Artsy Bentonville as we avoid WalMart (well, not really since I ended up ranting)

We got to Arkansas and realized we were in the south because everyone suddenly got so friendly!  At dinner tonight, I swear like five people came up and asked how our food was.  It was insane.  We are in Bentonville, staying at this really cool museum hotel; they have one in Louisville, KY also.  It's called 21c Museum Hotel and it is full of super modern art, totally fun, quirky and conceptual.

All over the hotel there are these green penguins made out of recycled plastic.  They migrate from place to place, and even came over to our table when we were having dinner last night!

Of course, the two main attractions in Bentonville are 1) The Original WalMart with its visitor center; and 2) The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  The latter was paid for by the daughter of WalMart's founder.  It is a beautiful museum, an architectual wonder, full of fantastic art (everything from famous portraits of George Washington to Andy Warhol's Coke Bottle and Dolly Parton, as well as Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter).  The building itself was designed by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie.  What an amazing place to have, hidden away in NW Arkansas.

 
We tried to ignore the WalMart visitor center and folksy town square.  Of course, WalMart is everywhere here, and it does creep into our conversations.  Matt: "My belt is wearing out." Me: "Maybe you should get a new one...at WALMART!"  and so on.  But seriously, folks.  WalMart is so bizarre, I guess it is also a vision of America.  Here is a link to a great series of articles I found about the wages WalMart pays its workers, while donating 2 billion dollars a year to food banks, soup kitchens and other "hunger relief" agencies, which many WalMart workers then have to take advantage of when their food stamps run out at the end of the month, because they aren't paid a living wage.  Read about every day low wages at WalMart

Of course, WalMart workers have tried to organize, and even have a cute little collective (non-union of course) where they try to discuss maybe getting better wages?  WalMart executives have careful trainings on how to stop unions before they start, while, of course, avoiding any illegal Pinkerton type activities. Read about WalMarts anti-union training

To be fair to WalMart, I will include a link to their "code of ethics" page, which talks about personal integrity and so forth.  WalMart's code of ethics
Furthermore, sometimes WalMart is at the forefront of paying more for items they acquire, and every time they do this, it has a huge impact on the entire sector of whatever industry in which they choose to make even a tiny change.  In January, they decided to pay one and a half cents more per pound for tomatoes.  This may seem like a tiny pittance, but it actually increased the daily wage from 50 dollars a day to 80 dollars, almost double, for Florida tomato pickers.  Walmart Joins the Fair Food Coalition.  So why can't they do the same for their workers?  According to a new study from the University of California (see link above about low wages), if they raised their hourly wage to 12 dollars, even if they passed the costs on to the consumer and kept all their profits, the average shopper would only have to pay 46 cents more per shopping trip.  I think most people would be willing to pay another 46 cents if it meant that WalMart employees didn't have to go to a food bank or soup kitchen at the end of the month.

I could, of course, rant on and on about other aspects of WalMart.  For example, What it says about its sustainability policy and goals versus how it's doing in reality, but I would be preaching to the choir.  Click on those purple links if you want more ammunition, or want to get more incensed about WalMart.  I have run out of time, have to check out of this glorious hotel and visit more lovely places in Northwest Arkansas!