Liberalising the labour market to increase wages and relying on competition to lower prices – these are the remedies being proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy to increase the purchasing power of his French citizens. Solutions that have been popular for a long time in the United States, where the champion of purchasing power has a name: Wal-Mart, the global retail giant. In a few decades, the business created by Sam Walton has become the planet’s biggest company, with almost 2 million employees and millions of Chinese working to keep its shelves filled. Each day, 25 million Americans queue up at the cash registers of the chain’s supermarkets.
Low prices every day, claims the firm. But under what conditions? Minimum wages and minimum social security, flexibility pushed to the limits, extreme pressure on suppliers, massive Chinese imports. Low prices also come with a cost. And yet, while they would never dare say so in public, certain French politicians and decision-makers see this as a way to modernise the economy. Symbol of triumphant globalisation, but also of a rampant capitalism, the Wal-Mart model has inspired many a person in France. Auchan, Carrefour and other French retailers have been studying the methods used by their great US rival, which could take advantage of recent regulatory reforms to set up business in France.

The investigation led by Lysiane Baudu and Gilles Biassette reveals the hidden face of a model that sparks controversy even in the US. Is working more and earning less not the real promise of Wal-Mart?