WalMart recently made the decision to close over a hundred stores at once in rural towns across America. In many cases, competitors were forced out of business by the WalMart stores, so now these rural towns are left without grocery stores or shopping options that are many miles away.

Questions:
1. According to the article, how many stores were closed at once?
2. Explain which pilot program made up the largest percentage of the stores closed.
3. Although WalMart said that it was the financial component that was the primary closure factor, what geographic statistic was mentioned in the article?
4. What economic ripple effects will these closures start?

Source:
DePillis, L. (2016). What happens to a tiny town when Walmart disappears? The Washington Post, Feb. 5 (Retrievable online at
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/05/what-happens-to-a-tiny-town-when-walmart-disappears/)