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[James Manning <jmm AT sublogic.com>]

> Wal-Mart killed downtown Gettysburg, PA
> Zerfinger's Hardware, which had been in existance over 100 years was
> driven out of business in less than 6 months after Wal-Mart opened.
> Likewise the downtown Pharmacy.
> Sure they're open 24 hours...

Might as well play devil's advocate :)

Zerfinger's Hardware was killed by the people who used to buy stuff
there (and hence generate their revenue stream) and who stopped buying
stuff there, right?

I mean, it's possible that Wal-Mart shows up at a place, everyone
loves their local stores that they've been shopping at forever, they
keep shopping at those local stores, and Wal-Mart is the one driven
out of business (at that location, of course, they'd move on to
greener pastures).

It's still certainly possible for Wal-Mart to create their lower
prices through various unfair business practices, and those are valid
concerns, but in the hypothetical case where a Wal-Mart comes in and
creates lower prices through various economies of scale (the same ones
available to other businesses if they choose to attempt them, even
Zerfinger's Hardware) who is really to blame?

Flame away! :)
-- 
James Manning <http://www.sublogic.com/james/>
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