Wal-Mart Is Still Good for Consumers, Workers

Gary McWilliams’ front page article about Wal-Mart’s demise as a retail giant did not cover the whole story (“Wal-Mart Era Wanes Amid Big Shifts In Retail”, October 3).The fact that Wal-Mart’s revenues are quadruple those of its nearest competitor, Target, as he reports, is an indication that Wal-Mart’s quality is not on trial.

Wal-Mart has agreed to slow down implementing its revolutionary radio frequency identification (RFID) systems because so far this year, 18 states have introduced legislation aimed at curtailing RFID use. Policymakers say they want to protect private citizens from computer hackers who would steal their identities and invade their privacy, but the lack of implementation of RFID by suppliers had more to do with government intervention than with unwillingness to comply with Wal-Mart distribution standards.

Ralph W. Conner ( rconner@heartland.org) is The Heartland Institute’s manager of local legislation.