Building Community with Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart’s impact on a community’s economic health is unambiguous. It offers a fair amount of benefits to communities that are destitute. Most of these boons are purely in terms of its pricing models. Specifically, Wal-Mart is able to consistently deliver the lowest prices around for its goods. Moreover, it offers a diversity of items that make it ideal for one-stop shopping in impoverished communities. Thus, those who are financially strapped in these neighborhoods are able to pay low prices for virtually everything they need. In this regard, the extent of the supplies which Wal-Mart carries is notable. According to Fitzgerald and Wirtz (2008), the company has been able to provide exceedingly low prices on pharmaceuticals, including its “$4 pharmacy program” which is of immense benefit to those living in penury. Oftentimes, such people are denied access to quality pharmaceuticals because of their low incomes. Wal-Mart is able to deliver this benefit in a number of consumer areas, which is why it is beneficial to the economic health of vulnerable communities.

References

Fitzgerald, T.J., Wirtz, R.A. (2008). The Wal-Mart effect: Poison or antidote for local communities?