My son worked at WalMart until February. Corporate dictated a 10% reduction in force in So Cal, so anybody with less than 24 months there got let go. No severence, no bennies, just "You been RIF'd; good luck." We don't shop there anymore. Price Club and Target (right down the street) get our big-box trade now. Mom&Pop shops are dying out around here, but I think they'll make a comeback in a few years when the big boys, who expanded too quickly, scale back or leave.