I am one who lives in a relatively small town and have seen what happens: Lower gas price, better selection, and the local hardware store carries other more specialized stuff, now, like plumbing parts and plate glass and other things that don't scale well at a walmart.
Ask the locals who are able to buy more to feed and clothe their family at walmarts in those little towns if they like walmarts....you sound like Barack Obama in your condescension.
As if calling me "ZEE-no-fobik" wasn't enough (and even assuming you had to give me pronounciation guidelines).
It wasn't condescencion, but just observing what happened in MY small town. Wal Mart does not sell gas here, so gas isn't cheaper. But we do have a huge store with lots of stuff, which is changed out on a seasonal basis in tune with Arkansas (I'm in North Dakota--our winter is still happening when the swimsuits hit the shelves, and coats are two months late hitting the racks here).
Maybe your town's experience was good, but here they cannot keep more than three of the 20+ tills open at any given time because they do not have the staff to do so.
They did put a few stores out of business here early on, but the rest are holding on pretty well because they have a better selection and better quality. A few items are cheaper at WalMart, and those of us who shop around will go there for them and to see what is in the clearance aisles.
Great jobs? Hardly.
When a kid just out of high school can get a job here roughnecking (working on an oil rig) that will pay 60K plus, they really don't have much drawing power for employees.
Anyone here who wants to work and is capable of working has a job.
Nice diversion, though, trying to peg me as a WalMart 'hater', but not germane to the discussion of the dangers of seling factories in America to be operated in America as economic warfare and part of asymetrical warfare.
Got any more labels?
Or do you want to discuss issues?