By shopping at Walmart, I am likely contributing to the demise of the independently-owned grocery store, which is disappearing across the country. But the prices make the choice easy. On a recent day, a 42-oz. tub of Quaker Oats was $9.99 at Key Foods and $5.68 at Walmart; a 500-ml bottle of California Olive Ranch olive oil was $14.49 vs. $8.37; and Rao's homemade tomato sauce was $9.99 vs. $6.88. These prices are one major reason Walmart captures 1 in 4 grocery dollars in America.
That may not last. These days, the U.S. government appears ready to listen to the argument that Walmart and other big chains including Dollar General, which is expanding at a rapid clip across the country, come by those prices unfairly because of their market power. There's a law on the books-1936's Robinson-Patman Act-that essentially says suppliers in any industry can't give lower prices and special deals to big chain stores if it costs the same to serve them as other stores. The law also says retailers can't bully suppliers into giving those discounts. But because Walmart and dollar stores are so huge, representing a big part of a supplier's business, they're able to extract deals and low prices from suppliers, according to Small Business Rising and the Main Street Competition Coalition, two groups of independent business owners making their case in congressional hearings and television ads. It's not just groceries; independent pharmacies, bookstores, auto-parts stores, and other types of retailers are also struggling on an uneven playing field, they say.
Esta historia es de la edición September 25, 2023 de Time.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 25, 2023 de Time.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
As employers embrace Al, workers fret-and seek input
THE SWEDISH BUY-NOW-PAY-LATER COMPANY KLARNA has become something of a poster child for the potential benefits of generative artificial intelligence.
Claudia Sheinbaum
A first for Mexico
Afghan women defying the Taliban
WHEN KABUL FELL TO THE TALIBAN, RETURNING Afghanistan to the fundamentalist group's control, women who did not flee faced a reality in which they could no longer be who they are: journalists deleted evidence of their work, artists destroyed their creations, and graduates set fire to their degrees.
The way to a truly restful vacation
TRAVEL CAN DO WONDERS FOR YOUR well-being: expanding your mind, bonding you to loved ones, and connecting you with nature.
SHARING GRIEF AMID WAR
Spring and early summer are difficult times for both Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli Jews move from Passover, the holiday of freedom, to Holocaust Memorial Day, to Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, to the triumphant celebrations of Independence Day. The days pass with rituals intended to give us a shared meaning as a society and to inculcate and frame Israel's official narrative.
WESTWARD HO, AGAIN
Kevin Costner's risky western epic, Horizon, celebrates the height of the genre without quite getting there itself
DO LESS. IT'S GOOD FOR YOU
Unproductive moments can boost health and happiness
'I don't have faith in doctors anymore!'
How women get pressured into long-term birth control
Strait Talk
TAIWAN'S NEW PRESIDENT LAI CHING-TE IS TAKING A HARD LINE ON CHINA. BEIJING IS NOT AMUSED
How U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is navigating America's AI future
UNTIL MID-2023, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE was something of a niche topic in Washington, largely confined to small circles of tech-policy wonks.