TikTok user @aarchor is explaining why he says he hates capitalism, pointing to Walmart and its employees as an example of what he believes is wrong with the economic system. The video received nearly 467,000 views and 667 comments.
Archer argues that the Walton family, which owns Walmart, is an example of the disparity he sees under capitalism. He points to the company’s size and the wealth of its owners while arguing that some Walmart employees earn low enough wages to qualify for government food assistance.
@aarchor People need to be paid livable wages
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Archer also claims that a significant share of food-stamp spending takes place at Walmart. He cited reports claiming that roughly one-quarter of food-stamp dollars are spent at the retailer, amounting to billions of dollars.
He argues that taxpayers ultimately fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, and questions why employees of a highly profitable company would need to rely on government assistance to afford food.
Viewers debate whether Walmart, capitalism or politicians are to blame
Archer is basically explaining how capitalism works, and how the American taxpayer is subsidizing The Walton Family, and Walmart by extension, simply because they refuse to pay their employees wages decent enough to live on.
Reactions to the video were diverse, with some arguing that capitalism is a better working system than communism, while others questioned why people would even work at Walmart if the wages are so low. One commenter wrote, "Communism is buns. Can't own anything, can't own a business without everyone having control of it, if you get too successful your wealth is being stripped away."
Another commenter added that capitalism wasn't the problem, but easily bribable politicians are. They wrote, "As someone living in a capitalist country . . . Capitalism isn't the problem . . . Corporations that can legally bribe politicians is."
A separate commenter gave a digestible breakdown of the video. They wrote, "So Walmart created an infinite money glitch by under paying their staff . . . Which means they get food stamps that are spent in Walmart . . . Which creates a profit . . . That Walmart uses to pay the staff."
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made in the video about Walmart employees, SNAP spending and the relationship between Walmart’s wages and government assistance. The claims are based on @aarchor’s interpretation of Walmart’s business practices and the information presented in his video.
