[extropy-chat] Seven cents an hour? (was: Riots in France)

[David Lubkin]

kevinfreels wrote:

>When I go into walmart I see several things. I see employees that other
>companies simply would not hire. I see elderly people who failed to plan for
>retirement. I see young people starting out in the job market.

I also see:

- cheerful employees (not everyone, but more than in most other stores)

- people shopping for whom the price difference means the difference 
between having and doing without

- military families shopping -- in part because of the prices, in 
part because of the respect accorded them (go to the greeting card 
aisle and see the row of specialty cards to send to loved ones in the service)

- guns and ammo for sale -- after places like K-Mart bowed to 
pressure and pulled them (and the ammo is there on an open shelf)

- cheaply priced quality name-brands like Linksys, Stanley, or Honda

- constant business innovation

- lots of competition from nearly 100 oversized stores within a few 
minutes (we have Barnes & Noble a block from Borders, Circuit City 
sharing a parking lot with Best Buy, etc.) *and* local non-chain 
stores that hold their own


-- David.