Wal-Mart — Not Evil?

To be fair, Republicans care deeply about low-wage, blue collar workers.

 

Then don't work there.

 

Respectfully, I must disagree.

Buying a house, having top-notch medical care and healthy food are not rights. Now, if Devil was referring to people willing to room together (spouses, roommates, renting an average apartment), essential care (not anything more) and the ability to buy quality food that you prepare yourself, then I'm OK with those being closer to rights.

Minimum wage jobs were not intended to support a family. Minimum wage is just that ... minimum. Just because you work at the Kum & Go (or any other convenience store) for 40 hours, you don't get to win the grand prize. The employers can pay minimum wage because the skill and production they get from those paid that wage match up.

 

Did 93Devil somehow give you the impression that he was thinking a minimum wage worker would live my himself in a McMansion, have a private physician and eat at Sardi's each night?

 

No, the employers pay minimum wage because they can get away with it and the toothless labour laws in many states allow it.

And since when did owning a house become a "grand prize"?

 

"Closer to rights"? What are your basic rights, then?

 

. . . just as they love illegal immigrants . . . so long as they can figure out a way to keep
'em from actually votin', or somethin' . . .

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/19/walmart-2-billion-in-bonu_n_176954.html

CHICAGO (Reuters) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc is awarding approximately $2 billion to its U.S. hourly employees through financial incentives, including handing out $933.6 million in bonuses on Thursday, after the world's largest retailer gained market share amid a recession.

 

Seems to me that many of you here missed one key point and instead are spending time bashing Wal-Mart. This is an INDUSTRY issue, not a Wal-Mart issue.

Are minimum wages too low? Yes.
Are unskilled laborers going to get paid less? Yes.
Do I have the solution? No.
Do you guys? No.

 

Good for Wal Mart.

The company SportsJournalists.com loves to bash is giving back billions, while much of the rest of corporate America is taking handouts.

 

Um, there's a reason why Wal-Mart is booming in these hard times. My Econ 101 prof called it an "inferior good."

 

If it sucked so bad to work at Wal-Mart, why do so many people work there? Why don't they work at Target? I'm pretty sure you don't need a phD to work there.

Supply and demand works with jobs and wages, too. If people who can incorrectly ring up your grocery items are a dime a dozen, you get paid a dime.

Sometimes life isn't fair, and it's just tough shit.

Other than that, I don't see the value of forcing a company like Wal-Mart at gunpoint to pay above market value for labor ... thus driving up the cost of goods and devaluing the value of my hard-earned dollar.