Marathon Pundit: Beating down the doors to get inside Wal-Mart

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Beating down the doors to get inside Wal-Mart

Unbelievably, Wal-Mart was a major political issue two years ago--made so by the Democratic Party. Earlier this week Fortune Magazine released its list of the nation's top 500 companies--once again, Wal-Mart ended up on top. The Arkansas-based retailer is also the nation's largest private employer--no one else comes close.

I'm interested if Barack Obama's lurch towards the center will include backing away from his 2007 statement on Wal-Mart--"I won't shop there." Since 100 million Americans shop at at the retail king weekly--plenty of them are Democrats--Obama might want to grab a shopping cart--like I do--and pick up some items at his nearest Wal-Mart.

My friend Tristan Roy from Edelman tipped me off about a story from yesterday's Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The article works on a couple of levels for me--it offers further proof that Wal-Mart is not an ogre, and yesterday I got my Republican National Committee housing assignment--I'll be spending a few nights in Dakota County, Minnesota. Perhaps I'll bump into a certain judge there...

"Wal-Mart hammered by judge," shouted a front-page Star Tribune headline earlier this month. The Dakota County judge -- responding to a class-action assault on the giant retailer -- labeled Wal-Mart "dehumanizing" and set it up for a possible $2 billion penalty.

Many Minnesotans probably shrugged. What else is new? The story seemed consistent with charges we've heard for years: Wal-Mart exploits its workers by paying skinflint wages and skimping on health insurance. Not to mention driving legions of mom-and-pop stores out of business.

With such a reputation for ruthlessness, Wal-Mart must be struggling to find workers, right?

Yet when the company opened a new store in St. Paul's Midway area in May 2004, about 6,000 applicants vied for 325 job openings, according to Joyce Niska, the store's acting manager in 2005. That, too, was nothing new. For years, people have beaten down the doors to work at Wal-Mart.