I didn’t paint Walmart as the “evil menace.” I simply stated that they have strayed far from the founder’s ideals. In my town, we have a new Walmart slated within a mile from my house. There are “no box stores” protesters with signs and petitions, but they look more like occupiers or the globally warmed, and I don’t support their crusades.
However, though WM may increase opportunity for some, WM does not support local communities to the extent that local businesses do. I was just at Sam’s the other night, and they had giant checks on the wall showcasing their local contributions. It was a joke. The largest check didn’t reach 5 figures (and the total of all of them didn’t approach 6 figures)—and this from a store that grosses well into 7 figures. My dad, who was a small business owner, gave more than that each year, and his gross never exceeded the low 6s.
Don’t tell me about how great they are. They have a place, but Mc Donald’s is in a higher league from a business standpoint. WM is a cutthroat corporate giant that doesn’t care about anything but their own profit. Nothing wrong with that, but don’t make them out to be a paragon of virtue.
If you pay close attention you’ll see that on average their prices are higher than their competitors. We won’t set foot in a Walmart. We go to Target.