The Walmart Effect
www.theatlantic.com
New research suggests that the company makes the communities it operates in poorer—even taking into account its famous low prices.

Summary

Two studies reveal that Walmart’s entry into communities lowers household incomes by 6% over 10 years and increases poverty by 8%, even when accounting for cost savings.

Its practices, such as undercutting competitors, suppressing wages, and squeezing suppliers, harm local economies by reducing employment and forcing smaller businesses to close.

Walmart’s “monopsony power” enables it to pay lower wages and dominate suppliers, compounding these effects.

The findings challenge the idea that low prices alone benefit communities, emphasizing long-term economic harm.

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Non-paywall link

  • EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    25·
    2 days ago

    More than half of Walmart’s employees are on food stamps or some other form of government assistance. So along with everything else, our tax money goes to pay their employees because they won’t.

    I call that a tax break, paying shit wages, AND ruining the local area by making everybody more poor all rolled into one because Walmart employees often shop at Walmart for their employee discount (because they can’t afford to shop elsewhere on their poor wages), meaning that their wages go right back into the company’s coffers right alongside our tax dollars.