Sam’s cudgel

Rank among largest corporations worldwide       1

FY2005 revenues, in billions (projected)       $286

% of every U.S. retail dollar (excluding auto parts) spent at Wal-Mart       8

% of U.S. GDP attributable to Wal-Mart revenues       2

# of Wal-Mart & affiliated stores, U.S.       3,551

# of Wal-Mart & affiliated stores worldwide       4,906

# of new U.S. supercenters Wal-Mart hopes to add FY2005       230

Min. sq. footage of retail space controlled by Wal-Mart       607,000,000

Factor by which Wal-Mart has grown over last 10 years       5

Min. % of Chinese exports to U.S. sold at Wal-Mart       10

Legal hourly min. wage in China       $0.31

Average hourly wage of Chinese workers at factories supplying Wal-Mart       $0.23

Rank among highest contributors in 2004 election campaign       2

Min. # of Wal-Mart workers       1,200,000

# of illegal alien Wal-Mart workers caught in an Oct. 2003 sting       245

# of years it took for meatcutters to unionize a Texas Wal-Mart       3

# of weeks after unionization Wal-Mart closed that store’s butcher shop       1

Approx. % of part-time, non- benefits-eligible employees       33

# of years before part-time Wal-Mart workers eligible for benefits       2

Est. annual aid Calif. taxpayers give Wal-Mart employees       $86,000,000

Average Wal-Mart employee’s yearly salary       $13,681

2001 federal poverty line for family of 3       $14,630

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott’s avg. yearly compensation       $23,000,000

Sources: U.S. House of Rep. Committee on Education and the Workforce; Reuters; Bloomberg; Standard & Poor’s; Fast Company; The Online Investor—J.I.