I commuted on wally-world bikes for years. If they're all you can get and you can maintain them, they give you a pretty good bang for your buck. That said, I wouldn't trade 4 of my 5 current bikes for anything from wally-world. None of those wally-world frames are near the quality of my old 80's Bianchi road or xcross frames, nor would I find anything even close to the 853 touring frame on my Fuji World. The Raleigh single-speed - maybe. The snow/bad-weather beater, yeah, who cares. If those frames are what you want, great, but there isn't anything wrong with wanting something better that is more suited to a specific purpose.
Welcome to BF...you'll have fun trying to talk up cheap xmart bikes, many are pretty strongly against them.
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey