UPDATED: According To Wood Harrelson, It's Simple

Unfortunately, thanks to the intractable and self-indulgent nature of far too many 'ordinary' people, it isn't.



UPDATE: Marie, over at A Puff of Absurdity, has a very interesting exploration of this issue. Click here to read it.

Boxing Day Shopping

It's never enough, is it?

How Much Is The Lowest Price Guarantee Worth?

Despite years of repeated denials, I think there are few who doubt that Walmart is anti-union. Stories abound of the pressure the giant corporation applies anytime someone within the employee ranks tries to start a move toward union certification, including termination of the troublesome individuals and even store closures.

Because of these strongarm tactics, a group entitled Our Walmart is trying a different approach by pressing Walmart to accept a declaration of workers' rights which, in many ways sounds like a contract. Its worker groups hope to gain at least a measure of bargaining power by joining together to press the company for better wages and treatment.

However, even that has proven unacceptable to a Los Angeles store which recently fired five employees involved in organizing the workers to that end.

And of course, Walmart insists, as they always do, that the terminations had nothing to do with those activities.

Perhaps something to keep in mind in our incessant and often frantic consumer search for 'the lowest price in the land." It does come at a very real cost.

H/t Matthew Elliot

UPDATE: Apparently the anti-worker virus has spread north, this time infecting the Weston family, according to The Huffington Post.

Another Message From The Ministry of Truth

To all Canadian Consumers: Season's Greetings. All is still well. Shop until you drop.

We repeat, Season's Greetings. All is still well. Shop until you drop.

Your dollars help to support good-paying Canadian retail and service jobs and bring much-needed manufacturing employment to residents of developing countries, who we should be thinking of at this time of year.

And remember, pay no attention to that pesky man behind the curtain.