In the pre Walmart days apparel was way more expensive, for example. Clothing a child for a season was difficult. Pants were over $20. Shirts 10-15 in sale. Jackets: 35 - $100+

You were lucky if they had your size in everything you wanted to buy. Meant going to several different stores.

I was around for the opening of a new store in the late '60s early '70s: K-Mart. It has everything. So Meijer's had to compete and lower prices.

This apparel example happened across all items Walmart stocked. The local store had to compete on price.

We pay less now In absolute $$ on clothing than we did 30 years ago.

Sure, if your taste in clothes is graphic t-shirts and ill-fitting work jeans. Quality clothing costs more than it used to, and it's harder to find locally because Walmart won't sell anything that they can't discount the hell out of.

If you go to Macy's for example you still can get apparel at the same price as Walmart (on sale).

Carter's for children and infants is actually cheaper in the Carter's store than the Carter's sold at Walmart.

Competition lowers prices and makes stores and manufactures find new ways to make things cheaper. All to the benefit of consumers.

I look at my phone Bill to realize how ridiculous the pricing is. Pay $100 for two phones. Twenty five years ago a $40 phone bill would call for a family meeting.

So as Walmart and others helped bring down lower prices other areas suck up the savings

> Competition lowers prices and makes stores and manufactures find new ways to make things cheaper. All to the benefit of consumers.

In the clothing industry this was mostly achieved by shipping manufacturing to Asia or Central America, and paying slave wages. It hasn't been great for the environment either.

You had 2 mobile phones 25 years ago, for $40 per month?

Lol. Uh. No. Landline.

Just the inflation would make $40 something like $80 today, no?

In general, people chose to go to Walmart because the prices were better than those on offer nearby and the hours much more attractive. In short, Walmart is compelling on the points that a great many customers are sensitive to.