I'm a strong believer in the idea that a society can be judged by how it treats those weakest and least able to defend themselves. I do agree that encouraging alternative employment is necessary, but if you read the article you will see that often the reality is that there is no other option. Therefore these people at the bottom of the employment pole are taken advantage of because they can be. I do not think this is a state of affairs that we should encourage, or that needs to exist, and companies like Costco show otherwise. I hope that those of us with the means will spend our money in as conscionable a way as we can (ie. not at companies encouraging this).