Originally Posted by brokenrobot

No, Walmart got to where it is today because most people don't understand how the business plan works. I doubt very much whether people would shop there as often if they understood the *true* cost of Walmart goods, including all of the externalities that are paid for not by Walmart but by the communities Walmart builds in, in the form of higher loads on the welfare and public health systems (because Walmart provides lower than average wages and generally zero benefits - and has in fact been known to encourage employees to go on food stamps rather than giving them full-time hours), decreased tax revenue (because Walmart negotiates extensive tax amnesties when building, and then drives existing businesses that pay taxes out of business, partly because the margins are so much higher when taxes aren't a factor. Sales tax incomes often remain relatively stable, since the same dollars are spent at Walmart that would have been spent elsewhere - but the taxes paid by Walmart itself are usually negligible.), loss of American manufacturing capacity, and other factors. Walmart's products aren't actually cheaper in the long run, considering the price every member of the community pays for Walmart's presence - but since people don't see the big picture and because the "sticker" price is often lower than at other stores, Walmart remains successful.