But we don't need the federal government to police this possibility, because Wal-Mart executives themselves have every reason to stamp it out, since such self-seeking behavior by the individual manager hurts Wal-Mart's bottom line. Customers are always free to shop at a different chain that does a better job controlling its employees and thus holding down costs. (For those younger readers who might wonder whether my analysis is realistic, I merely refer them to the episode of Friends when Monica is fired from her prestigious job as a chef when she innocently accepts steaks from a vendor.