The "Walmartization" of America

I've addressed the negative impact of the huge box stores on our economy in this blog before, with special emphasis on Wal*mart, but there's always new evidence to support these allegations. They're great for the low prices of the products we need and use, but they play havoc with our ability to earn money to buy those goods.

From the Daily Kos.. (read more by following the link)

A study published in 2008 in the Journal of Urban Economics examined about 3,000 Walmart store
openings nationally and found that each store caused a net decline of about 150 jobs (as competing retailers downsized and closed) and lowered total wages paid to retail workers.

[...] These shifts may explain the findings of another study, published in Social Science Quarterly in 2006, which cut straight to the bottom line: neighborhoods where Wal*mart opens end up with higher poverty rates and more food-stamp usage than places where the retailer does not expand.