Katlaughing,
Ron asked for my source on the average wage. Got that from a speech made by Lee Scott, CEO, in California in Feb. 2005. I checked on Internet last night and saw that someone is debating portions of that speech, and since I don't have the time to research on and on about who's accurate and who isn't, I plan to omit the numbers in the future. I surely don't care that Ron misspelled (sp) Coughlin the first time and felt the need to correct--the meat of his message is what's important for me. About happy employees, I've shopped in so many Walmarts around my home and in towns and cities while vacationing and because of the W-M bashing, I've asked how they like their jobs. Sure, they may think I'm a shopper, but I think I can discern enough to know. One told me she wished her hours could be better while attending college and another told me she hated it her job (she was in hardware making keys). I encouraged her to go straight to the manager because I knew he'd care, which she did, and in a few months when I saw her she told me things were better. Today, 8 years later she's a happy department head, feeling important, needed, and making more money. I know that they try to ensure that there's a family atmosphere, despite the number of employees. I've known of associates who were in terrible financial stress and others who had illness in the family, and employees collectively embraced those individuals in a big way to help. I know another woman who lost her husband and couldn't have done it without the help of her store associates. The company is huge, so there are bound to be some managers who aren't as people-oriented as they should be, but overall this is what I've experienced. I wouldn't be happy in retail, and thank God I had skills to do something else, but I'm convinced from what I've seen and discussed, that this is truly a company that cares about their employees and expects the management staff to carry that out. Some might say, "That's because the associates meet the public." Whether it's from the heart of those at the top or a duty, they know that having employees happy is the right thing to emphasize. That's a duh!!