart. |
| better way, the only way.I did not see it happening | | | | Once you have entered the status of truly being |
| and I begin to correlate past experiences with this | | | | brain washed all situations that are accepted by the |
| new and empowered way of working. I am sure I | | | | cult as justifiable are accepted personally as well.My |
| felt something then that most typical retail | | | | personal experience has resulted with the inner |
| employees seldom if ever feel. A sense of power. | | | | conflict that occurs with mentally trying to accept |
| As the brainwashing continued, I found myself | | | | "The Walmart Way" over biological family members |
| accepting any number of practices that are not truly | | | | and numerous coworkers that have had situations |
| acceptable according to written company policy but | | | | requiring one to take sides.All issues due to any |
| are known to the members as unwritten rules that | | | | number of internal or external situations that present |
| are to be followed by all without question or | | | | themselves seem to trigger an automatic defense |
| concern.I found myself accepting the unacceptable. | | | | system. To do anything other than this would cause |
| Policies and procedures that were just plain common | | | | one to be shunned by the cult and would cause |
| sense meant nothing soon. Even when I complained | | | | members to inflict mental strain and stress on the |
| about something that was going on or went to the | | | | person not conforming to what is considered to be a |
| office seeking information, or asked why, eventually I | | | | part of your responsibility to the company as an |
| you would accept that it was the way it should be in | | | | associate.There is a psychological aspect to being a |
| the end and continued to feel that someday I would | | | | Walmart associate that truly finds no special job |
| get the recognition and the position that I truly did | | | | code.Julie Pierce has worked in the retail sector for |
| deserve.Depending on your view of what a job is | | | | more than thirty years. |
| you may find yourself accepting and or doing things | | | | She has been a union member of the UCFW Union |
| in order to please the management that has been so | | | | and the afl-cio more than once and has worked for |
| good to you.I found that seldom if ever did I say | | | | more than one large retailer during the course of her |
| anything that would offend anyone. Situations that | | | | career. She attended Gulf Coast Community College, |
| would normally be questionable to me, even | | | | Panama City Beach, Florida, in the nineties in the |
| according to Walmart company policy or my own | | | | pursuit of a degree in Journalism and Mass |
| moral beliefs became acceptable. | | | | Communications.Some of her work has been |
| Things such as Gender discrimination or favoritism | | | | published during the eighties and nineties in various |
| becomes acceptable and some how I knew inside | | | | editorial pages of newspapers in the state of New |
| bringing it up as unfair would label me as a | | | | Jersey and Florida. She also did some work as a |
| problem.This in turn would cause the person or | | | | community reporter for a weekly newspaper in |
| manager who was so good to me, to be hurt and | | | | Panama City Florida. Other work includes an article in |
| unhappy I would think or even suggest it is what it | | | | the Gulls Cry, the Gulf Coast Community College |
| is.I found it was not hard to accept and believe all of | | | | newspaper.She is the wife of TSgt William F. Pierce |
| it was for my own good. I started to believe the | | | | Jr. (retired) USAF and the mother of three children |
| company would never want to mistreat or | | | | and one grandchild.Her experience with Walmart has |
| discriminate against anyone even when it looked that | | | | taken her into three different regions and six districts |
| way. I believed the reasons or concerns I had, what | | | | within the company. In over a six-year period has |
| ever they were, were being handled in a justifiable | | | | worked in ten Walmart stores for twelve Walmart |
| way and it is was all for the good of the family.Once | | | | Store Managers. |
| I became a bona fide member, the procedure | | | | |