Second major disaster happened a few years back with their Great Value Products only in the food section. They never recovered from that one. Canned foods are mainly Great Value label. No Thank You. Doing away with Lay Away was another minus. It's likely cost them on TV's, computers, etc.
Their Electronics, Hardware, Automotive, Shoes, & Mens Clothing Depts leave a lot to be desired from the days of Sam's Walmart. The worse stores layout wise are what I call the reverse Walmarts. The food section is on the right hand side and the aisles in the middle of the store are a navigational nightmare.
When Sam died and especially after his son died Walmart Corp had new management and it's been going down hill ever since. Sam had "Made IN USA" items and advertised on that. The new management forced companies selling to them to take their manufacturing off shore such as too China.
Politically Walmart pushes things like the "Green" agenda. The skylights in place of daytime ceiling lights in regions where partly cloudy days prevail is a pain also. Walmart is definitely not the store it was when they first came to my area and I would drive 50 miles round trip to one. Walmart is setting itself up like K-Mart did to become second fiddle when someone decides to take Sam Walton's original business concepts and built the next huge super store chain.
One last thing. Years ago when you had a complaint you could call Walmart Corp and you talked to someone there. No days Walmart Corp immerses itself in many layers and is as such isolated from consumers.
I'll give you an example. Anyone remember their corralling policy in Electronics? Only one entry and a highly annoying High Pitched and Loud alarm went off each time anyone entered, left, or stood in front of it talking, unaware of the sensor? I called Walmart Corp about it years ago and the VP in charge of Loss Prevention called me. In a few months there were no more such alarms. Now days to address any issue you get a phone call from an Associate at the local store's office who has Zero authority to do anything about what you contacted them for. It isn't the stores like Sam built that's for certain.
In regards to holes on the shelf and things being out of stock for literally weeks on end ... basically Walmart just doesn’t care. That’s the only conclusion one can come to since it goes on all year ‘round and across multiple stores. I’ve never seen a worse retail store in that regard!