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Here's the useless crap I had in mind:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3933953

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3913741&cat=91849&type=1&dept=4044&path=0%3A4044%3A103150%3A97116%3A91849

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3302133&cat=133113&type=1&dept=4044&path=0%3A4044%3A133012%3A133113

Certainly Walmart sells at better prices than others the necessities of life, such as foodstuffs. A Walmart supercenter recently opened in our town and we've now started grocery shopping there and are saving money as a result.

But Walmart also offers useless junk at such reasonable prices that people feel compelled to buy it whether they need it or not. I'm not suggesting this is Walmart's fault, but I suspect that my family is not alone in buying useless crap from Walmart. And I further suspect that some portion of these people probably spend enough of their income at Walmart buying useless crap that it puts them in financial straits. Again, not Walmart's fault.

But here we have a CEO of a company suggesting that the federal government raise the minimum wage. I don't know what Walmart pays its employees, but certainly he is entitled to raise his company's wages. But why should other small business owners be forced to pay more just because Walmart's CEO thinks they should?

I don't agree with raising the minimum wage. Wal-Mart's core customer makes around minimum wage. The CEO's belief is that if you raise the minimum wage they will spend more of it at Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart starting wage for a cart pusher is over $9.00 hour with raises every six months for the first 2.5 years.

An associate at a distribution center starts at over $14 with the same pay progression. A manager starts at over $45,000 plus bonus and stock options.

Wal-Mart doesn't sell anything that other retailers don't already sell. They just sell it cheaper.

Here's the useless [Walmart] crap I had in mind:

And this stuff is any better?

Personal Photobooth from Neiman-Marcus: $20,000.00

Manolo Blahnik Alligator Slide from Neiman-Marcus: $1,150.00

"NASCAR Pinball" from The Sharper Image: $4995.00

Walmart doesn't have a exclusive market for "useless crap" it's just that theirs is cheaper than elsewhere.