If liberals aren't griping about the lack of jobs, they're campaigning against a new Wal-Mart store. I personally avoid the big chains and try to patronize the 'mom and pop' businesses, but Wal-Marts employ people who may not otherwise be employed and provide inexpensive, cheap, if you like, consumer goods.
BTW-it's not hard to understand why rich snobs like Kerry, et ux., look down their prominent noses at mass consumer goods retailers. I doubt Kerry's ever bought anything 'off the rack', but someone should tell the good Senator that we're not all millionaires with summer estates at Cape Cod.
At Christmas, my liberal sister made a show of buying gifts from mom-and-pop type businesses. She paid more for those gifts than if she had gotten comparable gifts at chain stores, but then she's well-off and can afford to pay more. So there's an elitism involved in the critique of Walmart, I think; like K-Mart, it's viewed as a place for the great unwashed masses. People who can afford to shop at upscale stores like to ridicule the chain stores.