re: #567 Killgore Trout

I’m not buying it. Too many variables. How does that compare with non-walmart areas? People are getting fat in China and Europe too but it’s not walmart. It’s not even Mcdonalds. I’m pretty convinced it’s just chemical laden processed food. It doesn’t matter where they actually purchase the crap.

The link goes on:

“I think the most obvious story is that Walmart lowers the price of foods and a lot of the foods it has big price advantages on are the processed, inner-aisle types of food that aren’t that good for you,” said Charles Courtemanche, an assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“It’s not just about Walmart underselling the competitor. It’s about the competitors cutting their prices in response to competition from Walmart. Someone might never step foot in a Walmart, but they still might pay less for their food.”

So, given the correlation they are now trying to come up with hypotheses to explain it.

The lowering of food price is an interesting idea and certainly is congruent with the American experience overall of having more calories/household.