I have a couple of friends, a husband and wife, who both work at Wal-Mart, although at different stores. I don't know how much they earn, but they own a house and two cars, and get to do fun things once in awhile. The husband also earns extra money on the side as a photographer. He was full-time self-employed, but took the Wal-Mart job for the insurance. Those of you who are self-employed in the US probably understand that.

Neither one of them seems to complain about their jobs any more than the next person, and I'm sure it's a lot less stressful for the wife, who used to be a retail manager and now is another drone in the hive. I know she works hard, though, and probably because some of the people around her don't - but isn't it like that a lot of places?