WalMart Protest

After walking Rosie this morning, I visited with Karen and got her routine information for Tinkerbelle and Charlie for this weekend.  Then I went to my Credit Union, made a deposit, got checks, and wandered over to the newly opened WalMart.  The WalMart Neighborhood Market opened its' doors to the public at 7:30 this morning - the first WalMart of any type in the city of Boulder.  The local newspaper has given a lot of publicity to the "Unwelcome Party" that was planned by the Coalition for Social & Environmental Responsibility in Boulder, and I was prepared to see a large number of protesters outside.  When I arrived, a few minutes past 10, there were two people holding a large, hand-painted sign that read, "Walmart Out Of Boulder."  That was it.  I went inside and was warmly greeted by the management and staff, and went looking for my friend Bea, who is now employed there.  She introduced me to almost everyone working, and then hurried off to set up the welcome table with free cake, water and sodas.  The store is huge, with wide open aisles, and an airy, spacious feel to it.  WalMart carries several items that I grew up with, and that I haven't been able to purchase in other stores (except by special order purchase, that must be at least one case of whatever I want). So I am very happy to see this WalMart store open in town, and directly on the bus line.
  When I left the store, there were about 20 protesters gathered outside... and I was told that the local United Food & Commercial Workers Union would be protesting from noon until 1:30.  I just wanted to blow a raspberry at everyone.  My friend Beatrice (Bea), worked for Safeway for 5 years - when she had been hired, she had been told she'd get 20 to 36 hours of work each week, and that the total hours would be "at the higher end" of the quoted numbers.  For the past two years, unless someone was on vacation, she worked 18 to 20 hours, plus had to pay her Union dues out of her paycheck.  WalMart hired her, paying her more per hour (and without any Union dues) than Safeway was paying her.  She is guaranteed 32 hours of work per week, with an occasional 40-hour week and over-time.  She can actually live like a real human being again, with a much larger paycheck than she ever got at Safeway.  - And, most especially, the management at WalMart treats her like a person, listens to her suggestions, and thanks her for her comments about the store and  for her work ethic.
   The one thing I was excited to see?  They carry the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, which I had never seen before.  And, Adiena, the manager, has made certain that local brands are well represented on the shelves - Navajo Pride flour, Wolf's brand chili, Boulder Sausage, Boulder Canyon chips, and all sorts of fresh produce and (right now) locally grown pumpkins....  I'm going to like having this store here in town, and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.