I’m not taking issue with influencing the system or any particular economic policy; I’m taking issue with arguments that don’t make basic economic sense. It’s one thing to identify an economic inefficiency in Walmart’s model that could be remedied by paying employees more; it’s quite a different thing to argue that Walmart should raise their wages without explaining where that money will come from.
> it’s quite a different thing to argue that Walmart should raise their wages without explaining where that money will come from
In FY2018, Walmart "generated $28.3 billion in operating cash flow and returned $14.4 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases" [1]. The best study I can find [2] says a hike from $10/hr. to $15/hr. would cost around $5 billion a year.
TL;DR: Walmart could pay workers $30/hr. The money comes from there.
[1]: https://news.walmart.com/2018/02/20/walmart-us-q4-comps1-gre...
[2]: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-wages-idUSKCN0YW2...
The individual player may not have a choice - that's why we attempt to influence the system such that these situations don't arise.