Continuing...
Those kinds of wages are not enough to support a middle class lifestyle in the US, especially not if one is raising a family. Some would say that Target (and Circuit City) should pay more and just suck it up because it's the Christian thing to do. But frankly, they are looking at a bigger picture. They know through market research that most consumers don't want to pay the higher prices that come from that course of action. To them, the answer is simple: retail jobs are meant to be STARTER, SHORT-TERM jobs, that allow people to gain some experience and transition to something else. They aren't long-term careers, at least not at the worker-bee level. I know it's hard to hear, but those Circuit City employees should have been getting an education and moving on, not just sticking around expecting Circuit City to care for them. That's the modern, dynamic economy. Staying in one place will hurt in the long run.

I agree that it doesn't seem like the most Christian thing to do in the world. But I think the other side of the argument here needs to be addressed.

I have some recent experience in retail. I was transitioning out of the military and applying to law school. In the interim, I got a job at Target making $9.50/hour. I was working alongside people who had been working there for several years who were making a few dollars more per hour than I was. But they weren't necessarily more productive than me. Some were, because they had great experience, but not by much. Out of curiosity, I investigated how much of a raise I could expect if I weren't going to law school. The answer - an average 25-50 cents an hour after 90 days, and after that, I would have to wait a whole year to get another one! After several years, I could expect to make maybe $14/hr doing the same job. You can't raise a family on that kind of wage curve.
I will continue this in a following post as I'm out of characters....

the company goes too far. if they thought their labor costs were too high, rather than punish workers, who did nothing wrong, they should adjust future labor costs thru attrition. as people leave they have every right to pursue new workers at whatever price they deem appropriate. if those new workers think the rate is too low they wont work there.

for existing workers to be fired for "making too much" at the very least is an admission of mis-management by those responsible for hiring.

i can assure you that such heavy handed action will ruin employee morale, and customer service will suffer...leaders of this company, and its shareholders, are very shortsighted. they may reduce their labor costs, but the market will certainly punish them for their method.s..

FOR AN EXCELLENT DISCOURSE ON BUSINESS MORALITY, SEE GEORGE GILDER'S WEALTH AND PROSPERITY, WHICH ASSERTS THAT SUCCESSFUL FREE MARKET IS BASED ON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES OF SERVICE TO OTHERS..

richard morgan
dallas,

I have no comments.