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Wal-Mart may have a different name in Great Britain—it's Asda—but it still offers customers everything from bacon to pants. Now the chain's 34 Scottish markets also offer religion, with volunteer, in-store chaplains. "It is all part of our efforts to provide the local community with a one-stop shop," a customer service manager at a Glasgow Asda explained to The Daily Record. David Downie, retail managing director for Asda Scotland, told The Scotsman, "The job is certainly not about preaching—the chaplains have a very low-key presence and are there to chat or listen to our customers and colleagues, whatever their faith." Erik Cramb, head of the Church of Scotland's Industrial Mission, says it's a wonderful idea: "People lead such busy lives that often it is hard to find time for religion."
Related Elsewhere
Two Scottish newspapers, The Daily Record, and The Scotsman, have run stories on the chaplains.
The Asda corporate website has more information on the stores.
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