Wal-mart Wants YOU!

“Wal-Mart Partners With National Gay and Lesbian Group - also Hires Gay-Marketing Shop as Retailer Works to Alter Image,” displays on a headline in this morning’s Advertising Age website.

Advertising Age (AdAge.com) reports: “Despite an ongoing review for its $578 million ad account, Wal-Mart hired Witeck-Combs Communications, a marketing shop known for its work targeting the gay and lesbian consumer market, according to Bob Witeck, president of the Washington-based firm.” (source)

There’s just something about Wal-mart I can’t stand. You can call me a snob if you want. If Wal-mart really wants to “woo” me, they can take that $578 million and start paying their workers a decent wage. That would be a good start in my book.

It doesn’t matter to me how “gay friendly” their company becomes. If they treat their workers to little more than minimum wage with no way to advance within the company, it’s just not good enough. If they won’t hire older workers because they demand what they’re worth, it’s just not good enough. Go to a Wal-mart and just trying to find a career employee. There are none. Go to Macy’s or Sears, you will find plenty.

A company has to do right by it’s employees. Second to that on my list is the fairness the organization has within it’s management for benefits, promotion, and hiring policies towards it’s employees - including extending health benefits to the partners of it’s gay employees, even when the state won’t.

On the second point, it seems that Wal-mart is willing to make that challenge.

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, is broadening its anti-discrimination policy to cover gay and lesbian workers, bringing the company into line with most other big companies.

Virtually all of the Fortune 500 have similar policies but Wal-Mart is being pummeled by conservative Christians who apparently feel the company’s Arkansas roots should make it immune to societal forces. (source)

Sounds fair enough to me, but then it goes on to say,

The policy will not affect benefits, which Wal-Mart does not offer to unmarried partners of any orientation. But Williams said sexual orientation will be added to the company’s existing “diversity-awareness” training programs.

Gay rights groups said that Wal-Mart has a history of fair treatment but they welcomed the explicit change in the company’s policy.

“This action helps ensure that Wal-Mart’s gay and lesbian employees will be judged on their merits, not on their sexual orientation,” said Zack Wright, a lawyer with Seattle-based Pride Foundation, which pushed Wal-mart to change its policy.

“It’s a tremendous step forward, a real symbol of how far we’ve come in recent years,” said Michael Adams, an attorney and spokesman for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Wait, so this policy doesn’t extend health benefits to anyone - gay or straight partners? This goes back to my first point on how Wal-mart’s employees are treated in the first place.

It’s funny, a spokesman for Lamgda Legal, a gay legal firm, calls this “a tremendous step forward”. How easily Wal-mart can “woo” us. Shouldn’t we demand more? Decent wages, a chance for advancement, and benefits for our families might be a good start.