For any of you out there who still find yourself lured by Wal-Mart's "low" prices, read this paragraph from a handbook Wal-Mart gives to managers:
The rest of the article is worth reading. What are we really willing to trade to save a couple of bucks on some shoddy merchandise?
Now, please, for the love of all that is good and decent, stop shopping there.
P.S. - It could surely be pointed out that I support many businesses whose practices and/or politics I don't agree with and it's therefore hypocritical for me to admonish people not to shop at Wal-Mart.
I disagree.
I certainly don't expect anyone (including myself) to research the background of every company or person they do business with. But when we know about bad practices, we're responsible for the choices we make. This is particularly true when we have so many other options.
Wal-Mart also deserves to be singled out as one of the most powerful companies in the world when it comes to labor practices. They employ more people than anyone else and their practices are being used as justification for anti-unionism by other companies. They are at the top of the chain, so if we're going to take one stand, it should be this one.
