No doubt, they employ a lot of people. But would these folks have other jobs if they were not working at WalMart? Do they take away more jobs than they add?
Is it bad that people can buy all this "stuff", including groceries, at lower prices than most other stores offer?
This "stuff" comes with a hidden price in the form of abysmal worker and environmental conditions that make the low prices possible, but make the owners ridiculously wealthy.
Do they cause a lot of local stores and shops to close because they cannot compete? Or is that simply an urban myth?
Absolutely. They might even cause more job losses due to promotion of foreign made goods. No question, however, about big box stores taking away sales from smaller competitors.
Do they pay a lot less than other employees in this country or do they simply pay the prevailing wage in the communities where they build their stores?
[I know of no studies that have investigated this question, but it's a terrific question that doesn't diminish the importance of your other questions.
Is it wrong that the Walton family fortune is worth more than 130 countries?
Yes, I think it wouldn't be the case if we were living under a more equitable system.
What is your major reason for disliking WalMart?
Personally, because they sucked up two great local bicycle shops to their location 12 miles away and, generally, for the other reasons described above.
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