Striking Wal-Mart workers aren't just fighting their employer. They're fighting a whole system.

[PrMaine]

54. The Price of Capital

It comes down to the availability of capital. Almost always, merchandise on the shelf of a retail store was bought or rented using borrowed money and the cost of that money is the issue. Big stores can borrow more cheaply than can the small mom-and-pop store and consequently the big stores can afford to stock more merchandise. Generally, the national and international stores are bigger and have more access to cheap money than are the local stores. There are occasional exceptions of course.