https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/walmart-prices-poverty-economy/681122/

Walmart’s many defenders argue that the company is a boon to poor and middle-class families, who save thousands of dollars every year shopping there.

Two new research papers challenge that view. Using creative new methods, they find that the costs Walmart imposes in the form of not only lower earnings but also higher unemployment in the wider community outweigh the savings it provides for shoppers.

I am shocked, shocked I tell ya.

  • D61 [any]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    3 days ago

    Anybody remember when Walmart, like 10+ years ago did A/B testing of their stores by pretty much opening a Walmart next to a Walmart across the street from a Walmart before closing all but one of the locations and leaving behind these huge empty buildings sitting unused for years?

    • buttwater [they/them]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      27
      ·
      3 days ago

      A lot of that was also because local jurisdictions would give Walmart a tax break for X years for new stores, while old stores were sunsetting on their tax break. So they close the “old” one and open new