An Atlantic correspondent evaluates America's penchant for making and buying cheap products while assessing the true economic, political, and psychological costs of such goods, in a report that argues that a focus on low prices is promoting negative practices.

Looks at the effect Wal-Mart stores have on local businesses, their employees' economic status, the rights of women and minorities as Wal-Mart Associates, the lack of environmental responsibility by Wal-Mart starting with corporate headquarters on down, and the exploitation of Chinese and Bangladesh workers. Shows that Wal-Mart has concern for its own profits by heavy in-store security but well-known lack of security in their parking lots which have...

Wal-Mart is not just the world's largest company--it is the largest company in the history of the world. It is estimated that the company's low prices save American consumers $10 billion a year--but the #1 employer in 37 states has never let a union in the door. Though 70% of Americans now live within a 15-minute drive of a Wal-Mart, we have not even begun to understand the true power of the company. We know about the lawsuits and the labour protests,...