Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America

Over the weekend, I mapped the spread of Walmart using Modest Maps. It starts slow and then spreads like wildfire in the southeast and makes its way towards the west coast.

http://projects.flowingdata.com/walmart/

Why are Mom and Pop stores shutting they're doors.... watch the map and how fast Walmart grows ... The store numbers are in the upper left hand corner and the year is in the lower right hand side....also .. where does allot of the goods found in Walmart come from ... I do believe it is China... correct me if I am wrong

soooooo America ... where is your money actually going ... are you an informed consumer