Good Bye Discount Cards or The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

I have such a sense of deja vu when I hear that Walmart is doing away with their discount cards- at least until you reach your 90 day anniversary. That should save the company a ton of money from temporary associates and Holiday help. I have to wonder- will they still be eligible for the Christmas party gifts and other assorted crap that the Happy Heaven of Retail provides? Will the associates who haven't been with the company for more than 90 days be given a certificate for an extra 10% off one item? Oh wait- that would be just 10% off one item since they don't get the original ten wouldn't it? Here comes a startling guess. I am going to amaze Karnac with my bold prediction that Walmart will have a huge decrease in big ticket items purchased by associates this Christmas, as all of the temporary hires and the new hires won't have a 20% incentive to purchase that new video game system, or television, or (insert big ticket item here). It seems a little like cutting off your nose to spite your face, but then what do I know? My common sense-o-meter seems to be spinning like a drunken sailor. One of the things that truly sets off the common sense-o-meter is the question as to why Walmart would be cutting hours from so many associates' schedules now when the Christmas blitz (or black Friday as it is known in a few stores) is only a couple of weeks away. What are they thinking? Are they thinking? My guess would be no. That puts me in mind of recent political events. (That was one smooth segue-no?) I have never been an economics major but I have studied history for more than a few years. Anyone who has read this blog from the beginning knows that I am a news junkie. So when people talk about charging more taxes to wealthy Americans and successful companies-it begs the question: Are you stupid? Critics like to complain about the Ronald Reagan trickle down economics theory, but you can't deny that it worked. With only a small blip that the left-wing hysterical media screamed about as if it were the end of days-Ronald Reagan presided over some of the best economic times that this country has ever seen. We had $.59 cent gasoline and the economy was humming. He took care of the ne'er do wells that sought to harm our amazing country and he made people proud to be Americans again. And after the Jimmy Carter debacle, he made it so that we as a country could stand tall in the eyes of the world again. God Bless Ronald Reagan. But now we seem to have the anti-Reagan in B.O. Does he honestly believe that taxing wealthy people is going to stop with the tax on them? If he doesn't believe in trickle down prosperity, he is in for a rude awakening with trickle down declines. That would be when wealthy people feel poor. They don't seem to care for that sensation and it causes them to stop buying things and save their money until they feel wealthy again. One of the biggest problems with that is the things that they are buying are the things that the other ninety five percent of us are making our living by selling or creating. If the wealthy are too cheap to buy a new set of golf clubs-then you guessed it-the guy or girl making the golf clubs is going to get laid off. And the person waiting tables at the restaurant is going to see a huge decline in tips when the well off quit eating out as much. Do you follow what I am saying? Is it fair? I couldn't tell you that. The wealthy people who have the money are just as entitled to their money as I would be if I were smart enough and or lucky enough to earn/inherit it. Do I envy them? Does a frog bump his butt when he hops? But am I in favor of some huge wealth redistribution? We covered that in my ninth grade civics class. It's called socialism. As Ferris Bueller said once, "I don't believe in any -ism." I especially don't believe in socialism. Or socialists. Even if ACORN did help get one elected. But back to the ever popular subject at hand. Ask a manager at a Walmart what the logic is behind removing one of the best perks for temporary and new hires. When you don't like the non-answer that the manager spins for you-try 1.800.WALMART. Ask a suit in Bentonville, maybe you'll get a better answer. And if you do, maybe you'll thank me later.