I don't go to Wal*Mart for anything. I disagree with their policies on so many levels. I'm not wealthy, either, but I'm sure I buy less barely necessary junk by not shopping there.

I'm not well off enough to afford to pay someone to work on my car, so I taught myself. If you can't afford a bike shop bike, you need to head to the library (free!) and check out a book on bike maintenance and become your own department store bike repair "expert".