The company is a long, long way away from the family-oriented place it was under Walton. Now, their MO is pretty much "screw the family, anything to save a few cents!"

And why is Circuit City even listed in the brackets? They were done at the start of the year!

On second thought, despite that landslide of evidence of AIG's responsibility in the matter, you must be right, it's the liberal media that's to blame.

AIG vs. Citi

AIG is probably the easiest pick for a winner.

Citi should have very little trouble spanking TicketMaster... Ticketmaster, afterall, provides a lot of joy for their consumers in the end. I would imagine just about anyone involved with Citi has very little joy... ask Chrysler.

Comcast vs. BoA

On the Comcast/BoA side you've got a lot more parity. Comcast is battling the failing GM, but Comcast's service sucks so bad it is even worse than a failing car company. If they didn't monopolize their market, they'd be gone, too.

As for BoA winning over Chrysler.. After April 30th Chrysler will no longer be a company, so you can't very well keep them in the hunt. how could a non-company even compete in the final four of 'Worst Company in America"?

@robotrevolution:
I carpool for work and Wal-Mart has a policy where you can park in their lots overnight if needed and they won't tow your car. You could argue that Wal-Mart is saving the world from global warming unlike a lot of companies that will tow your car in a heartbeat.

OK, just slightly off topic, a shoplifter here in Fayetteville just committeed suicide after Loss Prevention officers secured him in a an office in the rear of a super center awaiting local police to respond. As local police responded he slit his throat.

Who wants to be first to blame Walmart?

But hey, at least the local employees are getting some small money. Shame they have to rely on welfare for medical benefits, though. Tsk. Tsk.

P.S.: lack of breath-mints? 1/2 week.

@RStui: I'll have to agree. I live in the heart of Walmart country. Yes, they have some problems, but any company of that size will. They got where they are by being efficient. Extremely efficient.

The wages they pay aren't the best, but everyone that works there is there by choice. They're free to leave anytime.

And if it's such a bad place to work, why do so many people have the 10,15, 20 year anniversary dates on their nametag?

At the Home Office it's more like 25 or 30 year date.

And I guess 200+ million shoppers are all just wrong.

Read past the headlines & read what instead? A one-line soundbyte comment? If you want to make an argment that Walmart is worse than AIG, go for it. Give us your facts. I'm willing to admit I might be missing something about Walmart, but if you don't tell me what it is, it's not going to sway my vote.

AIG (#5583) is all over Wal-Mart (#307) on Vanno . More on why AIG may well have the worst reputation in the world here.

@Trai_Dep:
but not two weeks...

@RStui: lol "America"

I can't hate on WalMart. In small town Armerica, WalMart is providing income to more than one of my family members, and their jobs are secure.

WallyWorld might suck the joy out of some people's lives, but their low prices and large offering have put more food and necessities in my home than any "small town store" ever would have, for less money.

@Trai_Dep: We can always vote against Walmart NEXT year! But who knows if the evil AIG will even be around next year . . . this may be our only chance.

We shouldn't have to pay out on those bets though. The contracts should have been voided and policy holders reimbursed for only the money they paid to AIG.

YET - given a little more time ...

AIG got my vote for their scammistic synthetic coal tax credit scheme alone (which was created by the nimrod who would eventually tank the company due to credit defaults swaps etc.) Entirely legal but very immoral. AIG bought unused "synthetic coal" processing facilities and then leased them out only to harvest tax credits to reduce their tax obligations.

And "synthetic" coal is usually pretty scammy to start with in the order of spraying fuel oil over regular coal to "convert" it to "synthetic" coal...

@freelunch: Very little wrong? Are you high?

Let's be clear about AIG's wrongdoing: They collected billions in fees for selling trillions, yes trillions, of dollars worth of credit default swaps they had little ability to make good on. That's why government bailout money is leaking through AIG like a sieve. They are a bottomless pit of liability. AIG isn't keeping that money; it's going right back out the door to pay counterparty claims. Think of AIG as a casino that gladly took your wagers but couldn't pay if you hit the jackpot.

@oneandone:

Wal-Mart could definitely put up a fight in the 'worst of the decade' battle, although I think Circuit City might have something to say about it...

How about a "Walmart vs US Government" bracket?

C'mon -- Name names! Don't leave us hanging.

I give up...
It is hopeless to try and enlighten the general public to the differences of investment risks and ethic employment practices.

AIG should have lost it's first matchup - this company has done very little wrong other than catch the full brunt of media hype and the "not with my money" public rage.

Wal*Mart seems to have gotten a free pass out of the finals with this matchup

@Coach Cal Is My Dream Weaver:

does it float like a duck?

@Yoko Broke Up The Beatles: Or they can do a 'worst of the decade' - 2010 isn't that far off. I wonder who I would pick for 2000 to now? And if another year or so might bring in some new contenders. Hmmm.

@robotrevolution:

If The Consumerist runs a 'Worst Company In America - last 30 years' bracket, I'll gladly vote for Wal-Mart to win it all. Until then - and specifically for 2008/2009 - I'll vote AIG over anyone.

Man, in previous years, Walmart would've won in a landslide. But I can choose not to be a Walmart customer. AIG screwed us ALL over, whether we were their customers or not (and I wasn't).

But the TV tells us to hate AIG, our government proposes borderline unconstitutional taxes targeted at their employees, and the mob says they're bad, so they will march to the winner's/loser's circle of Consumerist's Worst Company in America contest.

/except a few of them really are witches.

I voted AIG. Walmart will be here for next year's competetion. And the year after that. And the year after that.

This shouldn't be a yearly dispopularity contest determined by which company is in the news when the seed happens.

Wal-Mart has decades of abusive, documented material and deserves to be labeled the worst company in America.

As much as it pains me, I must vote against wal-mart in this circumstance.

I've known people who've gotten completely wrecked by Wal-Mart.

Since you have nuclear capabilities, you can start over for all I care.

@DjDynasty: Just buy a couple of sewing machines and return the boxes with bricks inside...

True story that happened to my ex's cousin- the most lily white, doesn't crosswalk or cut the matress tag off type of woman. She though she would be arrested trying to return the scammed box and she couldn't understand how someone could make money off selling a new sewing machine not in its box. I had to explain fencing, flea markets, and drug addicts to her... (this was before ebay then craigslist became the fencing valhala.)

@WarOtter: Actually Walmart so far has only screwed over China really bad...

Everyone in the US needs to start saving for the day the Chinese come calling on the UN to make the US help pay for the unfettered and unregulated business/manufacturing caused environmental disasters...

"But US citizens purchased most of the products so they should be made to pay..." will be the arguements.

By then Walmart will be sourcing its products from somewhere else like the Sudan or Somalia...