WalMart has clinics now, in some of their stores. They are pairing up with hospitals. (WalMart expands in-store clinics) (http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/wal-mart-expands-in-store-clinics/20080207065909990001)

A few years ago they tried to start their own bank, the FCC stopped it and said it was too much power to them.

Where do you think this will end with WalMart?

Do you think they are trying to dominate the reduced price shopping industry or the world?

Do you shop there? Do you skip them and give your $$ to the small business owner? Can you even find a small business owner. :(

The market is changing. Small businesses can thrive more than ever, they just can't rely on the, "if we build it, they will come," school of business marketing.

Small businesses only thrive in niche markets. They can still do well, just not as a "general store" type place.

Although places like fast food restaurants and 7-Elevens and whatnot are franchised, so it's kinda like supporting a mom & pop business when you patronize them.

We shop at Wal-Mart sometimes. Not for everything, because my step-mom is a bargain hunter and a lot of things are not as cheap there as elsewhere. They have a lot of really cheap stuff, so they want their customers to assume that everything there will be just as cheap.

Retailing evolves like anything else. At one time different merchants were found on different streets. Butchers were in one part of town, greengrocers, in another, shoemakers in another and clothiers in yet another. Eventually they came together in a central market area where a person could shop without traveling all over the town or city.

After a while we had general stores, stores that carried various items that were only peripherally related. There were dry goods stores, clothing stores, dairies, etc.

These stores grew into supermarkets where clerks served customers and handed them the items they wanted, and further metamorphed into self serve supermarkets where customers roamed through the store gathering what they wanted and paid for it just before leaving.

Now we have megamarkets, stores that sell food, clothing, toys, tires, medicines, electronics and just about anything one can imagine.

Through it all there have been small, specialty shops, shops that catered to a niche market, be it through personalized service or the carrying of items of limited popularity.

Who knows what will eventually replace Walmart. Whatever it is there will probably still be small specialty shops to compete with it.

I'm reading a book called Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast (he also has a blog, which is just as sarcastic as his book's) and he starts the book off jokingly from the perspective of what life will be at 2020. There is a line where he says Wal-marts are now cathedrals, where worshippers can by salvation at bargain prices, whether it is a coffee maker, or your immortal soul.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :) And the book, sounds like it could come to fruition. I read one several years ago, cannot recall the author (yes, that says something....not sure what) called The Store, the entire time I was reading it I was thinking how similar to WalMart.
I remember the butchershops and corner markets; I grew up in St. Louis City. There are no WalMarts there, just good old crime and misdemeanors (which escalated to murder cause you want to fit in and sell your schtuff) drove the small buisiness owners. :(