Walmart

Somewhere in the United States , a Wal-Mart is preparing to open a new store . If it happens to be opening in a small town , it is likely that there is a group protesting its very presence . The controversy is simple : when a Wal-Mart opens in a small town , it provides competition to the mom and pop ' stores that are often the bread and butter of small towns . In spite of this anger directed towards Wal-Mart , the stores remain successful . The reason for this discrepancy is that when faced with lower prices , consumers abandon

the mom and pop ' stores to which they have been faithful customers

From an economic standpoint , the concept of Wal-Mart is pure genius The store offers everything from clothing , electronics , books groceries , and furniture , putting the smaller stores out of business . It is difficult to compete with a business that purchases 85 of its merchandise overseas . For example , Wal-Mart sells bestselling books and a small selection of other books . A local bookstore will offer the bestsellers and occasionally provide a discount , but will also offer many other titles . If book sales experience a slump , the local bookstore will take a cut in profits , which might lead to a cut in hours , layoffs or reduced stock . Wal-Mart , on the other hand , has many other departments in which they can absorb the loss

While fifty-six percent of Americans surveyed agreed that Wal-Mart is bad for America , it appears that they are still shopping at the store . According to its...