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Similarly, Wal-Mart has been lobbying for increasing the minimum wage for years. Most minimum wage earners in retail work for small businesses. Whereas Wal-Mart

Similarly, Wal-Mart has been lobbying for increasing the minimum wage for years. Most minimum wage earners in retail work for small businesses. Whereas Wal-Mart averages nearly double the federal minimum wage. Wal-Mart knows that hiking minimum wage would help it kill mom-and-pop stores that it competes with. [1] https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/05/business/walmart-shareholders-meeting-minimum-wage/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/05/business/walmart-shareholders...

Consultant32452 7y ago
The more money Walmart customers make, the more they can spend at Walmart. As long as they don't make enough to forego Walmart altogether. So it's a double win for Walmart.
Wowfunhappy 7y ago
> Most minimum wage earners in retail work for small businesses. Do you have a source for that? I find it a bit hard to believe, given the decline of mom-and-pop stores in general.
- satya71 7y ago
  I talked to many independent coffee shop workers, and they used to get minimum wage. While Starbucks offered better wages, access to health insurance at a certain level, and now even tuition assistance. Starbucks probably had more unpredictable scheduling, not sure if they have changed that bit.
  - dankohn1 7y ago
    Amazing story of how a NY Times article caused Starbucks to reverse their immoral scheduling policies. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/us/starbucks-to-revise-work-scheduling-policies.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/us/starbucks-to-revise-wo...
- dcolkitt 7y ago
  > Roughly half the minimum-wage workforce is employed at businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and 40% are at very small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. [1] https://www.epionline.org/oped/who-really-employs-minimum-wage-workers/ https://www.epionline.org/oped/who-really-employs-minimum-wa...
  - wwweston 7y ago
    Hmmm. How many of these are franchise-related? "Some of these businesses are small diners or independent grocery stores; others are franchisees that own a handful of stores affiliated with a recognizable brand. (For instance, over 80% of McDonald’s locations are owned by franchisees.) In either case, the profits and executive pay at the country’s largest businesses have nothing to do with the stark economics these small-business owners face: single-digit profit margins." If over 80% of McDonald's locations are owned by franchisees, then it's likely that MANY of these are franchise-related (also, profits and executive pay at McDonald's would certainly have something to do with the related economics of franchise fees and the back-end of the supply chain).
MiroF 7y ago
This is odd - Walmart threatened to move out of my city (DC) if we raised the minimum wage
- chrischen 7y ago
  Maybe due to DC already having well above average minimum wage?

Consultant32452 7y ago

The more money Walmart customers make, the more they can spend at Walmart. As long as they don't make enough to forego Walmart altogether. So it's a double win for Walmart.

Wowfunhappy 7y ago

> Most minimum wage earners in retail work for small businesses. Do you have a source for that? I find it a bit hard to believe, given the decline of mom-and-pop stores in general.

satya71 7y ago
I talked to many independent coffee shop workers, and they used to get minimum wage. While Starbucks offered better wages, access to health insurance at a certain level, and now even tuition assistance. Starbucks probably had more unpredictable scheduling, not sure if they have changed that bit.
- dankohn1 7y ago
  Amazing story of how a NY Times article caused Starbucks to reverse their immoral scheduling policies. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/us/starbucks-to-revise-work-scheduling-policies.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/us/starbucks-to-revise-wo...
dcolkitt 7y ago
> Roughly half the minimum-wage workforce is employed at businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and 40% are at very small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. [1] https://www.epionline.org/oped/who-really-employs-minimum-wage-workers/ https://www.epionline.org/oped/who-really-employs-minimum-wa...
- wwweston 7y ago
  Hmmm. How many of these are franchise-related? "Some of these businesses are small diners or independent grocery stores; others are franchisees that own a handful of stores affiliated with a recognizable brand. (For instance, over 80% of McDonald’s locations are owned by franchisees.) In either case, the profits and executive pay at the country’s largest businesses have nothing to do with the stark economics these small-business owners face: single-digit profit margins." If over 80% of McDonald's locations are owned by franchisees, then it's likely that MANY of these are franchise-related (also, profits and executive pay at McDonald's would certainly have something to do with the related economics of franchise fees and the back-end of the supply chain).

MiroF 7y ago

This is odd - Walmart threatened to move out of my city (DC) if we raised the minimum wage

chrischen 7y ago
Maybe due to DC already having well above average minimum wage?