The low, low prices offered by big box stores have heavy cost. Unemployed small business owners and outsourced jobs are just a couple of the consequences brought on by a culture that has come to demand always-low prices. This is the gist of a new film titled "Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Price," which is making its Muncie debut tonight at the home of a Ball State University faculty member and his wife.
Professor of Geology Scott Rice-Snow said the film is not being released in theaters. Instead, its screening in three thousand places throughout the nation such as libraries, community centers and private homes.
"This is pretty much the way this film is being promoted," he said. "We're doing this in an organized way across the country. It's a grass roots thing."
Rice-Snow said he and his wife, who are members of the political organization MoveOn.org, opened their home for the showing because they thought the film's message was important for Muncie.Roughly one-third of the U.S. population shops at Wal-Mart every week and the children of store founder Sam Walton are richer than most people can imagine, she said.
"It's really kind of a puzzle," Jennifer Rice-Snow said. "Half of the top 10 richest people in the United states are part of the Walton family."
The film discusses the pressure Wal-Mart stores often put on local economies, a pressure Muncie has felt in recent years. Several Muncie businesses were unable to keep up with the big box store's low prices and were forced to close up shop, she said.
"A few years ago we lost the Ross grocery chain," Jennifer Rice-Snow said. "They just couldn't compete."
The film was made by Robert Greenwald who also directed and produced "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" in 2004. The documentary was highly critical of Fox News, accusing founder Rupert Murdoch of promoting blatantly biased, politically motivated reporting at his network.
Jennifer Rice-Snow said the film showing at her home tonight is less political than "Outfoxed." Instead the Wal-Mart film takes on economic issues, discussing among other topics, how the world's largest retailer has crept into a multitude of industries such as toy and music sales.
"We were very interested in seeing the film ourselves," he said. "It's an important topic in the community. Wal-Mart has a very long record of very bad actions."
The city currently has one Wal-Mart Supercenter located on W. Clara Lane. Another Supercenter, set to open in 2006, is being built near U.S. 35 on Muncie's south side.
Rice-Snow's wife Jennifer said Wal-Mart's grip on the national economy is tighter than most Americans realize.
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