Business Report - Making A Difference

Walmart's impact on the United States is undeniable. From its humble beginnings as a small-town discount store to its current status as a global retail behemoth, the company has revolutionized how people shop, businesses operate, and communities experience retail.

However, the “Walmart Effect” has a much darker side than people think. For decades, the retail giant has been contributing to the downfall of competing big-box chains and grocery stores, as well as hundreds of thousands of small businesses. At the same time, Walmart is responsible for impoverishing communities, creating imbalances on the supply chain, and hurting the American economy in ways the public can't even imagine.

But everyone needs to know what is truly behind Walmart’s 500 billion-dollar empire. And that's what we're going to expose today.

If you hear about the opening of a new Walmart store in your area, beware. That may not be as advantageous for both customers and the local economy as it may seem.

Whenever Walmart starts to operate in a community, the most immediate impact is felt by local retail workers, who become more at risk of losing their jobs or suffering a pay cut.

Researchers found that Walmart pays lower wages to its hourly associates than what other local businesses pay comparable workers, estimating that the wage difference is at least $3 per hour. With Walmart workers earning less than other retail workers, the retail giant helps to push down average retail wages and health coverage rates in the area.

On top of that, a study published in the Journal of Urban Economics, which examined about 3,000 Walmart store openings nationally, found that each store caused a net decline of about 150 jobs as competing retailers were forced to downsize or close down permanently.

These shifts can explain the findings of another study published in Social Science Quarterly, which cut straight to the bottom line: neighborhoods where Walmart opens end up with higher poverty rates and more food-stamp usage than places where the retailer does not expand.

Red Lobster's largest investor "forced huge cost reductions, including many that were penny wise and pound foolish because they hurt sales.”