Just like a virulent bacteria or virus, Wal-Mart has spread across the U.S. The entry from Boing Boing contains an interactive map, which shows the insidious spread of WalMartitis, from ground zero in Bentonville, AR.

When you click on the Boing Boing link, you will see a map of the US that begins in 1962, with the first Walmart store. Then as the years and decades go by, you can see how the WalMart pathogen has spread, just like any other dangerous parasite.

The good news is that we seem to be developing a way of containing WalMartitis, and of eradicating the parasite. Hopefully, we will see it vanish, just like small pox and polio.

Today, though, Wal-Mart’s influence over the retail universe is slipping. In fact, the industry’s titan is scrambling to keep up with swifter rivals that are redefining the business all around it. It can still disrupt prices, as it did last year by cutting some generic prescriptions to $4. But success is no longer guaranteed.

Rival retailers lured Americans away from Wal-Mart’s low-price promise by offering greater convenience, more selection, higher quality, or better service. Amid the country’s growing affluence, Wal-Mart has struggled to overhaul its down-market, politically incorrect image while other discounters pitched themselves as more upscale and more palatable alternatives. The Internet has changed shoppers’ preferences and eroded the commanding influence Wal-Mart had over its suppliers.

You know, the Walton family are among the richest people in the world. WalMart still earns zillions in profit. So why should I have to subsidize WalMart employees, who are often eligible for public assistance (think Medicaid) because their pay check is so low, and WalMart refuses to offer universal health insurance to its employees.