By Jim Hightower & r & & r & Walmart's New Look & r & & r & & lt;span class= & quot;dropcap & quot; & T & lt;/span & he modest, working-class persona is pass & eacute;. Wal-Mart is on the way up! Deciding to market to a more affluent clientele, the retailing behemoth is working up a new, fancier look for its workers. Instead of wearing the somewhat dowdy blue vests with "How May I Help You?" emblazoned on the back, the new dress code features a decidedly preppy garb of khaki pants and navy blue polo shirts.
Wal-Mart hired an upscale designer who sneers at the company's old-look smocks, calling them "the lowest guppy in the pool" of retail fashion. The new polo/khaki combo, he says, "is much more business-casual" than working-class, asserting that Wal-Mart's crisp preppy look "will raise the status of 1.3 million Americans" who work there.
No doubt the employees, who are paid an average of barely $17,000 a year for full-time work, would rather see their wages raised than their "status." In fact, these low-paid workers are miffed that they are having to dig into their own pockets for the new-look khakis, which retail at Wal-Mart for about $15 each.
Let me note, though, that workers are being given one uniform choice. A big issue was whether the workers could leave the new polo shirts untucked for an even more casual feel. Yes, came the ruling from on high: "If they want to tuck it in they can," says a spokesman. "If not, they can leave it out." Ah ... workplace democracy!
Meanwhile, the once downscale chain is also doing a merchandise makeover -- stocking more expensive goods, creating a line of urban fashions, and moving so upscale that it is even advertising in Vogue magazine!
One wonders: Now that Wal-Mart is selling at higher prices to higher-dollar shoppers, will it finally stop buying its goods on the cheap from Asian sweatshops and start paying fair wages to its workers? Nah. The bosses want a new look, not a new ethic.
& r &
& & For more nuggets of wisdom from America's No. 1 populist, check out & lt;a href="http://www.jimhightower.com" & his website & lt;/a & & & .
Wal-Mart hired an upscale designer who sneers at the company's old-look smocks, calling them "the lowest guppy in the pool" of retail fashion. The new polo/khaki combo, he says, "is much more business-casual" than working-class, asserting that Wal-Mart's crisp preppy look "will raise the status of 1.3 million Americans" who work there.
No doubt the employees, who are paid an average of barely $17,000 a year for full-time work, would rather see their wages raised than their "status." In fact, these low-paid workers are miffed that they are having to dig into their own pockets for the new-look khakis, which retail at Wal-Mart for about $15 each.
Let me note, though, that workers are being given one uniform choice. A big issue was whether the workers could leave the new polo shirts untucked for an even more casual feel. Yes, came the ruling from on high: "If they want to tuck it in they can," says a spokesman. "If not, they can leave it out." Ah ... workplace democracy!
Meanwhile, the once downscale chain is also doing a merchandise makeover -- stocking more expensive goods, creating a line of urban fashions, and moving so upscale that it is even advertising in Vogue magazine!
One wonders: Now that Wal-Mart is selling at higher prices to higher-dollar shoppers, will it finally stop buying its goods on the cheap from Asian sweatshops and start paying fair wages to its workers? Nah. The bosses want a new look, not a new ethic.
& r &
& & For more nuggets of wisdom from America's No. 1 populist, check out & lt;a href="http://www.jimhightower.com" & his website & lt;/a & & & .
