If you’re like me, you don’t set foot in Walmart. Ever. But I’m lucky. Within 6 miles of my house are two Wegman’s, one Trader Joe’s, one Whole Foods, numerous restaurants, and the largest mall in America. (See end note about that mall.) Oh yeah, and a Walmart to which I never go.

But the Walmarts that are closing ran the single grocery store out of town when they opened. Now tens of thousands of people will have no grocery store within 25 miles, or more.

It’s another blow to rural and small town America. It is indirectly related to the standoff in Oregon: the world is changing, and those who cling tenaciously to ranching and farming are left with fewer and fewer resources. Being unable to buy some fresh produce or pick-up a needed prescription makes life hard indeed.

Walmart started conquering America decades ago – like that first taste of heroin always being free, Walmart seemed to have low prices which made people’s paychecks go further. But the dark side was the movement of manufacturing to China and other cheap markets, decreasing the jobs that used to support middle class families on a single paycheck. Further, small groceries, drug stores and hardware stores were decimated because they couldn’t compete. It’s finally come full circle. Walmart tricked the people into buying from them, and now they’ve left giant retail holes because their stores just weren’t profitable enough.

The answer is to eschew places like Walmart, and spend your dollars at local (or smaller) merchants as much as is possible. Further – make sure that you vote for people who will work hard to level the playing field.

Note on Malls — I live near the King of Prussia Mall. While some people contend that the Mall of America is bigger, that number includes an amusement park, so we currently have more retail space. Next August, when the construction connecting the two currently separate buildings is completed, KoP will officially be the largest mall in America, amusement park notwithstanding,

This embarrassment of riches is emblematic of the difference between the classes in America. While many malls around the country are dying, destroyed by the internet and changing demographics, malls like KoP are superstars. Anchored by Nordstroms, Neiman-Marcus, Bloomingdales and their ilk, supplemented by Tiffany’s, Apple, Michael Kors, the first Spanx store in the world and other high-end retailers, those who can afford those stores never suffer. While strip malls and enclosed malls that used to be home to Sears, Kohls, JC Penney and other middle class retailers are dying, leaving huge properties that generate no taxes, the rich malls get bigger and earn more per square foot every year. Most sadly of all, the people who work in the malls’ retail and food service locations have no ability to live a reasonable distance from these malls, and often have to take multiple buses to get to their minimum wage jobs.