2. Less Product Variety
Because Walmart has the resources to dominate local markets, local business are often unable to survive. That means that in many communities, particularly rural ones, Walmart may be the only nearby shopping option. Many fear this lack of competition may mean that once local businesses have shut their doors, Walmart will jack up their prices. As Forbes explains, it doesn’t really work that way, though, because doing so would create an opening for the competition to return.
So while we may not have to worry about Walmart gouging us anytime soon, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that, when there’s only one option in town, shoppers may have less product variety to choose from than they would if they had multiple businesses to shop at.
