Of course one would be crazy to not do this. But those pay rates wouldn't give a true representation of what the "market value" of their skills were worth, which is what I'm trying to say.

Buying in bulk to receive discounts is a *little* bit different then negotiating in bulk. While I did say it was different, in a way Wal-Mart acts like it's own union when it buys products, forcing the suppliers to double-down their costs. Their buying power is that big.