The following letter to editor was written by David Tovar, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Walmart. Two recent columns by Jeffrey Goldberg (“At Wal-Mart a Microcosm of U.S. Inequalities” and “Wal-Mart Heiress’s Museum a Moral Blight”) did not accurately represent the Wal-Mart I know and am proud to represent every day. Both pieces simply seem out of touch, with arguments that are old, tired and not based in fact or reality. The fact is, Wal-Mart has some of the best jobs in the retail industry — good pay, good benefits and the opportunity for advancement. Last year, we promoted 146,000 associates and nearly 75 percent of our store-management team started out in hourly positions with Wal-Mart. The average full-time hourly wage at Wal-Mart is $12.33, more than $5 above the federal minimum wage.

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