Good points all.
Within a reasonable proxmity to my home, we have a WalMart and a Best Buy. The difference in the attitudes of the employees is stunning.
WalMart seems to get almost all of their employees from some nearby section 8 apartments. They are usually distracted, indifferent and act as if they really have something better to do than deal with customers.
The Best Buy is staffed by people with a bright, professional attitude. They are consistently helpful and always have a smile.
The difference is that the WallyWorld views their employees as easily replaceable cogs in the machine; Best Buy goes out of their way to train their employees to be the best they can be.
I have a friend who is a manager at the Best Buy. Almost every time I talk to him, he tells another story about the training process and the leadership and initiative training the employees receive.