Free market voice argues for Walmart’s Boston presence

Left-leaning individuals in large urban areas find lots of reasons to dislike Walmart, so it is noteworthy when someone in a liberal stronghold forcefully sides with Walmart and personal freedom.



That was the case in Boston this week when the Boston Globe ran an article by Shirley Leung with the headline, “It’s time to say yes to Walmart.”



She acknowledged the familiar narrative put forth by those who seek to block Walmart’s expansion.



“It’s too easy to paint the world’s biggest retailer as the big bad wolf. You’ve read the script: It decimates mom-and-pop businesses, underpays workers and blights communities,” Leung wrote. “It is so evil that, according to a recent Globe survey, more mayoral candidates would rather see a casino in the city limits than a Walmart.”



However, Boston isn’t the former Soviet Union and the city’s residents should be allowed to choose where to shop. In essence, Leung makes the point that competition and the forces of a free market economy should be allowed to function.



Residents of the state aren’t strangers to Walmart; the company does operate nearly 50 stores there, including a unit in Northborough about an hour west of Boston that was recently expanded to a supercenter. However, there is nothing in Boston proper with the closest stores located on the north side of the city in Lynn and the south side in Quincy.



Click here to see what else the Globe had to say about Walmart.