The Working Poor

Here's why I will never go in a Walmart. And I frankly don't get why people who are horrified at the concept of Public Assistance and Food Stamps aren't outraged that Walmart can get away with paying so little that we (i.e., taxpayers) have to subsidize their employees.

Here's one of the reasons I shop at Costco…

Less than a week after Costco CEO Craig Jelinek spoke out in favor of raising the minimum wage, the big-box retailer's earnings showed that paying workers a living wage doesn't always hurt business.

Costco reported a profit of $537 million last quarter, up from $394 million during the same period last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. The healthy earnings report comes just six days after Jelinik urged lawmakers to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

"At Costco, we know that paying employees good wages makes good sense for business," Jelinik said in a statement last week. "Instead of minimizing wages, we know it's a lot more profitable in the long term to minimize employee turnover and maximize employee productivity, commitment and loyalty. We support efforts to increase the federal minimum wage."

I also just plain like the Costcos better than the Walmarts I've been to: Better products, better atmosphere, employees who don't act like they hate their lives, etc.

In all honesty, I must admit one more reason you won't find me in a Walmart: They're not convenient to where I live or most of the places I go. But even if there was one across the street, I think I'd still drive the 6.71 miles to my nearest Costco.