An older greeter at a Walmart in Georgia reportedly slapped a two year old that he didn't know because he wouldn't stop crying. On the evening news, the mother said that she believed that man was perhaps the worst greeter she had ever seen.

Hello, it's Wednesday, March 28, 2012, and if you were interested in aggressive hospitality as reflected in a greeting, you will have to get it here because Wal-Mart has bid its greeter program bye bye. For the past thirty years that greeter program pretty much defined founder Sam Walton's emphasis on engaging customers as they come into the store. While the corporate office says the greeters themselves will not be going away, just repositioned, the greeters themselves are not inclined to believe that word. How do I know? I've talked to them. That's how. As you know, most of these folks are older. They talk about how much has changed on their watch and how Sam has to be spinning in his grave. My comment was that he has been spinning for a very long time. One lady told me that if you look at the people running the company today you will find some other big name stores in their background. Only problem is those stores are either on their last legs or they have gone out of business. She shook her head and said it's a sad day when we need those kind of people making decisions about the company. I hate it mostly because this has been a mainstay for older workers and while they have been reassigned to do other customer related duties, they believe in due time they will likely be phased out all together. As soon as they get those robots fully developed, made in China, of course, I wouldn't doubt that we will be seeing them at a store near you, wearing the blue vest and taking care of business.

In these types of matters, I'm not in favor of our government or anyone else telling Walmart what they should and shouldn't do, however, as a consumer and customer I certainly can share my opinions about them or anyone else in how they conduct their business. And ultimately, we can vote with our spending. We see the power of economic choices at work every single day. An example might be when people find out a particular company can sell their products at a lower cost because of the enslavement of children in a far away land. When something like that is proven to be true, people make the decision not to buy from that enterprise. That's how the free market works and while we might think we are powerless, we aren't, because every day we make decisions that does eventually hit the bottom line. That bottom line speaks louder than anything else to the people who run any business. It's still sad to see decisions being made that negatively impact people's lives. I've always held those greeters in high regard. I used to stop and visit with an African American gentleman who was a retired Sergeant Major from the US Marine Corp. He was not only a blessing as a hero of our nation, but he also had a genuine spirit about him that communicated his faith in God. Yep. I know that a 'God bless you' attitude is frowned upon in the workplace but when he retired I missed seeing him, and missed being able to thank him for his service to our country. He had worn the uniform of our nation with pride and he also wore that blue vest with a sense of honor and caring.

Tim Tebow met the New York press on Tuesday. It was a circus. They had to move it to a larger area because of the more than 300 media people that showed up. I saw clips from his 30 minute press conference but I also read from the transcript. He made it clear that this media event was not his idea but that he too had bosses. He stood there alone. All the team big dogs where in Florida at an NFL owners meeting. I've chosen to share some of what was said so that we all can appreciate the fishbowl Tim lives in. As you read this, try to remember when you have ever heard an athlete being asked these kinds of questions:

Question: "Tim, if you will, two-part question.  Number one: Obviously, you know New York's huge market and your faith is very important to you.  Was the thought of being able to spread your faith in the New York market a big deal, and how about spreading your faith within the locker room, and do you do that very carefully?" Tebow's Answer: "Well, I think, first and foremost, it doesn't matter what market I was in.  Any market, I just want to be myself. And when I'm asked about it, I won't be ashamed of saying that I serve my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.  And in the locker room, you know, it's not something that I'm super outspoken about.  It's just that's who I am and that's how I live. And I don't try to share it with a lot of guys. I don't try to, you know, approach a lot of guys with it. Because I think the greatest way to share the Gospel is by acting it and by them seeing who you are as a person and that's how I approach it." Next Question: "Tim, if you wouldn't mind talking to us about your core beliefs, and also some of the social hot-button topics that we hear politicians talk about, religious leaders talk about. You haven't said a whole lot about that. Is there a reason why," backup quarterback for the New York Jets, "you haven't spoken out about social issues and your core beliefs that we hear politicians...?" Tebow's Answer: "We're at a press conference for a football team. So it's not exactly the platform to get up here and share everything you believe, but I have no problems ever sharing what I believe. You know, I'm a Christian, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, and that is first and foremost the most important thing in my life. And, for me, it's about having a relationship with Christ, and that's pretty much it. This is a press conference for the New York Jets football team, and so I feel like it's an opportunity to answer questions about my opportunity to be here as a Jet and I'm excited about that. And any time I get an opportunity I'm always gonna talk about Jesus Christ and what He's done in my life, but this is also here to talk about the Jets."

Powerful stuff folks and that's why this young man deserves our prayers and support. May God bless each one and Lord willing I'll see you next time. Amen.      .....More later.