Wal-Mart, Nuns, Civil Rights Activists and PaidCritics

Paidcritics.com is proud of the latest great business move (read P.R. move) by Wal-Mart. The idiots actually point to this article which they think reflects well on Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart hired an ex-nun, Harriet Hentges, to be their liaison with nonprofit and academic groups and with government agencies dealing with the environment. Some time ago they hired Andrew Young, ex-mayor of Atlanta and owner of Goodworks International, to head a group formed to spread the word about the positive contributions of Wal-Mart Stores. What Wal-Mart don't seem to get is that real change is what will help Wal-Mart's image, not hiring ex-nuns and ex-civil rights workers to help with P.R.

Detroit news Eitorial writer Manny Lopez thinks this is really great for Wal-Mart and paidcritics wants you to read this column. Manny doesn't get it either.

Really Wal-Mart's newest blue-vesters are only the most recent of the company's brilliant business moves.

Manny, I doubt the P.R. bigshots in Bentonville are required to wear the stupid blue vests, although I'm pretty sure some of the people at paidcritics.com do wear them. Manny goes on to say:

I know, I know. Wal-Mart is supposedly the most evil company in America. Workers are abused and taken advantage of. Suppliers are nickeled and dimed to death. Mom-and-pop shops are put out of business. The horror of it all. It's awful, just, awful.

Manny goes on to point out that all this stuff is just the result of the 'free market', not Wal-Mart's fault. Manny doesn't even spend much time denying that Wal-Mart is evil.

Excluding the (rare) unfair work practices the company has been found guilty of, they've stayed a step ahead of the activists who despise the company's every move, mostly because they can't get their hands in Wal-Mart's pockets.

Manny conveniently forgets that Wal-Mart was sued about every two hours, 4851 times in the year 2000. There is even an entire website dedicated to class action suits against Wal-Mart.

And, even if Wal-Mart is evil it's only because Unions are equally evil says Manny.

When workers at a store in Canada approved representation, Wal-Mart closed the store. Are some of those things dirty? Perhaps, but no more so than the tactics the unions have used there and elsewhere.

Finally, Manny gives some good advice:

And quit shopping there if you worry for the so-called suffering, abused masses who have chosen to work there.

Don't worry Manny, several of us have taken your advice long ago and many more are joining. Why do you think Wal-Mart is investing so much in P.R.?