Monday, September 15, 2003
CLEANUP IN WOMEN'S WEAR: Have you ever gone to Wal-Mart and wondered what that girl in the toy department looked like when she peeled off that smock and name badge? Well, assuming she's not under 18 (and if she's on second shift, the odds are against you, slick), you may very well get your chance, because Playboy, proving how upmarket they are for the 21st century, have decided to do a "Women of Wal-mart" issue.
Walmart is a trailblazer of mediocrity, giving many their first look at the horror that was the Backstreet Boys, so their own Girls Gone Wild pictorial isn't out of the question. Consider for a moment, though, that Wal-Mart is positioning itself as a wholesome family store (ignore for a second the selection of "body massagers" on sale in the center aisle for a moment). They won't even carry Maxim and their suppliers make "special" music CDs without controversial songs or certain pieces of cover work, so there's a good chance that they'll either kill the issue entirely or drop these women like a hot potato as soon as the magazine hits the street. The Mart rep they spoke to mentioned that "this is not a ballpark Wal-mart wants to play in", a threat that shouldn't be taken lightly for people who want to stay employed.
(A rant starts in here somewhere...don't say I didn't warn you...)
The Playboy people say it's about "empowerment", but as ex-Wal-mart, I can tell you that "empowerment" isn't how the hierarchical structure works at the Mart. At some point, it comes down to impotent and futile rage, being lied to on a regular basis by store managers in the name of the bottom line, treated like the disposable component of an impersonal machine that you are, and (if you're over a certain age) being looked upon with undisguised and unhidden contempt by younger supervisors. Most of all, it's about the slowly dawning dread that the guy who just fell asleep in the layaway bin drooling all over himself and snoring while on the clock is making 50 cents an hour more than you do by busting your hump. The people at management level want you demoralized, because if you're "empowered", you'll start asking why you're not being paid more than $6.25 an hour after three years of running ragged in the name of customer service, and too many raises cut into their end-of-year bonuses.
I have lots of Mart horror stories, both funny and frustrating; lets's just say for now that you're damn lucky if you never had to work there. Of course, my experience was at one store in a chain of thousands, but considering all the lawsuits that have popped up in the past few years regarding the Mart's blatant disregard for some of the country's most basic labor laws, I doubt my expererience is unique.
What it comes down to is that I doubt any Mart woman hot enough to pose in Playboy is going to have enough company loyalty to say "no" when that big "get naked" check is waved in front of their face. Hell, if they do get fired, there's always Target.
(Let's thank Wade for the link; don't blame him for the results, though.)
Walmart is a trailblazer of mediocrity, giving many their first look at the horror that was the Backstreet Boys, so their own Girls Gone Wild pictorial isn't out of the question. Consider for a moment, though, that Wal-Mart is positioning itself as a wholesome family store (ignore for a second the selection of "body massagers" on sale in the center aisle for a moment). They won't even carry Maxim and their suppliers make "special" music CDs without controversial songs or certain pieces of cover work, so there's a good chance that they'll either kill the issue entirely or drop these women like a hot potato as soon as the magazine hits the street. The Mart rep they spoke to mentioned that "this is not a ballpark Wal-mart wants to play in", a threat that shouldn't be taken lightly for people who want to stay employed.
(A rant starts in here somewhere...don't say I didn't warn you...)
The Playboy people say it's about "empowerment", but as ex-Wal-mart, I can tell you that "empowerment" isn't how the hierarchical structure works at the Mart. At some point, it comes down to impotent and futile rage, being lied to on a regular basis by store managers in the name of the bottom line, treated like the disposable component of an impersonal machine that you are, and (if you're over a certain age) being looked upon with undisguised and unhidden contempt by younger supervisors. Most of all, it's about the slowly dawning dread that the guy who just fell asleep in the layaway bin drooling all over himself and snoring while on the clock is making 50 cents an hour more than you do by busting your hump. The people at management level want you demoralized, because if you're "empowered", you'll start asking why you're not being paid more than $6.25 an hour after three years of running ragged in the name of customer service, and too many raises cut into their end-of-year bonuses.
I have lots of Mart horror stories, both funny and frustrating; lets's just say for now that you're damn lucky if you never had to work there. Of course, my experience was at one store in a chain of thousands, but considering all the lawsuits that have popped up in the past few years regarding the Mart's blatant disregard for some of the country's most basic labor laws, I doubt my expererience is unique.
What it comes down to is that I doubt any Mart woman hot enough to pose in Playboy is going to have enough company loyalty to say "no" when that big "get naked" check is waved in front of their face. Hell, if they do get fired, there's always Target.
(Let's thank Wade for the link; don't blame him for the results, though.)
|| Eric 7:45 PM#
