Sunday, June 7, 2015

The Wal-Mart Effect

This article was originally written in 2009 for my personal blog. Since then, many of my predictions have come true. Blockbuster and other specialty retailers have shuttered. Wal-Mart's hold on the economy is not as strong as it was back then, but it is still a juggernaut. Luckily, people are beginning to see the company's detrimental effect on the economy are fighting against it. 

We all hate Wal-Mart. 


We hate the over crowded stores, the under manned registers, the clutter, the dirt, and the freaks that are regularly on display. We hate the loud, annoying children running around, and the shopping carts whose wheels barely turn. Then why do we all shop there? The answer is obvious: IT'S SO CHEAP!

Wal-mart fills a couple of spaces in our daily lives. Number one: it's cheap. Most of us don't have that much money and we have to make it go a long way. Secondly, it's convenient. Most of us are also very busy. We work, we have families, we have a lot of shit to do. We don't have time to run all over town to 10 different stores to get what we need. We want to go to one place and walk out with everything we need. And what's wrong with any of that?