My computer is working, there was no spam in my comments this morning, Karl Rove is gonna be indicted, and Dr. Mercola, of whom I am not a fan, is quoting and linking to JON STEWART on his breathlessly alternative medical website.
Oh yeah, and the good folks at Wal-Mart Watch report on a story in today's New York Times, showing the dark, seamy, corporate underbelly of the beast:
The “Secret” Wal-Mart memo has shattered the myth that America’s largest corporation has a unique culture that prizes its Associates and cares for them. Despite its so-called family-friendly environment, the truth is Wal-Mart fails to provide adequate benefits and cares about its bottom-line more than its people. The sad truth is that 56% of Wal-Mart employees are not covered by the company health care plan and costs are high for those who are covered.
Read more, shop elsewhere. Costco is good.
I read a very interesting and detailed article in Time Magazine about Walmart and their supposed hate for the average joe worker... Time made a great point that even though on paper Walmart is making great profits, if you take their profit and divide it by the number of employees they have... it turns out to $600 per employee. Normally I would doubt such a thing, but I have a fair bit of respect for Time...
Assuming the figure is true, does everyone expect them to go not-for-profit? Time also made good points that Walmart has literally saved lives, allowing families below the poverty line to sustain some type of normalcy in their daily lives by being able to afford things the rest of us take for granted... like food and clothing, and toys for their children.
Walmart has been made a boogey man, I believe, because of the fact that ALL Big-box stores put small business... well, out of business, and because of Walmarts many departments, it affects more businesses than say, a PetSmart would. But that doesn't make them the devil.
Posted by: Kim | 27 October 2005 at 02:19 PM