Wal-Mart Brings Zero Jobs to Chicago As the Wal-Mart commercials used to say: "Next stop, home." Based on their analysis of retail sales, the researchers conclude: "These estimates support the contention that large-city Wal-Marts absorb retail sales from other city stores without significantly expanding the market...Overall, the weight of evidence suggests that the Wal-Mart opening on the West Side led to the displacement of a range of businesses. There is no evidence that Wal-Mart sparked any significant net growth in economic activity or employment in the area." The researchers in this new study suggest that their findings are very similar to a number of other studies on "the Wal-Mart effect" that have been p...