Reason.tv: The War on Walmart

Who's afraid of cheap groceries?

Retail giant Walmart is planning to open its first stores in New York City and Washington, D.C.

That's got local politicians and activists up in arms.

"Walmart, keep your plantation because there are no more slaves," says New York City Councilman Charles Barron.

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

If we're tricked into welcoming Walmart through our city gates "wrapped up in a shiny package," explains New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, it will take over and destroy us.

So what's getting anti-Walmart activists so riled up?

The answer: cheap groceries.

Written and produced by Jim Epstein, with help from Joshua Swain. Narrated by Nick Gillespie.

Approximately 7.30 minutes.

Click here for past Reason coverage of Walmart and its enemies.

Comments

[Lord Googoo]

"Who's afraid of cheap groceries?"

Korean grocers, that's who.

[Ice Cube]

Ko-reans, act so nice,
b'cause I got potentials
t'blow up a Winchells...
Do-nut!

[Gilbert Martin]

"Who's afraid of cheap groceries?"

Unionized grocery store employees.

[Simon Jester]

Unions are afraid of WalMart. If WalMart employees were unionized, these same people would be defending the company instead of attacking it.

[Paul]

My favorite Korean.

[sage]

Retail giant Walmart is planning to open its first stores in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Wow, they have tractor pulls up in there?

[Mainer]

Considering the possibility that I inspired what may become a standing joke at H&R....that would be awesome.

[waffles]

Tractor pulls are awesome; I support this.

[Tman]

I thought that was Minge telling us that if we shopped at Wal-Mart we also must be rednecks who go to tractor pulls?

If not, I would love to see where you started it, because it's pretty damn funny.

[Episiarch]

Yeah, somebody link to where this was said, because it seems pretty hilarious.

[WTF]

MNG|4.27.11 @ 12:55PM|#. Those tractor pulls are expensive. And the price of
tobacco flavored cotton candy at them is at an all time high! ...
reason.com/blog/2011/04/27/activists

[WTF]

Here it is.
MNG as his elitist best.

[WTF]

Actually, I guess sage started it.

[WTF]

Nope, it was minge

[JW]

Massah Nice Guy had the first at 12:39.

[Lord Googoo]

I like this part of the thread where MNG fails epically:

http://reason.com/blog/2011/04.....nt_2255873

[SugarFree]

Yes, and then he fails so hard he doesn't even try to comeback.

[Mainer]

It started here in the other Walmart thread, in response to my comment:

Mainer|4.27.11 @ 12:37PM|#
The Wal-Mart I shop at has all the name brands, so the quality of their merchanise seems fine to me.

reply to this
MNG|4.27.11 @ 12:39PM|#
If Wal-Mart products meet your needs then good for you.

Have fun at the next tractor pull.

[Tman]

Ah minge, you shan't be living this one down for a while.

[SugarFree]

10-to-1 he'll claim it was a spoofer.

[JW]

Were this he-who-shall-not-be-named, he'd just claim that he "won" the thread and start the dancing the white man's victory shuffle.

[Paul]

"Walmart, keep your plantation because there are no more slaves," says New York City Councilman Charles Barron.

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

If we're tricked into welcoming Walmart through our city gates "wrapped up in a shiny package," explains New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, it will take over and destroy us.

Wow, WalMart really brings out the full fucking retard in the progressive.

[KPres]

How naive. It's not idiocy, it's strategy. Providing goods to the poor is the states territory, used to buy votes, and so they can't have private businesses moving in on their turf. Time to use that public podium to bring down the competition.

[Rich]

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

The government will make criminals of our children because "kids are kids" so they'll smoke marijuana and then "security will grab them."

[Fiscal Meth]

"The government will make criminals of our children because "kids are kids" so they'll smoke marijuana and then "security will grab them."

At least the ones who don't become United States Presidents and then openly admit to having smoked it while continuing to send people to prison for it.(I'm talking to you 3 out of 3 recent presidents)

[Episiarch]

The progressive needs little prodding to bring out the full retard. Just about anything will do it. Of course, it's not just progressives; it's all politicians.

[Jason]

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

As opposed to existing stores, which do not have security to "grab them" and thus make them criminals.

I suppose shoplifting without getting caught is okay, then.

[KPres]

Not only that, but in this bizzaro world, what's wrong is catching the shoplifters.

[prolefeed]

Wow, a black woman making self-hating racist statements about black kids: "our kids can't help being thieves, so we have to remove the temptation of cheap goods"

Perhaps this is projection? "I brought my kids up to steal shit using votes, and they took it to its logical conclusion and cut out the middleman politicians and stole it directly, and they got caught and locked up, and it's totally not a parenting problem on my part!"

[JoJo Zeke]

"I brought my kids up to steal shit using votes [...]"

Otherwise referred to as the Peggy Joseph School of Economics.

[Robert]

I too thought "full retard", and "the sort of statements that gave `nigger' a bad name" of the NY & DC politicians' remarks...until I read this subthread. I think the line of analysis here is correct. These people think children in their neighborhoods deserve to be able to steal a certain amount from shops with impunity. Clearly they'll steal from whichever stores are there, so whoever's shop has better security needs to be kept out of the neighborhood. They're not interested in retail biz making money in their neighborhood, they're just hoping to lure inventory into their neighborhood to be plundered by their constituents.

Presumably they also lean on law enforcement personnel to not respond to complaints of shoplifting.

[MrGuy]

You didn't know that all kids are criminals?

[nhad]

especially the ones who cut across my lawn!

[BigFire]

Normally, you can only arrive at this kind stupidity with a PhD in Sociology, but apparently not with unions and politicians.

[Private Democrat Conversation]

Let the blacks starve!

[Tman]

DEY TURK OUR TRACTIR PUULLLSSS!!

[Pip]

Pip likes this

[Free2Booze]

WTF!? At 1:04 -

"Your putting kids in jeopardy, of getting a record, from shoplifting in this Wal*Mart store. For the first time, some kids will have a record."

You can't make this stuff up.

[Free2Booze]

Jesse Jackson Jr no longer has the dumbest comment of the day. This broad takes the cake.

[Tman]

And yet it's only 1:00 pm ET.

We may have a banner day of stupidity, one for the ages perhaps.

[cynical]

That's a pretty old quote.

[Lurker Kurt]

For those unfamiliar with Walmart, it is Walmart policy to prosecute every person they catch shoplifting.

[Mainer]

Those bastards !

[Free2Booze]

Great point. The real threat to the community isn't kids shoplifting, it's kids getting a record for shoplifting.

The world seems much clearer to me now.

[waffles]

I thought it wasn't this policy at all. More like if

[waffles]

squirrel ate my comment. I'm pretty sure they don't call the police though. I think most stores go the civil damage route because it's much faster and more discrete than calling the cops. Probably depends if it's some impulsive shoplifting or an organized crime outfit. Having a perp walk in front of your store can't be good for business.

[Ted S.]

I dunno; I liked the original comment better. :-p

[prolefeed]

I had a cousin who was in charge of security at a sporting goods store. They caught someone shoplifting, they called the police, every time.

His comment: "A lot of people just like to steal shit."

[Colonel_Angus]

I am a compulsive plant poacher.

[Fiscal Meth]

Is that uncommon?!?

[Fran Smith]

"Cheap groceries"--plays into the hands of Walmart's critics. Much better: "affordable," "inexpensive," "low-cost," "economical."

[KPres]

And sink to their level?

[Derp]

Walmart should put on a troll face and build just outside the city, if they haven't already.

[KPres]

And provide shuttles to the store. Let the county get the tax revenue.

[Ska]

Pretty sure there are Walmarts on Long Island and upstate. There are definitely already K-Marts and Targets in NYC.

[Lurker Kurt]

How come Super Targets never get any hate?

As far as I can tell, they are just a slightly more upscale (and cleaner) version of Walmart.

[Zeb]

Yeah, I always think it is hilarious when people hate Walmart passionately, but love Target. Target has cool ads aimed at urban hipsters, so it must be OK.

[Britt]

I talked to a lib once about this, he claimed that Target never moved into a town before WalMart had already come in and bankrupted all the small businesses.

He seriously believed this.

[prolefeed]

They're building a Target here in my hometown of Kailua, HI, and a lot of liberals went apeshit over it.

Not so much over the Whole Foods being built a block away.

[prolefeed]

apeshit with hate, i mean. they can't stand the thought of replacing a series of variety stores (Holiday Mart turned into Daiei turned into Don Quijote) with a slightly larger variety store on the exact same site. Dunno why.

[Fiscal Meth]

The Shack should survive. There aren't any hot cocktail waitresses at Wal Mart.

[KPres]

See my comment above. Target's business model isn't built around low prices that help poor people, so they're not moving in on the state's territory.

[JD the elder]

The Atlantic Center Target in Brooklyn seems to be built around low prices. God knows they've got enough poor people in there. I'm guessing they don't pay much either, judging by the motivation of the employees there. Seriously, I fucking hate that place. I can't even joke anymore, I just hate that Target. I pray every day that Walmart will move in and give Target some competition.

[TrickyVic]

We have Target and K-Mart. So why not Wal-mart?

[TrickyVic]

We have Costcos too.

[Raven Nation]

Target allows unions.

[prolefeed]

Target tries just as hard as WalMart to keep out unions:

Target puts out anti-union video

There's no such thing as "not allowing" unions, under federal labor laws. What WalMart has done, successfully, is let their employees know that they'll close down any stores that unionize -- only one of their stores unionized, and boom, they shut it down.

[Raven Nation]

Fair enough. Allow me a longer answer to the original question: among those who hate Wal-mart, the "thought" process is that Wal-mart is a union-busting, employee screwing corporation which mistreats its workers whereas Target, Costco et al are pro-union, employee empowering, wholesome companies. As I tell my students, it matters not what is true but what people believe to be true.

[Lurker Kurt]

Walmart did this at 95th and Western in Chicago.

On the east side of Western is Chicago, on the west side is Evergreen Park, where Walmart built their store.

Evergreen Park loves all of the extra sales tax revenue that Walmart generates.

[Libertard]

I hate liberals. So much.

[lub rahls]

thx may we have another?

[Montani Semper Liberi]

I love Wal-Mart although I don't shop at one often because of the drive to get there. Not only do they generally offer better prices than local stores for non-specialty items, but they typically offer better job benefits for employees than mom and pop stores. Also, because they put inefficient local businesses out of business, this opens up property to be redeveloped into restaurants, art galleries, and the like as well as specialty retail stores that don't compete directly with Wal-Mart. Creative destruction at work. What's not to love?

[Lurker Kurt]

Also, because they put inefficient local businesses out of business, this opens up property to be redeveloped into restaurants, art galleries, and the like as well as specialty retail stores that don't compete directly with Wal-Mart.

I have witnessed this in my home town.

The stores that opened up in place of inefficient businesses are doing really well.

[Colonel_Angus]

I'm going to open a big box store that sells slightly cheaper "designer" baby clothes, decorating nick nacks, overpriced chocolates, pet clothes, and all that other retarded yuppie chick crap that those specialty "botiques" sell. I'll call it "Chit". People are so hilarious when they think they are being "upscale".

[wylie]

Squirrel ate the rest of Colonel's comment:

"... Then I setup the hidden cameras. It'll be the highest rated reality show of the twenty-teens."

[Cyto]

They call those things "outlet malls" around here.

Upscale shops and chains with the word "outlet" tacked on and with less ambiance and customer service. Often the place comes with the name "Mills" tacked on to a locally relevant word. Out in the everglades they've got one called "Sawgrass Mills". Every faux haute cuisine restaurant known to man, every upscale outlet that the neuvaux-riche would care to frequent. Ooh, and a Target too...

[steve]

My personal favorite is "Shoppes" since "Shops" is so pedestrian.

[Erisian]

...or when they use "Premium" or "Designer" in the discount mall's name just to confirm you're not buying the same ol' shit.

[Spartacus]

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

This reminds me of the time when one of our adjunct faculty (at my prior college) caught a student cheating on an exam. She gave him a zero on the exam: not for the whole course, just the exam. Our campus diversity official demanded a meeting (the student was black). At the meeting she said that we should not be punishing him, instead we should be trying to find out "what has driven him to do this." The she tossed in a few Rodney King allusions for good measure, strongly implying that if we gave him a zero we were just like those cops that beat Rodney King.

We still gave him a zero.

[SPLC]

Where exactly was this?

[Spartacus]

It was in a conference room.

[TheSporadical]

Nice...

[Pip]

RACIST!

[Free2Booze]

Was the diversity official suggesting that "your kind" all look the same?

[Spartacus]

Actually, I got along with her pretty well most of the time. But that one sort of pissed me off a little.

[Juice]

It's not uncommon for black people to stick up for other black people no matter what they did. My neighbor caught a black chick breaking into his car recently. He detained her and waited for cops to show up. 45 minutes later 2 black cops showed up and asked why he was assaulting this nice young lady and did he have any proof that she was breaking into his car? Finally a white cop showed up and arrested her. In 9th grade I remember this fatass black dude who was a real douchebag. Well, we were 14 and mouthing off to each other so of course I said that his mother was a whore. He took it very seriously and started swinging. So we had a little scuffle (that he started). In the vice principal's office I got a serious lecture about being such a meanie and how much I deserved to be beaten for such harsh language. He got a wink and a 'good job' look. Of course, the vice principle was black. Also, in college there was a little clique of friends and one was a black chick and she explained to us that if she knew about a black person doing something completely wrong to someone else, she wouldn't do anything about it because they're black. Just flat out like that. We said so what, they're black. She said that's just the way it is. They're black, I'm black, that's the reason, period.

[Robert DeNiro]

I loved that story.

[Shorter MNG]

Unions mumble mumble

[Zeb]

This is really boring and stupid. Please stop.

[Shorter Zeb]

"I wish I was half as funny as you."

[OO]

wallmart says its constituents, like those here, are running outta money!

[Pip]

mumble mumble

[typical fat walmart shoppers]

brother can you spare a dime?

[Lurker Kurt]

...and a ride to my car parked in the parking lot? My Wal-mart scooter broke down.

[reason readin female]

There's a tractor pull joke here....

[Ken Shultz]

Demonized for trying to bring cheaper, quality groceries to poorer neighborhoods?

Life imitates Rand again!

[Mainer]

who will take the bait ?

[Tim]

All black kids steal, every good liberal knows this.

["ScorePeon"]

It be in our natua.

[Joe Biden]

Especially the dirty ones.

[Dagny T.]

Liberals really do believe Walmart has a mysterious, totemic power to destroy "communities." Near as I can figure, the thinking (if you can call it that) goes something like this: I find the areas where Walmart tends to be icky and full of poor people. Ergo, Walmart must be the cause. Correlation, causation, I believe you're already acquainted.

[rather]

do you really believe the shit you say?

[rather retarded]

No, but we do.

[CUNT-VOMIT ALERT!]

EOM

[Destrudo]

That's funny coming from the reason commenter most likely to be IRL unstable and possibly mentally ill.

[SugarFree]

And who certainly out-weighs Dearest Dagny by about 14 stone.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

That would put Dagny at 5 stone, which seems unlikely.

[SugarFree]

21 stone for rather, then? I hate metric weights.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

It's so rare to be able to work in an AC-DC reference and then it just falls to pieces anyway. I guess I'll stick with Iron Maiden.

[SugarFree]

It sailed right pass me. 🙁

[Zeb]

Based on recent comments, I am somewhat hopeful that she is close to a real breakdown that might prevent her from commenting here further.

[rather]

Destrudo is obsessed with the mentally ill, Sugarfree fat chicks, Zeb censorship, helle multiple-personalities....I can see why the wealthy visited insane asylums for entertainment

[The Gobbler]

Beats picking cotton and living in a sharecropper's shack.

[Destrudo]

Well, other than maybe dear old Gregory.

[SugarFree]

Also, they saw a documentary and so the issue is settled.

[Dagny T.]

Speaking of idiotic documentaries, have you seen the previews for the new Morgan Spurlock "oh noes teh advertizin is everywhere"? I hate when my dopey/sincere liberal friends have something new to be dopey and sincere about on Facebook and at parties.

[SugarFree]

Documentaries are liberal church. A couple of hours having your biases confirmed with a bunch of fellow believers, and you get your marching orders and catchphrases in the last fifteen minutes or so. The only real difference is less singing and better snacks.

[OO]

and the single women are waay cuter

[SugarFree]

Fuck off, dipshit.

[Wal-Mart]

I LOOM LARGE, FOR LESS.

[Aresen]

The funny thing is I remember all the wailing and moaning because grocery chains WOULDN'T build in the inner cities, forcing people living there to pay higher prices.

I think Tim Cavanaugh blogged on it here several years back.

[Lurker Kurt]

This happened in Chicago last year.

The Chicago Tribune had an article about how Walmart is begging to build stores in poor communites (food deserts).

A few weeks later, a liberal columnist, Mary Schmich, wrote an article touting a non-profit food cooperative trying to bring fresh produce to the inner city. The only stumbling block being the lack of funds to do so. No mention was made of a private organization willing to use its own money to bring fresh produce to the city.

[JW]

Yes, but their stores aren't made out of pure, unrefined evil, as Wal-Mart's stores are.

[SugarFree]

"I have combined the DNA of the world's most evil animals to make the most evil creature of all."

"It turns out it was 'man'".

[Lurker Kurt]

Yes, but their stores aren't made out of pure, unrefined evil, as Wal-Mart's stores are

Ahh, thanks JW! I now have my answer as to why Super Target doesn't get any hate.

Super Target builds its stores out of refined evil. It obviously makes a big difference.

[Gilbert Martin]

I thought E-85 was refined evil.

[Paul]

It's not about whither WalMart or not WalMart. It's about the disdain for people making independent choices, living, shopping where they want. It's about control. When poor people become not so poor, they're no longer dependent on the vultures and leeches in municipal government. WalMart is competition. Not competition with Safeway or Albertsons, but competition with municipal government welfare.

[OO]

so who's wallmart's comp?

[TrickyVic]

""It's not about whither WalMart or not WalMart. It's about the disdain for people making independent choices, living, shopping where they want. It's about control. ""

Never been to NYC, huh? There are more choices for shopping than just about any other city in America.

[Paul]

Never been to NYC, huh? There are more choices for shopping than just about any other city in America.

And they're not happy about it.

On Big Cities Big Boxes, I argue the conservative position against untrammeled entry of the big boxes into New York City. This post presents two main arguments that if the big boxes are to come into the city, we should insist that they act like New York City businesses. Otherwise, I think, our uniquely creative, transit-oriented, neighborhood-oriented, walkable, way of life, in which small shops set immigrants on the escalator to the middle class, and in which our 400 neighborhood high streets are among the city's chief amenities, will be destroyed. For another conservative view in opposition to the big boxes, see Professor Bainbridge here or here.

[TrickyVic]

Some argue they don't want "big boxes" becuase it will hurt the smaller shops. Less smaller shops equal less choice.

I don't see how it matters since K-Mart, Costco, and Target are already here. I have no problem with Wal-Mart.

[heller]

So New Yorkers think that South Park is real life?

[Night Elf Mohawk]

"Walmart, keep your plantation because there are no more slaves," says New York City Councilman Charles Barron.

Walmart offers job for those willing and able to do them and goods for people willing and able to buy them. And this clown wants to prevent citizens from exercising their free will to work and/or shop there. Sounds like someone is running a plantation, indeed.

[JD the elder]

+1 on that. Somebody should say it to that sanctimonious twit, right to his face. Seriously, read his Wikipedia entry. He is an out-and-out communist - that's not hyperbole, he really is - and basically just a clownish stereotype of the left-wing Black politician.

[heller]

He's a Qadaffi lover too.

[omg]

He argued that Germans, Jews, Poles, Greeks, and Italians who immigrated to the United States during the late 19th century were welcomed

Oh God....

I mean, I agree with the sentiment that we should welcome anyone who wants to come to this country, but saying all white immigrants who came here were welcomed by everyone is really, really stupid.

[Brett L]

If by "welcomed" they mean shanghaied into the Civil War and put in jobs that slaves were too valuable for before that, then he's really nailed the first wave Irish experience.

[Mike Laursen]

I thought that Wal-Mart had been absolved by Michelle Obama.

[SugarFree]

They stopped making their payments.

[ola]

where the heck is Manhaa en? Not sure of the spelling of the word that the one wunderlich was pronouncing.

[Holy Cow]

Wal-Mart has a right to legally operate a store wherever it meets local zoning requirements. So Boo-Hoo, sob sister progressives.

Except in Arizona, of course.

Why there, undocumented lightbringers from foreign lands and their awesome and all-encompassing rights trump all. Yes, I said Trump!

[The Gobbler]

Walmart saves lives during Alabama tornados

Erica Lilly (center), whose home was destroyed, escaped injury when she decided to seek shelter at a Walmart with her 9-month-old.

http://www.ajc.com/

[wylie]

Sure, but Walmart CAUSED those tornadoes.

[George W. Bush]

No, I caused those tornadoes, silly.

[Colonel_Angus]

How does "plantation" always mean "somewhere with slaves" instead of "place where crops are planted"?

[wylie]

I'm takin it back. (Ya porch monkey.)

[cynical]

Because we already have the word "farm" for that?

[Colonel_Angus]

There are still farms commonly referred to as "plantations" in the United States that happen to have no slaves working on them. Some plantations exist in Hawaii and Florida among other states. So... why does "plantation" have to be a bad thing with these people, always associated with slavery?

[JoJo Zeke]

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

Women in bikinis will make rapists of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll sexually assault and then "the cops will grab them."

[MWG]

My grandfather likes to tell the story about when his kids were young, one of his daughters was flashed by a young neighborhood kid. When he approached the kids father about what had happened, the father replied, "Well, boys will be boys."

That woman made me remember that story.

[Max]

If Walmart fails, the entire Chinese economy will go belly up. Hey, wait...

[The Truth]

Hey pal...fuck you.

[kbolino]

It is my firmly held opinion, as both a consumer and former employee, that Walmart has single-handedly done more in the last twenty years to end poverty in this country than the federal government has in the last century.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

So have I.

[ChrisO]

Walmart will make criminals of our children, argues Washington D.C. commissioner Brenda Speaks, because "kids are kids" so they'll shoplift and then "security will grab them."

There's stupid, and then there's D.C. stupid.

Perhaps Ms. Speaks has failed to notice that new Wal-Mart right off the B-W Parkway, just over a mile from the D.C. border. It doesn't seem to have succumbed to shoplifting jackals just yet.

[Howard]

Oppose something then just say anything. It doesn't matter if it makes absolutely no sense and has nothing to do with the pros or the cons. Just demonize, ridicule and blather.

[TrickyVic]

Well they haven't found Sam Walton's birth cert, so that's an issue.

[Orgazmo the Flying Chimp]

This Fark Thread is a great liberal love-fest of liberal hate

[Orgazmo the Flying Chimp]

plus walmart hate

[Random Dude]

Lol @ 1:00.

I can't believe that woman actually blamed Wal-Mart for potentially allowing kids to steal things from their store!

Great video.

[Stick it to 'em]

With the Obama economic policies effectively stealing milk from children through rising prices, we have Obama supporters trying to prevent a discount retailer from opening a new store?

[Old Man with Candy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XagsXc0MqR4

[xenia onatopp]

This whole thing made my trip  to WalMart today for paper towels and dog food so much more enjoyable; something about the thrill of the forbidden. It felt so great to save money and piss off liberals in one fell swoop that I also bought a few things at Home Depot and Barnes & Noble before heading home. All in all a satisfying experience, and the perfect antidote to my stop at the RMV earlier in the day-- the taxes and fees I pay and they can't afford any fucking air conditioning?

[snookums]

Okay, I just have to point out that B&N is a ripoff. You can get books cheaper almost anywhere else. Other than that, kudos.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

With almost no exceptions everyone I know that complains about Walmart shops there at least from time to time. There's always some "well where am I going to get X at this time, I have no choice" ready-made excuse too.

[Carl]

I live by one of the most ghetto Wal-Marts in Central Phoenix and when I go I can help but notice the amount of "State of Arizona" Chase Visa's paying for groceries and it made me wonder...like all bubbles which are created by market intervention by the government it makes me think if Wal-Mart got as big as it did somehow by the Department of Economic Security.

[tadcf]

No, it's not about cheap groceries--it's about paying a living wage.

[Jeff]

It's hard to imagine that many people taking jobs where they can't survive.

[Fiscal Meth]

Wal Mart's workman's comp. ins. costs must be through the roof with employees constantly passing out from malnutrition and needing to be rushed to the emergency room.

[snookums]

Since I haven't heard of any rash of Wal-Mart worker's bodies turning up starved to death, I'm going to say that it is a living wage.

[hole]

Thanks ForSharing

[hole]

Thanks ForSharing

[Coralskipper]

I only worked summer jobs at Wal-Mart, but a family friend is the son of someone who worked for Wal-Mart. As the son of an employee, he's been given chances to go farther in life than he would without it. The truth is that Wal-Mart hires almost exclusively from within, so if you've worked there for a decade you should be able to get a promotion at some point if you're competent. The truth is the ceiling for Wal-Mart employees is higher than almost any local chain because they value competent employees and have the resources to nurture them.

[LB]

3 out of 5 of my lowest paid jobs when I was younger were locally owned "mom and pop" establishments. One that I'm not even counting was still a franchise. Point is, it has to be union members that are the most vocal about their Walmart hatred because it would be so easy to call out a local business owner who complained about Walmart's low wages.

[ALM1]

http://www.becker-posner-blog......osner.html

A Nobel Prize winning economist's thoughts on unions. These people should take a look at this.

[Ike]

One word: Detroit.

[prada bags]

In my opinion it's just one step short of the "one party democracies" many dictators and so-called communist countries employ.

[nike shox]

is good