Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

The film features archival footage of Walmart CEO Lee Scott praising the corporation at a large employee convention, intercut with interviews designed to undercut Scott's statements. According to the interviews, these wages are too low for employees to afford Walmart's health insurance, so management counsels workers to apply for government programs such as Medicaid instead. Scenes filmed abroad document factory workers in Bangladesh and China creating Walmart goods for as little as 18 cents an hour. The documentary also argues that Walmart's parking lots have unusually high crime rates, a situation that could be vastly improved if the company were willing to spend the money to place cameras outside the stores. As the film draws to a close, Greenwald documents the efforts of several communities that have successfully blocked Walmarts from opening in their towns, suggesting that others should do the same. ==Reception==

Critical response Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price has enjoyed critical acclaim and earned a 90% rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 29 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Clearly one-sided but thoroughly compelling, Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price represents advocacy filmmaking at its most passionate and persuasive." Ty Burr of The Boston Globe calls it "advocacy journalism at its most unsparing, and it demands to be seen, discussed, argued with, and acted upon." The film has been endorsed and promoted by MoveOn.org; unions, through the Wake Up Wal-Mart and Walmart Watch campaigns; and other groups. Some reviewers have observed that while the documentary features stories of former employees and residents of communities that Walmart has impacted, it does not sufficiently explore the customers' role in Walmart's financial success, despite its business practices. ==References==