Costco can...Wallmart Can't

The Neighborhood Retail Alliance: Chicago: Up Against the Wal Mother...:

"In a striking decision that is certain to reverberate throughout the country, the city of Chicago ordered 'big box' stores to raise the wages of their employees by the year 2010. As the NY Times reports this morning, 'The ordinance, imposing the requirement on stores that occupy more than 90,000 square feet and are part of companies grossing more than $1 billion annually, would be the first in the country to single out large retailers for wage rules.'

The response from the Walmonster: 'It means that Chicago is closed for business.' Yet it seems that the onerous requirements are not barriers for Costco, a box store that currently offers wages and benefits that exceed those of Chicago's statute."