So it's totally wrong for me to go buy something (like a cooler) at the Walmart price? You honestly expect me to believe that the company making these is not making money? Are you saying that there is another Coleman factory that makes the same cooler for more money and sell to smaller retailers. Walmart is buying in such large lots that while they might only be paying $30 for cooler A, the 5700 walmarts are buying a ton of them that would have never have been built if there were not a Walmart. I'm not saying Walmart is perfect, but to say that they are driving everyone else out of business and that they don't provide local jobs is a crock of ****. A local Walmart here is planning to convert into a Supercenter. This supercenter will provide 100 more jobs with an average wage of $11.67 an hour. This is bad for the local economy HOW? Just like any other debate, there are two sides to the story, and the anti-Walmart camp doesn't talk about the positive aspects of the store.
Why is Walmart the one major retailer that takes the brunt of all criticism.
No one attacks the the over 1300 Target stores, 1000+ Kmart stores, 538 Costco stores, 2100 Home Depots, 7000 Walgrens, or 1200 Lowes locations with the same level of hatred as Walmart gets. Sure there might be more Walmarts, but how many cities without a Walmart have one of these other stores "supposedly" killing the local mom and pop business. 5700 Walmart stores providing jobs that probably were not there before, yeah real bad.
I'm supposed to feel bad about buying a $15 pair of jeans at Walmart, but be totally OK buying a $50 equally crappy pair of jeans at the mall? I'm white trash because I want to save money, because I have 8 people to feed and cloth. (Oh wait, must be just a breeding redneck anyway just because I have so many kids).
It's not like Walmart is driving specialty shops out of business. If you want to buy a specialty mountain bike, you aren't going to find it at Walmart. If I want a 250 dollar pair of Danner work boots, I don't find those at Walmart. But if I want an inflatable swimming pool, Coleman cooler, or light bulbs, I'm probably going to get those at Walmart.
For those of you that do not shop at Walmart, where do you do your shopping and what makes it better? To be completely honest with you, in most places I have lived in the last few years there aren't Mom and Pop stores selling the same types of products I buy at chain retailers, and these stores were not in existence before Walmart moved in either. If you are shopping for clothes at Eddie Bauer or Macy's, and buying whatever other stuff you buy at small stores, I'm betting you are in a different income bracket than I am anyway. More power to you.
In reality, we've all went so far off topic it doesn't matter. It sucks that some guy was killed by a mob of shoppers, and just coincidence that it happened at Walmart, vice Best Buy or some 80 year old woman getting stomped on at the JC Penny door opening. Plenty of incidents (although not deadly) have happened at high ends stores during this time of year.
Does this post make any fricken sense to anyone but me? I'm tired.
Guess they don't have one in Alaska yet...maybe you can ask Palin to get you one, now that she has less on her plate. 
