I seem to remember reading that years ago the mining & lumber industries did something similar to what you are proposing. Each time I read your idea through I hear a tune playing in the background with the refrain, "tell St. Peter that I can't go 'cause I owe my soul to the company store. . ."

They already do that in China, and they charge the factory employees for rent and utilities. Even if the employees opt of of living there, they still have the rent deducted from their paycheck, minus the utilities. See the documentary: Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price".

This is "tongue-in-cheek" right?

Or Walmart could just quit being so cheap and pay the employees what they deserve. Nobody can honestly live off of the crap salary that they provide.

"Common lets live in walmart". It sounds like a good idea, but the problem is that people might want to have a private life, and do not want the company they are working for, intruding it as well.

I like the idea! This would also offset costs related to employee tax burdens. They could be paid less per hour and save on taxes.

The problem in yesteryear where there were company stores, is that all employees were "Required" to ONLY buy from the company store. Employees that purchased anything elsewhere were punished severely, and sometimes murdered.

Having a complex of 2 bedroom cement block housing units would provide a needed niche in our society. There aren't many places that will hire the poor elderly working population.

Heck, I just want to know when Walmart plans to start selling gasoline at a reduced price. Ha!

lets be real.The only people at wal-mart that get any of the "GOOD" benifits are the people at the home office .Go figure...the one's who make the big bucks are the ones who get all the discounts,perks,etc..

Like the old miner song...

"Saint Peter dont cha call me cause I cant go....I owe my sould to the company store..."

This would create more slaves then credit cards!!!!

fun to read

Did a little research on Wal-mart and Target. Just a few sites and found out they don't pay taxes to government, which is why they can sell so cheap. Government is satisfied with the amount they make from consumers and empoloyees portion.I think maybe if they were to make housing available for workers, they would have a hard time with the government agreeing with it because it would take away the taxes that those employees were paying where they are living now! Remember, everything has to run in a circle, if the government can't hold the handle to spin it, they will shut it down.Wal-mart and Target create thousands of jobs in the USA, small business create five or ten jobs. Now who produces more money for government revenue, which group would gov support the most? Which business can afford to stay alive. Many small cities and towns are losing the old town sites because of lack of customers, so jobs are lost as soon as these companies build. So I convinced myself that this could be true, they can afford to sell cheap, even at a loss on the products, the taxes they should be paying makes up for their losses in the end. They must have an expensive CEO, ha ha.

I guess Russ Limbaugh will answer that for me someday, maybe it's true, anything sounds good nowadays, right? lol

I owe my soul to the company sto'! I've got an idea! Let's try slavery again!

"company town" sound familiar?

as the song lyric about working in a coal mining company town goes:

"sixteen tons and what do you get?one day older and deeper in debt..."