An Arizona woman found a note inside a purse she bought at Walmart written by an alleged Chinese prisoner forced to work 14 hours a day.
The woman, Laura Wallace, had the note translated by three different people to make sure she was getting an accurate translation, KVOA reported.
"Inmates in the Yingshan Prison in Guangxi, China are working 14 hours daily with no break/rest at noon, continue working overtime until 12 midnight, and whoever doesn’t finish his work will be beaten," the note reads, according to KVOA. "Their meals are without oil and salt. Every month, the boss pays the inmate 2000 yuan, any additional dishes will be finished by the police. If the inmates are sick and need medicine, the cost will be deducted from the salary. Prison in China is unlike prison in America, horse cow goat pig dog (literally, means inhumane treatment)."
Currently, 2,000 yuan is worth about $290.
“I’m sure that’s exactly what the note says,” Wallace, who bought the purse in Sierra Vista, Arizona, told KVOA.
She said she was sharing the note to see if the writer can be tracked down. “I don’t want this to be an attack on any store ... that’s not the answer. This is happening at all kinds of places and people just probably don’t know.”
A Walmart spokesman reponsded to the note, saying, “One of our requirements for the suppliers who supply products for sale at Walmart is all work should be voluntary as indicated in our Standards for Suppliers,” KVOA reported.
Twitter had varied reactions to the story: Some blamed globalism while others said working class people in the U.S. also work very long days just to get by.
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