Wal-Mart is outing former Senator John Edwards for trying to cut in line to get a PlayStation3 while continuing to campaign against the retail giant.
Yesterday, a staff person for former Sen. Edwards contacted a Wal-Mart electronics manager in Raleigh, North Carolina to obtain a Sony PlayStation3 on behalf of the Senator’s family. Later that night, Sen. Edwards reportedly re-told a homespun story to participants of a United
Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union-sponsored call about how his son had chided a fellow student for purchasing shoes at Wal-Mart.Wal-Mart welcomes Sen. Edwards to visit his local Wal-Mart store and explore the extensive line of home electronics as well as the Metro7 line shoes for men and boys.
The Company noted the PlayStation3 is an extremely popular item this Christmas season, and while the rest of America’s working families are waiting patiently in line, Senator Edwards wants to cut to the front. While, we cannot guarantee that Sen. Edwards will be among one of the first to obtain a PlayStation3, we are certain Sen. Edwards will be able to find great gifts for everyone on his Christmas list – many at Wal-Mart’s “roll-back prices.”
This story is not hard to believe. After all, John Edwards thinks there are Two Americas, one for rich people who can bypass the line and one for poor folks. Apparently, Wal-Mart is working to change that.
PS3s are available at eBay with bidding starting around $2000 and most selling at nearly $3000. They’re $1421 at WalMart.com but supplies are limited.
UPDATE: Edwards’ fellow Tar Heel Mary Katharine Ham has caught wind of the story, too.
UPDATE: Edwards initially denied the claim: “Through a spokeswoman, Edwards says no such request was made.” Now, he’s blaming it on a young staffer.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Thursday that a staff member for former Sen. John Edwards — a vocal critic of the retailer — asked his local Wal-Mart store for help in getting the potential 2008 presidential candidate a Sony PlayStation 3. Edwards said a volunteer did so by mistake. Edwards told The Associated Press that the volunteer “feels terrible” about seeking the game unit at Wal-Mart a day after his boss criticized the company, saying it doesn’t treat its employees fairly.
“My wife, Elizabeth, wanted to get a Playstation3 for my young children. She mentioned it in front of one of my staff people,” Edwards said. “That staff person mentioned it in front of a volunteer who said he would make an effort to get one. He was making an effort to go get one for himself.
“Elizabeth and I knew nothing about this. He feels terrible about this. He made a mistake, and he knows he should not have used my name,” Edwards said.
Edwards said the volunteer was “a young kid” unaware of what he called flawed Wal-Mart policies. He called the Wal-Mart statement an effort to divert attention from its own problems.
It’s hardly the height of corruption regardless of whether this is Edwards’ final version of the story. Still, it’s a rather amusing situation. Further, the fact that even Edwards’ employees naturally turn to Wal-Mart to buy their boss’ toys demonstrates the degree to which ordinary working people rely on the retailer and its imitators for their daily needs.
UPDATE: It looks like I’m really Fark’ed now.
