Khandu, thanks for those suggestions!  LMAO!

SINSULL, Kendall, You're absolutely right!   WalMart is a Communist/Terrorist plot to destroy small businesses throughout the US and then go under themselves leaving us (deservedly) without a hardware store, bakery, toy store, whatever. And Wal-Mart really is the anti-Christ organization!

Norval, thanks for the stats on Wal-Marts' "job creation!"

Nicole, your story actually beats mine about the Safeway checker who got out a calculator when I handed him 2 10-cent-off coupons!  (He couldn't figure out how much to subtract without using the calculator.)

And, Doug R, I DON'T go near a Wal-Mart!  At least not in.  Funny thing:  Alberton's is right next door to a Wal-Mart near my house, and Wal-Mart's outdoor pop machine charges 30 cents for a can of soda, to Albertson's 25 cents!    (Albertson's isn't exactly "mom and pop" these days, but they're closer to it than Wal-Mart is.)

You folks who love Wal-Mart for its low prices, think about this:  Do you always buy the cheapest brand of a product, or are you willing to pay more for quality?  Why not be willing to pay a little more for a quality community and a quality society, where there aren't a few megacorporations owning everything?

Sharon, why write our representatives in Congress about this?  Wal-mart's operations are not illegal.  Better to vote with our feet and our wallets, and encourage others to join us.

But, Steve, if any store allowed buskers in the parking lot, I might patronize them!   That's really letting the wealth "trickle down!"