Greetings, friends,

I have run across a situation that I think should be changed; it upset me and so I decided to put it out on the Internet. If you decide to forward this note to your friends, that's fine-if not, that's okay, too. Maybe I'm wrong in feeling this way, but this is what I found on Friday, October 12, 2001.

I ran to our local Wal-Mart store before I went to work. I needed a couple of items before we left at noon for a short vacation. While I was being checked out at the counter, I realized that I had not noticed an American Flag flying outside and asked the clerk why there wasn't one. I was told that the policy is that Wal-Mart does not provide flags to their stores-rather, each store must provide their own-at this store, the employees would have to take up a collection among themselves to make the purchase of the flag, pole & flood light.

I was sure there was a misunderstanding in that policy somewhere, but needed to hurry off to work, so I didn't pursue the problem. As I drove to work I became more and more upset to think that the Company that always "seems" to encourage patriotism and "Buy American" won't even, in these days of horror and heroism and war on terrorism, provide their stores with flags to show their support!! When I got to work I told my co-employees what I had found that morning and they agreed that I must be mistaken-Wal-Mart would not have a policy that made individual stores/employees purchase their own flag, "for heavens sake"!!

My co-employees suggested I just call Wal-Marts corporate offices and there I would discover the truth to this misunderstanding. So, I did-I called the Corporate office and spoke to their representative. By the way, their number is 1-800-Wal-Mart. Do you know what I was told? I wasn't misunderstanding their policy! Each store must provide their own flag-if the store can't fit the expense into their budget, then the employees have to take up a collection. Now, I find this a disgrace. I have always noticed the large flags flying at every Perkins Pancake House-they always fly the flag, even when there isn't a National Emergency. But here's Wal-Mart, the company who has become wealthy beyond measure in this great Country of ours; who claims to be "one big happy family", who recommends we "Buy American", but who cannot/will not provide a flag pole/flag and light to each of their stores wherever they are.

Would this be expensive? Oh, somewhat, I agree, but I hear that Wal-Mart is planning to build many new stores in the near future and that, possibly, they will make every existing store into a "super-store". Now, I realize that expanding like that will bring in more money and make them wealthier still-where providing flags to all their stores would only COST money and not add money to their fortune.