I read that article; it seems to support my possibly awkwardly worded argument above that having a charity drive for employees who have had unforeseen events and are currently in hardship does not prove--or is merely weak evidence that--the store pays a wage at which the average competant person would be able to expect to live with above minimal standards of living.

For one reason, to be perhaps presumptious, workers at Wal-Mart probably have less long-term planning ability than workers at higher paid jobs--or at least draw from populations in which the skills are less common, etc--and therefore, even if paid enough to live and save, are less likely to have a "rainy day fund" and more likely to need a charity hand-out should they have a car problem, or health problem, etc. Note that it was charity provided by fellow employees, not the general public, so someone they pay clearly has more than the bare minimum.