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Issue date: 11/2/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Jeniece Gibbs Is Wal-Mart taking over America? Charles Fishman said six new Wal-Mart supercenters open every week. It comes as no surprise that two Wal-Mart supercenters opened in Springfield this summer.

"Where do the low prices come from?" Charles Fishman asked. Fishman, an investigative journalist and author of "The Wal-Mart Effect," recently held a question and answer session at Wittenberg University for students and faculty.

Many people know that Wal-Mart is probably the biggest retailer in the world. Six Super Wal-Marts open every week. Walk up to anyone on the street and he or she can give directions the nearest Wal-Mart. The only person in the room attending Fishman's lecture who wasn't too familiar with the store was Erik Lindsjo, a junior from Sweden.

Fishman explained that thirty percent of a single supplier's business is Wal-Mart, which makes it possible for the large retail chain to insist on lowering a product's price.

Although Fishman does not claim to support or object to shopping at Wal-Mart, he does point out some interesting facts. The super centers are the largest retailers of guns, bicycles, and health and beauty products. These items have nothing to do with each other, but they can all be found under one roof.

Fishman also explained how Wal-Mart commissions large suppliers like Toshiba and Timex to lower the quality of their products, while still packaging them identically, so that the company can sell these items at much lower prices. Some companies, like Snapper Lawn Mowers, refused to lower their reputation by lowering their product's quality, according to Fishman's book. The company eventually pulled its lawn mowers from all Wal-Marts.

All of this makes Fishman wonder if "Americans have lost their meaning of quality, because the retail giant guides us to focus exclusively on price not quality."

However, Fishman is quick to point out that consumers have let this happen. Wal-Mart, after all, promised "everyday low prices." If people shop at the store, they're creating the demand that Wal-Mart supplies.Fishman left the audience with something to think about: "What are the implications of where you shop?"

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