". . . little shall I grace my cause

In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver . . ."

(William Shakespeare's Othello, I.iii.88-90)

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Wal-Mart

Sometimes I think Wal-Mart gets a bad rap. I understand some of the concerns that people have about the store, but at the same time I think the Wal-Mart hatred can get a bit extreme. As with most things, Wal-Mart is neither all good nor all bad. Here are a few recent headlines that I think show the corporation in a decidedly positive light and also suggest that contrary to common wisdom, actions taken by Wal-Mart can actually have a desirable ripple effect on the decisions of other large retailers.

Wal-Mart to discontinue selling milk with artificial growth hormone

Wal-Mart CEO memo delegating authority after Hurricane Katrina saved countless lives

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

WalMart also set a target and sold 100 million compact fluorescent bulbs, which will save gigawatts of electricity. So yeah, it has done some surprising good.

Still don't like the place.

Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake said...

Wal-Mart takes the heat for concerns that are endemic across the entire retail industry. It's simply because they're the biggest, so they're the biggest target. Also, the wrong kind of white people shop there, so it's fair to slam it.

I always had a blast in college, baiting fellow students through their anti-Wal-Mart rants until they get to a detailed diatribe (which they always do) about how they just can't stand the sort of people who shop there. Then I say, "Ah. So you just hate poor people", and watch the backpedaling.