Rant about Wal-Mart Commercials

I'm a big fan of talk radio. Recently, the local station has been inundated with Wal-Mart ads trying to salvage their reputation. Upper management is apparently worried that their customer base might get irritated over such concerns as hiring "undocumented workers" (aka illegal aliens) and forcing their employees to work unpaid overtime.

For anyone who has been spared the barrage, the commercials all cover the same areas: Wal-Mart is a great place to work, they are really understanding about taking care of home and family needs, and they always help you attend college. Amazingly, from several conversations with friends who have worked there, I would have matched none of these three concepts with employment at Wal-Mart.

One commercial is particularly annoying. Members of a family are discussing how a Wal-Mart employee who lived nearby helped them after a wreck with a deer. In describing the accident itself, one chick proclaims in a slow, sonorous voice, "Wow . . . Impact."

Now, don't get me wrong. Despite the issues I listed above, I appreciate Wal-Mart. They have low prices on a very wide range of products. I can even live with listening to what some might call outright lies. I'm jaded enough to expect it in commercials nowadays (especially in an election year). But, if you've got that many stories about why your store and your employees are so great, can you at least skip the one about a bunch of pot-heads smacking into Bambi?