Hopefully this abomination dissappears soon.

[DC Al Fine]

Part of their problem is that the strategy of skimping on labor costs is starting to catch up to them. Every time I go into a Walmart, I see pallets of product still shrink-wrapped sitting in the middle of aisles. I see empty shelves or misplaced items. That's what happens when you run a massive store on a skeleton crew.

I've noticed this too. Remember that lots of people (especially over 40) still don't shop online. In another 10 years this trend will be even stronger, as people will be less willing to leave their houses for cheap products/crappy service.

[DC Al Fine]

It's also worth remembering that there are still plenty of poor people (and elderly people, as DC mentions) in this country who don't have internet access, except maybe on their cell phones, or who just aren't in the habit of purchasing things online. The very low end of the market that Wal-Mart caters to isn't about to be displaced by Amazon or any other online marketplace.

Yeah.. our local school district has wifi on its school buses now for kids because enough of them don't have access to the internet at home (and we're a big, rural district so bus rides can be up to 90 minutes).  It turned out to be great because the kids are quieter and well behaved.

When I was in like 6th and 7th grade.. our school bus was so bad we had to have another adult ride to keep us in check.  Not like that really stopped us.

I remember those days. Good reason to live walking distance from your school.

[DC Al Fine]

It takes time for the older stores to sink into decrepitude of poor service.

I hope that doesn't happen.  It really is the best shopping experience around.

I like a lot about Wal-Mart but "best shopping experience" isn't one of them. They have a wide variety of stuff at cheap prices. That's about it. If you want a good shopping experience, go to Target or a frou frou grocery like Whole Foods or Fresh Market. You won't leave with the indellible stench of failure.

I meant in that middle of nowhere town not the entire planet.  There is no Whole Foods in BFE.

And Walmarts out in the middle of nowhere aren't just filled with the poors.  A lot of middle and some upper class people shop there because they have all the basics in one place at a reasonable price.  It is a very different dynamic than some urban Walmart's I've been in.

As a middle-classer who shops there, it is pretty much one stop shopping.   Even their produce and meats are continually improving in quality.  The only thing I don't buy there is fresh fish......but everything else there is good stuff....and I save a bundle.

Not sure I'd agree with you there. In fact, in Texas, part of the reason Wal-Mart's grocery sales have lagged is because Hispanics often won't shop there because the fresh produce isn't up to their standards (the product at Fiesta, Aldi and Mas Club is better).

It's all relative. Wal-Mart can improve from a 2 to a 5 and still be below the Hispanic place's 8.