Wal-Mart Dominates Consumer Sales

After reading this article, I would have to reconsider whether to keep shopping at Wal-Mart. It seems absurd that one company can dominate so many market areas while providing 1.2 million workers with low wages and costly healthcare. From this article, I feel that Wal-Mart is the most profitable company because of their lower labor costs and their ability to purchase mass quantities. Wal-Mart drives out competitors because of being able to provide these lower prices because of their purchasing power and lower labor costs. I would much rather shop at smaller establishments but as I have learned in microeconomics, consumers tend to buy where they can get the lowest price. As long as consumers continue this trend with Wal-Mart, more and more competing retail stores will continue to fail. One point about Wal-Mart I feel is against them is their clothing, shoes, and accessories are not high quality. Since these items are mass produced in countries like China, the do not fit as well as higher scale department store items. If they would be able to compete with the higher scale clothing lines, what would be left to dominate? Maybe, Wal-Mart could go into providing medical services. While you wait to see the doctor, you could shop! When it is time for your appointment, it could be announced over the loudspeaker, like the way they do for an oil change. Seriously, though, since Wal-Mart dominates so many market areas, it would seem unrealistic for new entrepreneurs to try to go into retail sales. It would be great if the private establishment of retail could still exist, but if Wal-Mart continues as it has, this will be a thing of the past.