A few weeks ago, former Wal-Mart worker Josh Smith testified before the Maine State Legislature regarding a health care disclosure bill.

In today's Kennebec Journal, Josh's father describes his experiences working at Wilson's Dollar Stores on Winthrop's Main Street. He laments the loss of "the friendly customer-based retail industry I remember so fondly":

The smell of roasting cashews, the banter with customers at the cash register, dozens of opportunities every day to wait on customers who were "always right." Staff that spent their lives working there and became part of an extended family. These are some of my wonderful memories from growing up in Wilson's Dollar Stores on Winthrop's Main Street.

My dad was part-owner and I worked in the store. Over the years, every task was mine, but my favorite job was waiting on customers. At that time, you could buy everything you needed in Winthrop, and our store was the friendliest gathering place you'd ever hope to find.

Forty years later, I still run into customers who remember the store and always ask about Dad.

Today, I hate to enter a retail store, although once upon a time I was certain that's where I would spend my career...

Dad sold out to his partner in his mid-50s. He is still going strong today, but Wilson's is long gone, as is the friendly customer-based retail industry I remember so fondly.

This history brings a certain irony to the recent work of my son Joshua. Josh decided to see for himself what it was like to work at Wal-Mart, a business he had researched extensively. Was it as bad as the books reported?

Well, yes it was. In some ways it was worse.

Click here for the full article.