I am currently employed by Wal-Mart. I feel like you do not have the entire story about your protest on Saturday. If this Wal-Mart closes, over 300 people will be out of a job and many benefits that they hold dear will be taken away from them. These benefits include the following: health, long term and short term disability, dental, accidental death and dismemberment and life insurance as well as the opportunity to purchase stock in the company.
As far as wages go, I get paid more here than I would in a restaurant or many other fine establishments. How do I know this? My previous job before Wal-Mart was as a cook in a downtown restaurant.
I wonder, Mike Christensen, in what way would getting our store closed be beneficial to those of us who work there?
Also, according to your statements in the (University) Chronicle, small businesses suffer because people shop at Wal-Mart. Maybe they prefer to shop somewhere where they can get everything they need in one fell swoop. Wal-Mart fits this description perfectly.
Without a Wal-Mart in this town, the same situation would happen as did at Fingerhut. Many people would lose their jobs and less money would be spent in other areas, thereby creating a financial hole.
Try this next time you go to Wal-Mart. Talk with some of the associates and ask them why they work there. Find a piece of merchandise and compare the price at Wal-Mart to the price at another store. Finally, talk to some customers and find out why they enjoy shopping there.
Because the customer is always right.
Ryan J. Lins
Senior
Creative Writing
Wal-Mart associate
