[/quote]I gave out some numbers. I don't have access to the Birmingham Business Journal, but the dominate grocer around here is no longer dominate. Their market share fell from over 80% to less than 30%, whereas Wal-Mart went from near zero to being on top. Now, how does that harm the local economy? As I mentioned, Wal-Mart does not buy from any of the local vendors, producers, and manufacturers. I recognize and know what products are here and there, and Wal-Mart doesn't carry them, or carries a national brand instead.
You are asking for much more than a preponderance of evidence. If all evidence given were simply anecdotal, and never supported by any numbers (which people HAVE posted, I've read just about every Wal-Mart thread on this forum) then you'd have a point. You are asking for such a high burden of evidence that very few people are going to care to provide it. You could do that with any subject. Make the burden of proof so high that it would take extraordinary effort to obtain.[/quote]
You gave out numbers with no supporting evidence. Though I will take your word for it. Reality is that the data and studies do exist, as your last article proves.
It's not too much of a burden to come up with data as to how many businesses shut down in an area after wal-mart sprung up. Even a simple study of correlation between the opening of a wal-mart in a marketing area and then the subsequent store closings would suffice to some degree. Economic researchers at universities and independent thinktanks are going at it constantly. The reality is that the people on this forum don't have the avenues in which to gain access to this data (google just doesn't cut it).
I'm asking for studies similar to what you posted just now, except more exact studies to do with the impact wal-mart has on local businesses. The only truly pertinent article you posted is the last one, which I am reading through, but most likely will have to save to read later. So far it's basically right on the money for the discussion of this thread. The other articles have to do with how wal-mart affects wages of workers and how they purchase their goods from off-shore manufacturers. The purchasing of goods from off-shore manufacturers is no new phenomenon, but it sure isn't a good trend.
As for the wage argument I don't see how the wages wal-mart pays differs greatly from and other local small business/retailer. Thoes jobs are entry level, they will get paid entry level wages. Blaming wal-mart for increased use of social assistance programs is a complete cop out. No matter where these uneducated, unskilled workers go they arn't going to be able to live the way they are making the wages they do. It's not the wal-mart's or any other businesses problem, it's a personal problem with the workers and their social standing. Just for kicks, say wal-mart didn't exist (which would be negating history since 1968), and all these businesses that shutterd due to wal-mart's tactics were back in business full strength. Why would it be ok to assume that these businesses would pay much higher wages to the same level of worker? The workers are going to get paid near minimum wage if they work for wal-mart or Jack and Jane Smith's store. The supply cost of goods is not going to decrease if wal-mart did not exist, nor is the retail cost going to decrease either. People will always be quick to jump on the bandwagon of blaming big business for the inability of the bottom-of-the-barrel worker to get by, reality is that these people wouldn't do any better if wal-mart didn't exist, and probably in many areas wouldn't have any job at all.
The vendor arguments are also partly moot due to the fact that these vendors sell the crap to wal-mart at incredibly low prices, willingly. Then these vendors get threatened by wal-mart stating "if you raise the price we will stop buying all your product". Well the vendors should say "ok, then piss off", because in an example like the vlasic pickle deal the vendors were only making one penny per gallon jug. It's not like wal-mart is the only purchaser of vlasic pickles, though I bet it's the only purchaser that gets them at such discount that the profit margin is nearly zero. There are many MANY other thriving businesses out there that are willing to buy the product from these vendors. Last time I checked in my area all the supermarkets were doing VERY well and still selling all kinds of pickles. These vendors don't have the balls to stand up to wal-mart and say "f you". Mabey if they did than others would notice and follow suit, there are many vendors out there that don't deal with wal-mart and they seem to be doing just fine. I have very little sympathy for these vendors that just get pushed over while operating in a country that allows you choices.
Our generation isn't old enough to remember a world where big business didn't exist. We grew up with department stores, supermarkets, malls, strip malls and plazas. We grew up in a time where globalization was already getting into high gear and the classic American worker was already being screwed systematically. This has been going on for as long as we have been alive, it's only now that our generation is coming to realize it and is angry, so we lash out at wal-mart because they are the largest. Mabey our generation will get angry enough to actually do something, but I highly doubt that, they are too wrapped up in having stuff.
We don't live in the 19th or early 20th century where there was that one main general store owned by the same family for generations and the farmers market where all the locals went to sell their wares. The market is no longer extremely throttled by transportation, technology and communication limitations. Most businesses are not there to "help the community", they are there to make money. If someone can't cut the mustard then there will always be someone else waiting in line to give it a shot.
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