3 ms·

Walmart has arguable built the most efficient grocery logistic in existence giving the whole country access to cheap fresh food with minimal spoilage

insane_dreamer 2y ago
so what? it came at the expense of thousands of small businesses, destroyed hundreds of towns, and is one of the largest transfers of wealth in US history all to serve us up cheap garbage
- kortilla 2y ago
  You forget the massive benefit to everyone who shops there. It wrecked small businesses because the prices were lower for the same things.
  - insane_dreamer 2y ago
    So people were goi g hungry before Walmart came along? No, Walmart destroyed the local economies and so now people can only afford to shop at Walmart.
    - kortilla 2y ago
      Yes, people quite literally did go hungry or got far worse food. The local economies were shit before Walmart. There just happened to be a handful of small business owners that did well squeezing their community. If Walmart didn’t offer better product/price ratios, nobody would have shopped there.
throaway54 2y ago
The only real benefit is to the owners of Walmart though. Their food is not healthier, and their business impact is not better for local economies than what came before.
- smsm42 2y ago
  You can't have food that is at the same time cheap, healthy and at your doorstep. You can have two of them. Walmart gets you cheap and nearby. If you want healthy and nearby, go to Whole Foods and be prepared to stretch your wallet. Not everyone can afford it though.
  - insane_dreamer 2y ago
    You’re missing the point that Walmart destroyed all the other small local grocery options and other small stores that used to exist. So yeah, TODAY all you have is Walmart garbage or expensive Whole Foods (in same places)
    - smsm42 2y ago
      I don't think the stores that used to exist had the same or superior choice of goods and the same prices as Walmart did. I mean there might be some that did, but they persist even in the presence of Walmart - I have several Walmarts within 15 min drive of me, and still know a bunch of local grocery stores and specialized shops that still do fine. But I am not sure why "local store" is inherently superior to Walmart unless it does something better, or how it will be able to deliver on the all three.
- kortilla 2y ago
  Their food is absolutely cheaper for the same health value as comparable grocery stores. Walmart was amazing for low income families in small cities and rural areas.
  - insane_dreamer 2y ago
    > Walmart was amazing for low income families in small cities and rural areas. stop drinking the corporate Kool-Aid, my friend https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/walmart-prices-poverty-economy/681122/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/walmart-pr... > In the 10 years after a Walmart Supercenter opened in a given community, the average household in that community experienced a 6 percent decline in yearly income—equivalent to about $5,000 a year in 2024 dollars—compared with households that didn’t have a Walmart open near them. Low-income, young, and less-educated workers suffered the largest losses. > They calculate that poverty increases by about 8 percent in places where a Walmart opens relative to places without one even when factoring in the most optimistic cost-savings scenarios.

insane_dreamer 2y ago

so what? it came at the expense of thousands of small businesses, destroyed hundreds of towns, and is one of the largest transfers of wealth in US history all to serve us up cheap garbage

kortilla 2y ago
You forget the massive benefit to everyone who shops there. It wrecked small businesses because the prices were lower for the same things.
- insane_dreamer 2y ago
  So people were goi g hungry before Walmart came along? No, Walmart destroyed the local economies and so now people can only afford to shop at Walmart.
  - kortilla 2y ago
    Yes, people quite literally did go hungry or got far worse food. The local economies were shit before Walmart. There just happened to be a handful of small business owners that did well squeezing their community. If Walmart didn’t offer better product/price ratios, nobody would have shopped there.

throaway54 2y ago

The only real benefit is to the owners of Walmart though. Their food is not healthier, and their business impact is not better for local economies than what came before.

smsm42 2y ago
You can't have food that is at the same time cheap, healthy and at your doorstep. You can have two of them. Walmart gets you cheap and nearby. If you want healthy and nearby, go to Whole Foods and be prepared to stretch your wallet. Not everyone can afford it though.
- insane_dreamer 2y ago
  You’re missing the point that Walmart destroyed all the other small local grocery options and other small stores that used to exist. So yeah, TODAY all you have is Walmart garbage or expensive Whole Foods (in same places)
  - smsm42 2y ago
    I don't think the stores that used to exist had the same or superior choice of goods and the same prices as Walmart did. I mean there might be some that did, but they persist even in the presence of Walmart - I have several Walmarts within 15 min drive of me, and still know a bunch of local grocery stores and specialized shops that still do fine. But I am not sure why "local store" is inherently superior to Walmart unless it does something better, or how it will be able to deliver on the all three.
kortilla 2y ago
Their food is absolutely cheaper for the same health value as comparable grocery stores. Walmart was amazing for low income families in small cities and rural areas.
- insane_dreamer 2y ago
  > Walmart was amazing for low income families in small cities and rural areas. stop drinking the corporate Kool-Aid, my friend https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/walmart-prices-poverty-economy/681122/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/walmart-pr... > In the 10 years after a Walmart Supercenter opened in a given community, the average household in that community experienced a 6 percent decline in yearly income—equivalent to about $5,000 a year in 2024 dollars—compared with households that didn’t have a Walmart open near them. Low-income, young, and less-educated workers suffered the largest losses. > They calculate that poverty increases by about 8 percent in places where a Walmart opens relative to places without one even when factoring in the most optimistic cost-savings scenarios.