Posted 11:04 AM by Gene

The BIG WAL pulls ANOTHER ONE:

An internal memo sent to Wal-Mart's board of directors proposes numerous ways to hold down spending on health care and other benefits while seeking to minimize damage to the retailer's reputation. Among the recommendations are hiring more part-time workers and discouraging unhealthy people from working at Wal-Mart....

To discourage unhealthy job applicants, Ms. Chambers suggests that Wal-Mart arrange for "all jobs to include some physical activity (e.g., all cashiers do some cart-gathering)."

The memo acknowledged that Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, had to walk a fine line in restraining benefit costs because critics had attacked it for being stingy on wages and health coverage. Ms. Chambers acknowledged that 46 percent of the children of Wal-Mart's 1.33 million United States employees were uninsured or on Medicaid.

JOOOOOOOOOOOOONAH!!!!! LARRY "GREED IS GOOD" KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!

Or to put it in Wal-Martese:

On both of these issues – affordability and public assistance – it is important to note that our offering and performance are on par with other retailers; Wal-Mart’s critics, however, hold it to a “large company” standard, not a retailer standard. Despite the difference in industry economics, critics believe we should behave more like a GM or a Microsoft than a Target or a Sears. While critics have not yet harnessed all of these facts, they are successfully exploiting those they do have, suggesting that, when discovered, the others will also become effective ammunition.

Hey Dorothy, you're not in RETAILING anymore.