What a complete and utter piece of corporate stoogery. The first two sentences reveal the author's intent from the start: "Some people, usually community activists, loath Wal-Mart. Others, like the family of four struggling to make ends meet, are in love with the chain."

Which I read to say, "Some people, like dirty fucking hippies, loath Wal-mart. Others, like normal people, are in love with the chain." "Some" and "others" are the classic hallmarks of absolutely lazy, shoddy, yellow journalism. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with dirty fucking hippies, but I get the distinct sense this author does. Are we to believe that because this guy had a good experience, all the other employee complaints are invalid? Do a few pennies off socks justify Wal-Mart's behavior in other areas?

Now, admittedly, I'm not up to date on the latest practices and it sounds like things have improved somewhat. I'm not even anti-Wal-Mart, although I try to go to Target instead whenever I can because I find it a much more pleasant atmosphere. This article just smacks of corporatism run amok.