Looks like the trend that took hold in the late 90s is beginning to reverse. For those of you who may not be familiar with this, Walmart opened giant superstores in small towns across America, and many were claiming it was devastating to communities because other small business could not compete on price, and that Walmart was sucking all the money out of these town's local economies. Well, it looks like finally Walmart is beginning to close down many of these stores. Maybe this reflects a change that's happening in the country's economy. Whether that is things going back to how they were before Walmart began taking over, or whether poor people ran out of disposable income after these small communities got sucked dry out of all the money they were worth. I suspect with the labor market beginning to tighten the corporate Walmart retail model may no longer be able to compete. Some might see Walmart leaving as a good thing, but these communities are still going to have to deal with what's left in the wake of these closures. Adapting to change is not always easy.
The "Walmart Mentality" was never sustainable and destined to fade over time. Added to this is the fact they are actually NOT cheaper than many stores and people soon notice this fact. Walmart has a somewhat negative image in the minds of a lot of consumers and has done literally nothing to change this....I say good riddance.
Always doom and gloom? You only provide a small portion of the information I guess to make your personal comments seem more valid? The stores closing represent 2% of their world-wide stores (11,600) and 1% of their US stores (5,310). Then you fail to disclose how many new Walmart stores will be opening? So you present no idea of what the net gain/loss might be? Finally, if you understood business, you would know that the economy and customer and competition are constantly changing, and it is imperative as a business manager to be proactive about these external changes/challenges...
I simply meant this could be the beginning of a change, signifying a new era in the country's economy.
I always try to shop local, avoid walmart, but have to admit, Amazon has got me buying from them more then I should
Walmart did cause many small businesses to close when they came. They created a loyal following of the poor and helped them have consumables they could not afford previously. While the even created jobs due to their presence, those were lower wage jobs than what the locals were used to working, which opened the door for illegals to take, due to their practice of living in one house with several income earners carrying the load. I'm not disparaging these folks for their peculiar to U.S. tradition prior, but I am inferring that the inability of citizens to live similarly was a hindrance to acceptance of these new careers. What seems to be killing Walmart is Amazon's ability to provide the same or similar prices without having to do all the traveling and labor included today in self serve shopping, which provides little in the way of support to those purchasing. I think businesses have simply found a better way to provide consumables that resonates well with shoppers. The business climate is ever changing, due to the limited supply of dollars. Each business wants a bigger share of the market and will do what they can to get it. It's nothing new. What goes around, comes around.
This is pity-party talk...in every Walmart location, within a 5-10 mile radius, is an energized local economy and much of it is composed of local small businesses. IMO Walmart has done more to energize our local economies than the collective mom-pop places could ever do. 150 million people shop at Walmart every week...
yes good riddance to our largest employer and hello to Amazon who will do the same business with 10% of the employees, and keep ambulances lined up outside their un air conditioned facilities to transport those who pass out on the job! From now on liberals love WalMart
Correct. Amazon is kicking Walmart's ass which is why Walmart has gone to more shipping. Walmart's lowest markup pricing is on food. Their highest markup is on electronics, which is exactly Amazon's best business. Shoppers buying Amazon electronics and taking advantage of Walmart's low food prices is killing Walmart.
