down with Wal-Mart

I used to own stock in Wal-Mart, and today’s one of the days that makes me proud to say that’s very much a past-tense thing.

I say that because of something I heard on the radio this morning, while sitting (at a complete stop) on I-35 (ahh, the joys of my commute) listening to the morning show on the Edge 102.1 in Dallas.

Two weeks ago, Jagger, Dean, Mondo and Jasmine talked to this girl who works for the Wal-Mart in Burleson. I heard that segment when it originally aired, and while the girl definitely had some spunk to her and there was certainly innuendo flying, she said nothing that offended me and nothing that represented a major departure from the general tone of the Morning Edge show. Anyone who listens to the Edge in the morning knows that innuendo is the name of their game; they can take the most innocuous statement or situation and turn it into something sexual in a mind-bogglingly fast way. My impression of their listeners, based on the people who show up for their in-studio contests and who call in, is that their innuendo is what attracts people to their show. It’s definitely not radio for the prudish.

So apparently, someone heard this Wal-Mart employee talking on the radio two weeks ago, called the Burleson Wal-Mart managers and complained, saying they’d never shop there again. This woman had been employed for TEN YEARS in the accounting office, but her managers considered her phone call with the radio DJs to be an example of — get this! — “gross misconduct” and were prepared to FIRE her. She wanted to save face, so she quit first. And now, after ten years of work and one day of fun, she’s out of work.

I think that’s insane. Where does it end? Wal-Mart attempts to regulate morality by restricting the sale of things that it perceives as morally dangerous, and apparently now feels it’s quite alright to regulate what its employees can and cannot say. It’s out of control, and frankly, I’ve had enough.

I KNEW there was a reason I love Target so much…!