Ducimus, if walmart didn't do it, the net would have, frankly.
The market is the market. I don't shop walmart, but what was the alternative, BANNING walmart?
Mom and pop needed to evolve or lose. Those that have weathered walmart—least here in NM—seem to be doing well. They picked a sub market, and deliver better products and service since they cannot hope to compete on mass produced stuff (and crap) with price point.
Price is all that matters for MANY consumers, but there are enough that want quality that mom and pop can survive, IMO, and long as their goal isn't to fight walmart's fight.
IMO the stores done in by walmart were selling the same crap that walmart sells, only for a lot more money. Why is it better for consumers to pay more for CRAP?
Worse to me (since I don't shop walmart) was what REI did to all the local hiking/outdoor eqp stores. REI is OK, but they don't offer as much higher end stuff. We had 3-4 in ABQ, now only REI. There are 2 stores still in Santa Fe, and they have REI now, so we'll see how long they last.