"Wal-Mart part of ‘new-world economy'"

Nice letter in today's Moscow-Pullman Daily News:

I’ve reached my saturation point on the Wal-Mart bashing and the Pullman Alliance for Responsible Development’s ridiculous statements.


Unions: That, underneath all the rhetoric, is simply the answer. The unions hate Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart simply gives a better deal — both for the customers and the employees.


Part of the hate-Wal-Mart crowd is the oft-repeated (and oft-believed) statements that Wal-Mart cheats the employees with starvation wages and meager benefits. It simply is not true. In our area the Wal-Mart wage and benefit package is far superior to the average business that Wal-Mart is supposedly ruining.


Concerning the allegation that all Wal-Mart’s “stuff” comes from poor countries and these countries “cheat” their workers: Go to any store, Target, GAP even Nordstrom and look at the labels. Where do you think they get their “stuff?” It’s a new-world economy, folks. Like global warming — it ain’t gonna change anytime soon.


When I go to the Moscow Wal-Mart I always make it a point to talk to one of the employees about how they feel about their situation. Universally, the response is: “It’s a great place to work.” (Do you suppose that’s why thousands of people show up to apply for a few hundred jobs when a new Wal-Mart opens?)


As one writer well pointed out: Drive around the Pullman business area and take stock of the actual businesses that Wal-Mart will likely compete with, What you’ll discover is it’s not very many.


Also pointed out by a recent writer: Wal-Mart is being run by a bunch of rich people. Well, duh. What did you expect from a family that has developed the finest example of retail marketing in the world?


Roger Daisley, Pullman

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