The terrifying spread of the Walmart plague

This is one plague I would not want to be a part of, I refuse to even spend my hard earn cash in that place. And I would not want to work there either I'd go on food stamps first. That store is for the stoopid folks....

Ha! Ha! I remember reading about a small town that welcomed wal mart with open arms. A True Value that had been in business over 75 years was the first to go...
then the men's clothing store.....then the dress shop.....then the auto parts store...and on and on....
Wal Mart in Suckerville thrived. But then corporate decided to build a "Super Wal Mart" in order to suck even more money from the townspeople. Problem was, this new "Super Wal Mart" was built 14 miles away. So Mr. and Mrs. ValueShopper were now forced to drive 14 miles if they needed a pair of shoes, a screwdriver, or a pack of AA batteries, or 10W40 oil for their car. (Because the local stores that used to sell these things were forced out of business by walmart.) And now, in addition to a downtown that's as dead as dead can be, there's also a "big box" store that's empty a half mile down the road- a white elephant! Of course, WalMart won't sell the building cause they don't want the competition.....

A lot of wal-mart brand shampoos and lotions aren't tested on animals AND are a lot cheaper than jason or alba or any other organic-vegan-animal-loving body products.
Most of the things at wal-mart are readily available in MANY other stores, especially other large corporate chains, but they are just cheaper.
But then again, if you buy furniture from wal-mart you pay for it in quality.

Many people in rural communities (my parents) drive 10-15 minutes to the closest wal-mart because they can get everything there all at once. And living far away from shopping areas messes up your whooooole day, believe me.

Lots of people complain about walmart but you have to remember a few things. Number one, if you don't like it, don't shop there. There are things that I don't like but that doesn't necessarily mean they should be shut down or that they deserve to fail. Secondly, like it or not, no entity at any time in history has provided such a large spectrum of cheap goods to poor people. That's why they succeed. Not because they're "evil" or "greedy". It's because they offer cheap goods to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it.

i hate walmart.

Great data. It is up to us to stop trying to get our happiness by consuming crap! If we don't by they can't keep building them. if we put our money into green and positive things there will be a growth of those things instead of this crap. The scary thing is that was just wallmart. what would the video look like if we added all the other stores full of imported plastic goods that are making this planet barren?

went to the walmart in windsor, canada. they gave me their made up fake money as change.

I have always been anti-walmart. This company is hurting so many workers - locally and overseas with their business tactics and lack or morals on the higher levels of the company.

Yeah...ooooh...TERRIFYING. Nevermind the great deflationary force Walmart's been during its lifetime. Their supply-chain innovations through the 70's, 80's, and 90's were awful. I'd much rather live without 'em, and pay 2x for my TV at the old Sears Roebuck & Co. Wake up. You benefit from capitalism, whether you know it or not. Someday a company will come up with a way to dethrone Walmart and then you'll hate that company. The only thing we can be sure of is change. So be ready to compete...

Wal mart employs many people who otherwise could not get jobs.

The real problem with WM is their Chinese connection.

People who buy from Wal-Mart are the problem with the economic crisis, they are buying products from this place which requires companies to provide their products at a cheap price otherwise they won't sell the products... well merchants want their products to be sold there, so in order to get the cost down they go offshore and by doing that they quit producing in our country which the pay is taxed and the workers their spend their money (pay) in our economy helping it. Then when they go offshore they are able to pay these other workers less and the money is going into the other places economy and not being taxed by us even though the products are sold here. I HATE WALMART!!!!!! They make live harder for everyone while trying to under cut the market.

See guys a walmart monopoly most likely will not happen because when walmart jacks up thier prices so that they make more money mom and pop stores will open and sell thier goods at lower prices, and then everyone will shop there.

Walmart seems bad because it is big, every company will have a % of problems in small companies a small %s are not seen because they rarely happen, when the company grows by 100,000 times then the % numbers are more noticeable.

for example (hypothetically)
.001% of our workers will be mistreated in 10 years.

now say this company employs 100 workers, that means that .1 worker will be mistreated (virtually no one)

now that company grows to 100,000 multiply that .001 by 100,000 and all of the sudden you get 100 workers will be mistreated, now there are 100 news stories to write about this huge company. in 10 years
(none of these stats are real they are all hypothetical)

The only reason they seem bad is because they are big.
For those of you who think that it doesn't give mom and pop stores a chance, then you must be thinking of a capitalism where no one wins and everyone gets to sell stuff... oh wait that is socialism.

Wal Mart employs people who may not otherwise be employable.

Thats a shit load of Walmarts.
As much as I hate Walmart, it's very hard to avoid.

Anybody see the South Park episode where we all realize that the evil that is Wal-Mart is us? Stop shopping there(if you can) and the problem starts to diminish.

Man I tried to not go to walmart a couple years ago for all the reasons. It was impossible to stay away, even after I watched the walmart movie. It's all a trap when you go into the store all the stuff right there at the door is marked down so mutch they loose money on. Then all the rest of the stuff is strategically more expensive then anywhere else. I know it and I still go there.

Why does everyone hate Walmart...... is it the cool thing to do?

Walmart saves the average family about 1300 dollars a year.

It an American owned company

The people they give work to most likely couldn't get a job to many other places.... I don't know when the last time was when I had a cashier under 60 years old or looked like they were not fresh out of prison. Also the reason stores like Home Depot and Lowes can pay so much more is because they screw their employees on Health Care Plans.

Usually they put shitty dirty local stores out of business that I hated shopping at anyways. All the good small stores still do great because they have something to offer.
Why do people hate Walmart so much? Really am I missing something.

they put so many busnisses out busness...
look aroundeveryone,, your next job may be
6.00 to 7.00 dollars an hour
wake up america walmart also imports all their goods.
save a buck today, work for them tomorrow

barf, i know! its completely disgusting! i don't understand why this company still exists after all the charges and lawsuits against them. there used to be just one in my little suburban town and now there's three! and five within 20 km of each other!

I wish them nothing but bankruptcy!

the only ones safe for now are mexico and canada.

Everyone loves to complain and cry about anything, If you hate walmart dont shop there. If you complain about how they pay minimum you have to hate +90% of fast food places. Its non sense if people don't like the pay go find another job no one is holding a gun to your head, if you cant get another job well your out of luck! i shop @ walmart good prices and everything I need is there if employees dont like it QUIT! that simple only the strongest survive if your weak you going to get walked over

Pretty bad. In my city we must have at least 10. I never shop there.

Yak! It would be even more interesting to look a map of the planet that includes not only stores but also manufacturers, logistics, etc. for a better picture of how far this glob goes around the globe.

also, i'm interested to see how the German chain Aldi fares as they open more stores in the U.S. they're the ones who bought a small California natural foods store in 1978: Trader Joe's. they also beat Wal-Mart Prices.

could be an awesome monster battle. instead of setting it in Tokyo, maybe we should stage it in Tennessee.

I hate Walmart. They suck as an employer and going into the stores is depressing. Also there is so much crap in the store that it counteracts the convenience point of having all these items in one place. The parking lot is a nightmare and I would rather pay a little more to shop at local stores and have my sanity and diginity intact.

People look at American companies outsourcing jobs as being something evil. Its not, its just CAPITALISM. Companies have to try to stay competitive in order to stay in business. Its rather simple.

Thats not to say that i don't feel for the poor peoples of developing nations that get exploited for their manual labor. The time will come where the people of India and China and South America rise up and refuse to work for cheap. Its just not right now.

I do find it funny how much people complain about prices. If that pair of shoes you are wearing were actually made in America then they would be exorbitantly more expensive. Then people complain about how high the prices are. You cant have it both ways. People are just never satisfied with their current situation.

Monopoly. The one word that should give you nightmares, day and night.

Wow cool! They sure are trying hard to be the best. I should shop there more often.

Walmart and I have a love hate relationship

The mom and pop stores the walmart replaces just before leavin those small towns usually pay far better than walmart . Once mom and pop are out of business, they can pay what whey want untill it becomes too unprofitable (when the town pretty much dies).

as loud as you all are against wallyworld, its apparent the eastern half of this country loves it. that vid is awesome

There are some benefits to living in the ghetto, not even wal-mart will touch Detroit. Just the way I like, we fend for ourselves, grow our own food and make our own clothes. I even made a radio out of a watch and a log, just kidding.

Ha, look at the south......looks like it's infected.

I really just think they are good a business and there success is great!

STOP BUYING CRAP YOU DO NOT NEED! When we fill our homes and our lives with things just because it’s cheap to buy it has a cost that is hard to calculate. A simple life is more rewarding then a life spent pursuing STUFF!

I sometimes wonder at my irrational loathing of big, successful companies. Walmart, Starbucks. What have they ever done to me? Why do I boycott them? I guess I perceive them as armies destroying and swallowing up smaller, helpless, harmless, NICE, hometown, mom-n-pop, friendly, sincere businesses.

Wal Mart is like an infectious disease. The only good thing, i think, that wal mart did was pay for my friends funeral after he died in a car accident while employed by wal mart. Besides that i cant find the ingredients to mix up something as manipulative to brains as the low low prices.... :) remember this guy...?

It's a consumers conundrum, really. I currently live in New Orleans, where Wal-mart aside, a lot of small business was driven out by hurricane destruction and lack of $$$ to re-open. I would like to support local and sustainable business as much as possible, but there just aren't the options. I use Wal-mart as a last resort, and feel really guilty every time I do.

i thought the fundamental point of running a business was to grow it? Why is Wal-mart the devil for doing what they're meant to do.

Some people just like to complain about everything. Wal-Mart is good, and even though I don't shop there that much, its great.

Low prices, always. I'm sorry we're not all rich...

While I do agree with the more thought out responses above, in all fairness, POPULATION DENSITY is also a huge FACTOR to take into consideration with this map as well.

Must just be disgusting to all of you, that American Business thrives ,and has customer without Unions screwing everything up.

These jobs at Walmart are the same jobs that it destroyed by running the local businesses into the ground.

For some reason Walmart reminds me of that F*ck head Rush Limbaugh!

Clownpuncher,

Wal-Mart creates jobs... in big cities.

Wal-Mart is notorious for creating ghost-towns in small towns. They'll move in, eat up the entire economy of the town, and then close it's doors leaving a town with a broken economy that people are forced to leave.

It chokes out the true American dream where a Mom n Pop shop is forced into submission by a corporate giant...

help stop the spread of wal-mart shop local

It's easy to take cheap shots at Wal*mart--many liberals do. But Wal*mart is employing hundreds of people in Northeastern PA and upstate New York, where we are clearly in a recession, if not a depression. I am not happy that they trade with China, but they really try to keep many items made in America. That's more than I can say for many big American corps like Dell, Verizon, Motorola, etc, which farm out their customer service and manufacturing overseas, eliminating thousands of American jobs. In this economy, Wal*Mart provides products at lower prices than most places. I still buy my groceries at my local, employee-run market, and try to shop locally most of the time, but I certainly will never boycott Wal*Mart. If our Wal*mart closed, our local economy would never revcover.

I don't like the monopolizing effect of it. I don't think stores like Target or K-Mart or Walgreens are any better, but they aren't quite as numerous so the notoriety falls on Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is just one of several examples of corporate monopolizing. I'd rather go to a locally-owned coffee shop than a Starbucks any day, but it's getting harder to find them. I don't go to Wal-Mart because Target is closer, but it's really the same idea: the local businesses can't compete with these behemoths and have to shut down, so it's hard to find another place to go to get some of the things we might need. It doesn't look good when these companies pay their employees poorly AND put local shops out of work.

We do have an option to look elsewhere for everything conveniently located at one of these types of stores, but it requires more effort and most people (including myself most of the time) would rather opt for convenience when we have so much other stuff to do. I'm essentially helping to fuel the damn monopoly and I don't feel good about it.

That green reminds me of Jello for some reason. Note to self: pick up some Jello cups at Walmart later today.

It's just that us liberals don't want slave labor, low wages, awful work environments, our government for picking up the tab for Walmart's lack of medical expenses and our countries wealth being exported to countries like china when it should be invested here at home.

I hope that everyone understands that we are the ones making china a rich and powerful country. In return we receive a lead painted toy for infants made in child laborers factories.

Can someone explain to me why we should support a company that gets the majority of their supplies from a fascist communist country that encourages families to kill their daughters when they born?

What makes any of you that disparage a business and reveal your hatred of anything or anyone that disagrees with you, better and more intelligent that everyone else?
The only thing Walmart is not, is unionized. The media has "created" this hatred and all of you that are not aware of this are "sheeple". They treat people better at Walmart than the Unionized Krogers/Fred Meyer stores that are nationwide. I know I have worked for both and like not having to give up part of my paycheck to a union that gives it to a political party and pockets the rest.

disgusting, i despise Wal-Mart so

The ignorance of the Wal Mart supporters does not suprise me. They probably are republicans and think Sarah Palin is the bomb. Wake up and look at what Wal Mart has done. Not one good thing. China-Mart!

I used to work for WalMart. They didn't pay a lot but they were fair about hours. The company as a whole has made mistakes...what companies don't? The move into areas and shut down smaller companies, big fish eats small fish. I still shop there and will continue. It isn't always about how much you make, but how much you make your dollar worth. Pawn shops, thrift stores, swap meets and discount stores help stretch my buck and always will. Alienating WalMart is alienating your money, not mine!

aside from helping stoke the economic crisis, what's wrong with Wally World?? Everything is SO cheap and I could spend hours walking up and down the aisles looking for BARGAINS!!!

It's like a southern STD spreading throughout the country!

Agreed. How is WalMart evil? They help people have nice things, provide jobs, and support their communities.

Sure they had/have labor issues; Like other companies do not?

Yeah, some mom & pop American Dream businesses have failed. Unfortunate, but should those of us who need go with out to support someone elses' dream?

They now have a walmart on each of the three MAJOR major roads in my town. I hate it. I never shop there if I can help it.

Can someone explain how Wal-Mart is evil? Every company starts out small, as did they. They did what they had to do, it's called hard work and capitalism. Half the people bitching on here will go tonight. In these times, Wal-Mart is a great way to find cheap stuff. They also employ a lot of people. The stuff that's probably made in the same building as an American Eagle shirt. You're not all small business owners, stop bitching. If you hate it so much, then DO something about it and stop TALKING about it.

And by the way, there are two Wal-Marts in Alaska. I work up there in the summers and frequently have to go to them, because they always have what I need. :)

add one to my town in worcester that just got finalized to get built. I hate walmart with every bone in my body

Who gives a shit. That company employs so many people.

ahhh exponential growth ... from a scientific point of view this isnt that surprising, the scalar multiplier out front of the exponential function is pretty large, but i would like to see walmart and Starbucks growth compared.

Reminds me of the movie "War Games."

I seriously believe wall Mart is doing more damage to our economy than good. Wall mart is the root of all evil.