A nice example of Wal-Mart's "warehouses on wheels" model, described first to me by Naomi Klein in "No Logo." They saturate an area with outlets, then move to a new area unlike other stores which may seek to have one outlet in every major region in the US.

At any rate, blech.

This is fucking scary. D:

So. Depressing.

The beginning is a nice reminded of how Wal'Mart also started as just one entrepreneur with a dream, who being successful at what they did, were able to expand their services with the resulting profits.

This just makes me sick.

This is what the spread of any successful business would probably look like. Not disgusting. Like AR said, this is what happens when one passionate, successful entrepreneur has a dream and works very hard to achieve success by providing products and services that people want.

I am interested to notice that outside of the more densely populated eastern states, as the Walmarts start popping up in the mid-west and west, they start to follow the interstates more closely. Perhaps because the cities and towns start to follow the highways and interstates more closely since there's not necessary incentive to spread out?

Was just interested to see i-25 in Colorado and New Mexico, the California highways, and i-70/80 through Utah outlined by blue dots. :)

"There is no honor in creating a successful business through exploiting and destroying other businesses that were previously successful."

Basiorana, you hit the rusty nail on the head with this remark! I hate knowing that Walmart is so successful because they took over the customers of the small entrapreneurs' businesses all over the country. Just another sad example of monopolies who profit off the failure of mom-and-pop businesses! We wonder where it will all lead...

It looks like the spreading of a contagion, and indeed, it is.