Couldn't walmart be sued for monopolizing?

Question

the way that they are forcing small businesses to have to close, and popping up all over the place.

Answer 1

Breaking up monopolies is one of the few functions for the federal government.  It's even spelled out in the 1914 Sherman Anti-Trust act that was used to break up monopolies like Standard Oil and AT&T.

Unfortunatley, the federal government seems to have forgotten this vital function of theirs.  Look at oil companies like ExxonMobile, ChevronTexaco, etc.  Mergers in the airlines like the upcoming Delta/Northwest...

Those are the true monopolies of the day.  Walmart's ability to out-compete does not constitute a monopoly.  I live in a small city with a Walmart.  We still have small businesses that compete.  We have other businesses like Target & KMart that are doing well too.

Answer 2

No, although they are putting smaller companies out of business, they are still on the right side of the law(except for all of those lawsuits about working conditions and sexism).

I just wish people would think things through. Those "cheap" t shirts that people buy and wear 2 times before they fall apart are made by slave labor. It isn't a myth. I guess that wouldn't make a good ad campaign though - "Support slavery - shop Walmart"

Answer 3

They're not a monopoly. They have plenty of competition. The fact the small businesses close lies with the RESIDENTS OF THE COMMUNITY, not with Wal-mart.

Answer 4

They're nowhere near monopolizing anything yet, but should it reach a point where Wal-mart is the ONLY store in the U.S. where you can shop, the FCC will crack down on them like they did on Microsoft.

Answer 5

In the overall retail market they have a small % of total sales.  think of all of the competition of clothes, groceries, etc.