Well, Personallly I know my Ex-Wifes Mother has worked at Wal Mart in receiving for about 23 years now, she doesn't get paid a whole hell of a lot, but she has stock options that Wal Mart set her up with and that's worth half a Million now. So they can provide a good retirement if you are smart with your cash. Personally I would like to see more mom and pop stores with real helpful people who know their shit, but it is what it is. People choose value over durability and quality most of the time and with that comes the cost of having a few local businesses fail. Wal Mart just tries to do too much IMO, Jewelry, Auto, Grocery, Department store, Liquor.