Retail employees working on Holidays....whats the issue?

[thug the bunny]

[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1384967385' post='8178208']
You can't [u][b]equivilate[/b][/u] retail to law enforcement or medical care. .
[/quote]

Wait, what??

[xThor]

[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1385043915' post='8183002']
[quote name='One_Putt_Blunder' timestamp='1385008110' post='8181986']
I worked retail for Verizon for about 6years in my late teens early 20's here is what sucked about it.

1 holiday vacation blackouts we could not take approved time off from Nov 1st through Jan 15th. Can't tell you how many thanksgiving nights I had to spend in airports so I could back to work for black Friday. Which leads to number 2

2: We were overstaffed and dead (this does not apply to major retailers) Corporate freaked out about staffing for holidays yet we all stood around bored wishing we could be with family/friends. This was especially true Christmas eve and black friday.

3: there is no real valid reason for non essential businesses or services to be open on holidays except to make a balance sheet look better for folks who are home with their families.

It is not just retail the service industry as a whole follows the same pattern. I am in insurance now and corporate requires us (agency office) to be open black Friday. There is nothing so important that it could not wait until Monday. This is why policies contain newly purchased vehicle clauses which give people 30 days to notify us.
[/quote]

That sums it up pretty well. Shopping is not an essential service. That TV at Best Buy isn't going to go bad if you buy it Friday morning as opposed to Thursday night.
[/quote]


Tv's are loss leaders, designed to get you in the store to buy other things.
But you're right the tv wont go bad if you buy it friday morning. But if Best Buy opens friday, it's harder to compete against a WalMart that will open thursday night offering competitive products/prices.

[thug the bunny]

I look at it with the perspective of 'it is what it is'.

On the one hand, it sucks that many employees have to work through holidays, but on the other hand you gotta stay employed.

And yes, on one hand businesses have to do certain things to stay competitive, but on the other curtailing executive and upper management bonuses and perks would go a long way to increasing a company's bottom line, but that ain't gonna happen.

Unitl the revolution happens, It is what it is.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1385043915' post='8183002']
[quote name='One_Putt_Blunder' timestamp='1385008110' post='8181986']
I worked retail for Verizon for about 6years in my late teens early 20's here is what sucked about it.

1 holiday vacation blackouts we could not take approved time off from Nov 1st through Jan 15th. Can't tell you how many thanksgiving nights I had to spend in airports so I could back to work for black Friday. Which leads to number 2

2: We were overstaffed and dead (this does not apply to major retailers) Corporate freaked out about staffing for holidays yet we all stood around bored wishing we could be with family/friends. This was especially true Christmas eve and black friday.

3: there is no real valid reason for non essential businesses or services to be open on holidays except to make a balance sheet look better for folks who are home with their families.

It is not just retail the service industry as a whole follows the same pattern. I am in insurance now and corporate requires us (agency office) to be open black Friday. There is nothing so important that it could not wait until Monday. This is why policies contain newly purchased vehicle clauses which give people 30 days to notify us.
[/quote]

That sums it up pretty well. Shopping is not an essential service. That TV at Best Buy isn't going to go bad if you buy it Friday morning as opposed to Thursday night.
[/quote]

agreed, but that is what makes a free market capitalist society. if you own a business, you have the choice whether or not to open. you have that option to weigh the pros and cons and make that decision as the owner of the business. who are you to make that decision for a business owner. please don't tell me you want another regualtion or law stimpuating when certain businesses can be open. if that happens, is the next step regulating the prices that business can charge, or how much of a certain product has to be offered.

if you have toys r us on one side of town and another toy store at the other end of town, its going to be comptetive. they are non essential products, but its absurd to think that private market isn't going to cater to high demand, when the alternative is to close and lose huge amounts of sales and profit.

[deadsolid...shank]

[quote name='HoosierMizuno' timestamp='1385045654' post='8183152']
[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1385043915' post='8183002']
[quote name='One_Putt_Blunder' timestamp='1385008110' post='8181986']
I worked retail for Verizon for about 6years in my late teens early 20's here is what sucked about it.

1 holiday vacation blackouts we could not take approved time off from Nov 1st through Jan 15th. Can't tell you how many thanksgiving nights I had to spend in airports so I could back to work for black Friday. Which leads to number 2

2: We were overstaffed and dead (this does not apply to major retailers) Corporate freaked out about staffing for holidays yet we all stood around bored wishing we could be with family/friends. This was especially true Christmas eve and black friday.

3: there is no real valid reason for non essential businesses or services to be open on holidays except to make a balance sheet look better for folks who are home with their families.

It is not just retail the service industry as a whole follows the same pattern. I am in insurance now and corporate requires us (agency office) to be open black Friday. There is nothing so important that it could not wait until Monday. This is why policies contain newly purchased vehicle clauses which give people 30 days to notify us.
[/quote]

That sums it up pretty well. Shopping is not an essential service. That TV at Best Buy isn't going to go bad if you buy it Friday morning as opposed to Thursday night.
[/quote]

agreed, but that is what makes a free market capitalist society. if you own a business, you have the choice whether or not to open. you have that option to weigh the pros and cons and make that decision as the owner of the business. who are you to make that decision for a business owner. please don't tell me you want another regualtion or law stimpuating when certain businesses can be open. if that happens, is the next step regulating the prices that business can charge, or how much of a certain product has to be offered.

if you have toys r us on one side of town and another toy store at the other end of town, its going to be comptetive. they are non essential products, but its absurd to think that private market isn't going to cater to high demand, when the alternative is to close and lose huge amounts of sales and profit.
[/quote]

You're 100% correct Hoosier in the reasons why it happens. And I also agree that more regulations are not needed. Thats a slippery slope to get started on. But I guess what I'm saying is that even though the reasoning behind why it happens doesn't make it right that it's happening. Its my opinion that corporate America is what is running America into the ground (but thats for another time). And it really is about nothing more than everyone making sure they get their share of the pie.

I think I took some issue with the wording in the original post essentially chastising employees who are not happy about working the holidays.
Yes, many of them knew going into the job that this was a possibility. But if its the only job that someone can get, which is happening a lot with service and retail being such large employers, you have to put up with it (which is where the unions came into play), even if is wrong.

And again, the line that if you don't like it, get another job (and I don't know who said it) is such a condescending statement. Most people aren't working at these business because that is their dream job, it's probably the best/only job available for them.

Bottom line, instead of blasting these employees, how about showing them a little compassion. Because for whatever reason, they're still there at the workplace on a holiday putting in insane hours while dealing with hourdes of frenzied customers.

[Petethreeput]

I know that many of these "non-glamourous" retail jobs pay well. Like I said before, I was in service, and it was very good to me and my pocket, but that is not the issue. The issue is that for $90K a year, everyone gets that holidays are in the mix as a job requirement. At $8/ hour, you know its coming, but it isn't right. That individual is stuck in today's economic climate because there is nowhere else to go. It isn't about the worker complaining, it is about the story of the worker who cannot be at home with their family.

I am lucky enough that I could say, "My family is more important than the $8 you are going to pay me." For millions of people that is not the case, and when we lose sight of those whom we rely on, and it is these individuals in service, then we lose sight of America and what it is supposed to espouse. Our upward mobility indices is lower than the staid British. Walmart is putting out donation boxes for their own employees, wouldn't a far better option there be to pay these people whom we see more money. You cannot ask someone who is not getting ahead performing their job to sacrifice for the employer so the employer can make a profit.

If these individuals were renumerated for their service, I get it, they should not be disappointed and perform. But this isn't the case, and many of these people have nowhere to go. I would suggest for all those individuals who are siding with the corporations to read Nickel and Dimed by a NYT writer who spends months working as a minimum wage employee. It is very enlightening, and took me back to the time when I was working for $4.75/ hour and trying to pay my bills and eat while I climbed the corporate ladder.

[JLTD63]

I'm very lucky that I'm able to spend most holidays with my family...both in the sense that my job allows it and just overall lucky to be able to do it.

I feel for anyone who isn't able to be with family around the Holidays...work reasons or otherwise.

[cornbred19]

this is why i go to nordstrom first for all my Christmas shopping. at least in the ATL, closed on thanksgiving and don't open until 9 or 10am depending on location on black friday...and you won't see a Christmas decoration until then either...anybody that opens on thanksgiving day, i'll avoid as much as possible. The unfortunate part is there are too many people that think it's worth saving $10 on a $500 tv to show up and put these people work on thanksgiving day.

[pat007]

That's why I love Canada. By law, all stores are closed on legal holidays (New Years, Christmas, Canada Day, Thanksgiving) and it's illegal for stores to open before 1:00pm the day after Christmas and New Year's

[xThor]

How about looking at it from a different segment of employees point of view:

Some employees rely on the money they make working a holiday in order to survive. Those working paycheck to paycheck might even welcome that extra income in order to put food on the table.

[Mulligan26]

I currently work retail, high end retail is more like it. I work for a sprint preferred retailer and I'll tell you what, I can't f***ing wait for Black Friday! Yes working 6am-9pm will suck but guess what, I'll basically be printing my own money from alllllllll of the sheep that come out to buy new gadgets.

We've decided as a store that we will not be offering any tech services or device set up on Black Friday, we're going to move as many units as possible. It's the one day a year where I don't have to pretend like I care about people's pictures, contacts and music and waste time backing up and restoring them.

I expect to double my MTD commission in 2 days, as far as not having skills to have a different job. Nope, I do I'm working towards my PGA class A and teaching myself computer coding at night. I work this job because it's a cake walk and very easy to use subtle peer expectations to get people to buy something they may never have because their friends have it. As long as the device stays active for 6 months I don't care what they do with it because I made my money off of it months ago.

If you can't tell, I don't have any disdain for the company, just the masses of people who by products they have no idea how to use. I equate it to going to the driving range once and buying a set of blades. Most of my customers are painfully clueless and expect us to waste our time when we could be selling product helping them set up and email.

Case in point, I had a guy hold up me and two of my Co - workers for over an hour while people waited to BUY things because he wanted his g - mail password reset. The kicker is that he didn't buy the phone from us but from best buy; as soon as the manager heard this he politely booted the guy from the store stating he had paying customers waiting for services we give at point of purchase.

[Mulligan26]

I know my last post made me and my store sound like do**hebags but we do offer all of these services every other day of the year with a smile. But I guarantee there will at least a few clueless wonders that show up to get their phones fixed on the biggest shopping day of the year.

[papichulosteve]

[quote name='Mulligan26' timestamp='1385129064' post='8189422']
I currently work retail, high end retail is more like it. I work for a sprint preferred retailer and I'll tell you what, I can't f***ing wait for Black Friday! Yes working 6am-9pm will suck but guess what, I'll basically be printing my own money from alllllllll of the sheep that come out to buy new gadgets.

We've decided as a store that we will not be offering any tech services or device set up on Black Friday, we're going to move as many units as possible. It's the one day a year where I don't have to pretend like I care about people's pictures, contacts and music and waste time backing up and restoring them.

I expect to double my MTD commission in 2 days, as far as not having skills to have a different job. Nope, I do I'm working towards my PGA class A and teaching myself computer coding at night. I work this job because it's a cake walk and very easy to use subtle peer expectations to get people to buy something they may never have because their friends have it. As long as the device stays active for 6 months I don't care what they do with it because I made my money off of it months ago.

If you can't tell, I don't have any disdain for the company, just the masses of people who by products they have no idea how to use. I equate it to going to the driving range once and buying a set of blades. Most of my customers are painfully clueless and expect us to waste our time when we could be selling product helping them set up and email.

Case in point, I had a guy hold up me and two of my Co - workers for over an hour while people waited to BUY things because he wanted his g - mail password reset. The kicker is that he didn't buy the phone from us but from best buy; as soon as the manager heard this he politely booted the guy from the store stating he had paying customers waiting for services we give at point of purchase.
[/quote]

sweet customer service man. it really took 3 people an hour to figure out how to reset a password?

as a guy who worked retail on black Friday in the past, i know it sucks, and employee's should be compensated (time and a half) for the inconvenience. and yeah, it's an inconvenience to work non-normal business hours. This is less about people complaining about showing up at 8 or 9 am on Friday, than people who have to literally leave the dinner table on Thanksgiving day and work a shift from 6pm to 4am. I understand its a competitive market, and no, more regulations isn't the answer. just some common decency and understanding, but i guess that's asking too much.

[GooseHook]

[quote name='Petethreeput' timestamp='1384917948' post='8175844']
[quote name='H.A. Kerr' timestamp='1384912100' post='8175254']
Let them eat cake.
[/quote]

Marie couldn't have said it any better
[/quote]

Her head rolled, too.

[thug the bunny]

[quote name='papichulosteve' timestamp='1385130311' post='8189530']
[quote name='Mulligan26' timestamp='1385129064' post='8189422']
I currently work retail, high end retail is more like it. I work for a sprint preferred retailer and I'll tell you what, I can't f***ing wait for Black Friday! Yes working 6am-9pm will suck but guess what, I'll basically be printing my own money from alllllllll of the sheep that come out to buy new gadgets.

We've decided as a store that we will not be offering any tech services or device set up on Black Friday, we're going to move as many units as possible. It's the one day a year where I don't have to pretend like I care about people's pictures, contacts and music and waste time backing up and restoring them.

I expect to double my MTD commission in 2 days, as far as not having skills to have a different job. Nope, I do I'm working towards my PGA class A and teaching myself computer coding at night. I work this job because it's a cake walk and very easy to use subtle peer expectations to get people to buy something they may never have because their friends have it. As long as the device stays active for 6 months I don't care what they do with it because I made my money off of it months ago.

If you can't tell, I don't have any disdain for the company, just the masses of people who by products they have no idea how to use. I equate it to going to the driving range once and buying a set of blades. Most of my customers are painfully clueless and expect us to waste our time when we could be selling product helping them set up and email.

Case in point, I had a guy hold up me and two of my Co - workers for over an hour while people waited to BUY things because he wanted his g - mail password reset. The kicker is that he didn't buy the phone from us but from best buy; as soon as the manager heard this he politely booted the guy from the store stating he had paying customers waiting for services we give at point of purchase.
[/quote]

I understand its a competitive market, and no, more regulations isn't the answer. just some common decency and understanding, [b]but i guess that's asking too much.[/b]
[/quote]

Company execs aren't going to lower their bonuses or give up that 3rd Porsche in their driveway, so you gotta work those holidays.

Mulligan26, I sure hope I never get you as my salesperson; you seem to have a genuine disdain for your customers...

[JLTD63]

[quote name='Mulligan26' timestamp='1385129064' post='8189422']
I currently work retail, high end retail is more like it. I work for a sprint preferred retailer and I'll tell you what, I can't f***ing wait for Black Friday! Yes working 6am-9pm will suck but guess what, I'll basically be printing my own money from alllllllll of the sheep that come out to buy new gadgets.

We've decided as a store that we will not be offering any tech services or device set up on Black Friday, we're going to move as many units as possible. It's the one day a year where I don't have to pretend like I care about people's pictures, contacts and music and waste time backing up and restoring them.

I expect to double my MTD commission in 2 days, as far as not having skills to have a different job. Nope, I do I'm working towards my PGA class A and teaching myself computer coding at night. I work this job because it's a cake walk and very easy to use subtle peer expectations to get people to buy something they may never have because their friends have it. As long as the device stays active for 6 months I don't care what they do with it because I made my money off of it months ago.

If you can't tell, I don't have any disdain for the company, just the masses of people who by products they have no idea how to use. I equate it to going to the driving range once and buying a set of blades. Most of my customers are painfully clueless and expect us to waste our time when we could be selling product helping them set up and email.

Case in point, I had a guy hold up me and two of my Co - workers for over an hour while people waited to BUY things because he wanted his g - mail password reset. The kicker is that he didn't buy the phone from us but from best buy; as soon as the manager heard this he politely booted the guy from the store stating he had paying customers waiting for services we give at point of purchase.
[/quote]


hahaha...this should be filed under the answer to "why do consumers dislike salespeople?"

**Unsolicited Advice Alert** I work as a Regional Sales Manager for a large archery equipment OEM. While retail sales and wholesale ("rep"-style) sales are definitely different animals, keep in mind that hard sales skills are a very useful tool to have in your arsenal (and you probably do), but a genuine care/appreciation for the customer and a true desire to help meet their needs (and/or help reslove "issues") is the weapon you can carry that coupled with sales skills will gain your customer's respect and take you as far as you'd like to go in most sales careers.

Best of luck with earning your Class A certification, it can be a bit of a long and lonely road but stick with it if it's your goal...it'll be worth it!

[golfortennis]

A good point was made elsewhere. People go to football games on Thanksgiving. There are people who have to work there. People go to movies on thanksgiving. There are people who have to work there. Golf courses down south(and in Canada when thanksgiving is in October) will open and take in all the revenue they can if the weather cooperates. There are people who have to work there. Why do retail employees get sympathy?

And while some of what Mulligan said may be off-putting, think about it: the company is using him to further its goals. He's simply using it to further his own. If Mulligan starts providing "service" to the point where it affects his sales, the company will get rid of him. So why not cash in when the opportunity arises?

Like the gentleman above said about how he will shop at Nordstrom's. No one is forcing him to go to any of these stores that open on turkey day.

[TheMagicStinger]

My issue with working the holidays at best buy was always having to travel back home and leave my family behind. It was sucked haves a long weekend off of school and getting scheduled at work for the whole weekend when the family is back home partying.

[Mulligan26]

Too many responses to my first post to quote them all, but I'll clarify my statements. I like what I do and I do care about the majority of the customers. However it makes my blood boil to have to cater to every whim of those few customers who never bother to back anything up and expect me to work magic with broken devices. Then try and make it my fault because I can't.

We have customers that come back time after time because we are good at what we do. That five paragraph rant was directed at > 1% of the customer base that have unreasonable requests and unreasonable times.

I've sat with people for an hour after I was supposed to leave because they were very nice and needed serious help. I've given people my personal email for questions they have. So I'm not a total a**

[DaBigSaus]

I run a coffee shop that's open 365 days a year. I work holidays, I have 3 kids and a lot of extended family. But I KNEW that we are open on holidays.

This is how my interviews go.

"We're open 365 days a year. You understand we are open every holiday and that you'd be required to work?"

If answer is yes.... Then no problems. Because you KNEW you were going to be working BEFORE you got the job. So you can't complain in an at will job. Either way you can quit or I can fire you. It makes my blood boil that people who know what the job is and still complain. Then find another job. We work in the retail and foodservice industry. It is what it is.

It sucks I won't say that isn't true. BUT it's the job. Either work for the paycheck or not.

[Chief Illiniwek]

Many retail jobs are taken by young people. We've almost all been there. Yes, we know the job stinks and you get paid peanuts for it, but that's because you're replaceable in about a minute. Keep working hard, increasing your skills and education and good things will happen. Skilled, educated people who work hard are always in demand in America.

[BrettB97]

As a chef it's laughable hearing the complaints of working holidays. It's a given in the service industry that you will be working more when everyone else is wanting to party. What always cracks me up is the typical teen sob story that comes with scheduling someone on a holiday. Like they are the only one missing out on family holidays.

[JJensen]

[quote name='Arizonalefty59' timestamp='1384905563' post='8174546']
I work part time for a retailer and go to school full time and we open at 8PM Thanksgiving night and it's total bull. I have to be there at 7:30 and only get time and a half for the first 4 hours of my 12 hour shift. It gives me motivation to get good grades in school and pursue my degree so I don't have to do the retail bull anymore. Been there 3 1/2 years now since my junior year of high school and I just barely started making over $8 an hour.

Retail employees don't get enough credit, we get paid like dirt and get treated like trash. Thankfully I only work like 15 hrs a week.
[/quote]

Sounds like you work within the same company i do haha.

I work at Herberger's, a mid/upper scale clothing and house goods store, in the shoe department. I have been there just over 2 years now. In that time i have gone from $7.50 in the mens clothing department to $7.60 + 2% commission (on shoe sales only) in shoes... yup... TEN CENTS in three reviews. Why? Because i don't get enough people to sign up for our in store credit card.... I have never had a complaint against me, have customers that will only purchase from me, and receive glowing customer reviews to my manager almost every shift.

Our store is opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving day. When i first heard this i was very upset, and i still am. Thanksgiving is one of the few days that i get to spend with my whole family together. I was able to get the later "Night shift" 11:30pm to 8:30am and have to come back Friday at 5pm to 11pm.

If you say that it is "Part of the Job" i completely disagree. Up until this year our store has opened at midnight, i see no reason that retailers need to open earlier than that. I also think that it is in poor taste to compare human service professions having to work holidays to retailers.

I know of many large restaurants (Olive Garden, Texas Road House) That will be closed on Thanksgiving. And that's how it should be.

Do we really need to be killing each other over a $19.97 pair of shoes on a day that was made for us to be grateful for what we have?

All i'm going to ask of you guys is one thing. When you go into a retail store this coming Thursday/Friday PLEASE treat your service provider with respect.... I'm sorry your coupon doesn't work on that item (which it clearly states on the bottom of the coupon) but it wasn't my choice of what it works on. I'm just here trying to pay for School...

[xThor]

As much as it may suck. A company is there to make money. It's how the survive, and how they are able to keep people employed. If they think they can maximize profits by opening earlier on a holiday, that's what they'll do that because its their right and their business. I'm sure many may disagree with working these holidays, but there's many other holidays that people must work whether or not they believe in for whatever religious/other reasons.

Reality, life isn't fair.

[hogans71]

Why in God's name does anyone subject themselves to shopping on the Friday after thanksgiving?

[Mulligan26]

I'll echo JJensen's statement, please be nice, have fun and don't be a ******. I've booted people for abusing my staff. The look on their entitled faces was hysterical

[bp29]

I was in the golf business for 15 years and I knew getting into the business working holidays was a given. It didn't bother me. I actually enjoyed being there. Sometimes it was so dead I could go play 9 with some members and still not see anyone. That said, I'm now on the other side of retail. Logistics and distribution and yes, I have to work some holidays also. We supply the stores that have people working on the holidays. If it wasn't for the retail employees, I wouldn't have a job. In this day and age having a job is a blessing. People are still unemployed. So to the retail employees I thank you and yes it does suck that you have to work the holidays and I feel for you. I hope you all have a Happy Holidays working or not.

[Krt22]

[quote name='HoosierMizuno' timestamp='1384964310' post='8177862']
[quote name='deadsolid...shank' timestamp='1384917957' post='8175846']
The original post may be in the running for worst post of the year.

Blaming the employes, what an asanine statement. Of course it's the retailers fault. They continue to try to one-up each other. Pure greed by continuing to open earlier and earlier for Black Friday. And now opening Thanksgiving evening. My daughter goes into her big box retail job at 5:30 Thursday night to start her 12 hour shift. So she can't come home for the holiday. But guess what, it's the job she has right now and it's not her fault they open that night, it's the store making that decision.

Like an earlier poster said, if they all opened at 8:00'friday morning, the holiday would still be a holiday.

OP, I hope you don't ever run into a situation where your family is impacted by the retailers earlier openings, you might actually gain some understanding and compassion.
[/quote]

i may not be in retail, but there are hundreds of jobs out there that have requirements. if you work a job you have to work by the employers hours. a morning radio dj can't complain about wanting morning hours pushed back so he can see his kids off to school, a weatherman can't ask to stay home when the weather is nasty, hwy workers can't take off when the roads are bad, are halloween stores closing on halloween so emplyees can go to their parties, i'm sure there are a few pilots or airline stewardess that would love the holidays off, accountants can't take vacation early april,. etc etc

labeling companies as greedy is beyond stupid. no matter what size the retail business, if they don't stay competitive they don't stay open. its foolish to think that a retailer will give up millions or small retailer will give up huge percentage of yearly profits that are made over a couple days simply because they 'need' to be compassionate towards employees. how compassionate will they be when they are forced to start laying off those employees.

its so easy to simply 'want' employees to be able to stay home on thanksgiving, but in reality not only does working weird hours come with the job, but its expected. yes it no doubts sucks if employees have to work, but its naive to think somehow all retail stores should come to some pact in the name of fairness and close for the holiday.
[/quote]

One of the biggest offenders of this practice now is walmart and Walmart is the poster child of
Corporate greed. They do it for profit, no other reason, while they pay their employees dirt.

[4Wedges]

[quote name='Krt22' timestamp='1385486757' post='8210794']


One of the biggest offenders of this practice now is walmart and Walmart is the poster child of
Corporate greed. They do it for profit, no other reason, while they pay their employees dirt.
[/quote]

Could you please name a few business' that aren't in business to make a profit?

Thanks.

[golfortennis]

[quote name='4Wedges' timestamp='1385500723' post='8212088']
[quote name='Krt22' timestamp='1385486757' post='8210794']
One of the biggest offenders of this practice now is walmart and Walmart is the poster child of
Corporate greed. They do it for profit, no other reason, while they pay their employees dirt.
[/quote]

Could you please name a few business' that aren't in business to make a profit?

Thanks.
[/quote]

Problem with Walmart is the dirt they pay their employees. There was a piece on the news a week or so ago about how they have about 20% of the people receiving welfare or food stamps, with an average of $14k salary a year. They were by far the largest employer of people in that category.... while the other businesses are out to make profits as well, which is the point of any business, none of them do that....