Wal-liath

I'm coming a little late to the party - it seems like I haven't heard much Wal-Mart hate as of late. I suppose that it's because we're so enraged by those illegal immigrants who are stealing our jobs, forcing us to work at Wal-Mart, until they take those jobs too, thus forcing us out on the street, that we just haven't had the energy to get mad at Wal-Mart too. I got thinking about it again because of a Business Week article by Jack & Suzy Welch about if Wal-Mart is good or not. Jack, being the fine capitalist that he is, said,

"Maybe it's politically incorrect these days to say this, but Wal-Mart helps individuals, communities, and whole economies prosper.Without question, Wal-Mart is huge and getting more so. Its business model is threatening to rivals and its purchasing power frightening to suppliers. But that doesn't make Wal-Mart bad -- just a fat target for critics who, for reasons of their own, won't concede how Wal-Mart improves lives."

How could Wal-Mart improve lives? It's clearly the about time for the second coming, because Wal-Mart is the Anti-Christ. There's no other explanation for the growth it's had. Everyone's been fooled, and the Bible is right...right?
The Bible is right, but that's a discussion for another post. Wal-Mart is not, however, the devil's spawn. It's a company that through various tactics; including a frenetic hyperactive smiley face, rollback prices, and bludgeoning their suppliers, has singlehandedly transformed the American shopping experience. I've heard so many people who are nostalgic for the good old days when you'd go to the local 5 and Dime and Ma and Pop would be there caring for the till and getting Cokes for the townsfolk. My question to them is where did they go when Wal-Mart came to town? Did they continue to go to Ma and Pop? Of course not! Whereas Ma and Pop were at the mercy of Vlasic and a small jar of pickles was 3 bucks, at Wal-Mart you could get a whole gallon of pickles for the exact same price. The pricing at Wal-Mart is and always has been frenetic. They drive hard deals with the companies they do business with, and the consumer is always the winner. If a company decides that Wal-Mart asks too much, they can pack up and leave. It's not necessary to have your products in Wal-Mart, although with a quarter of a trillion dollars in sales there, it's wise to try. Nevertheless, the single biggest reason for lower inflation in the United States over the past decade hasn't been the Fed so much as its been Wal-Mart. Commodity prices have been skyrocketing, but suppliers haven't had any pricing power because Wal-Mart won't tolerate it.
As far as the argument about how Wal-Mart brings terrible jobs to communities, how is that? Again, people choose to work there. Could I commute somewhere else to avoid a job at Wal-Mart? I certainly could. I could go any number of places and find something. Unless you're in the Middle of Nowhere and there's a Wal-Mart and prarie and that's it for 100 miles, there are other opportunities, especially with the low unemployment we have today. Wal-Mart doesn't provide insurance or other benefits for its entry level positions, but I challenge you to find one grocery store that does. I worked for a local grocer here in Utah and I can tell you that, at least where unions aren't epidemic, you'll never find a job as a greeter, cashier, or bagger that will give you any benefits at all. They're called entry level positions for a reason. At least with Wal-Mart there are opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, whereas you can't climb any ladder at Ma and Pop's, unless you knock off Ma and Pop.