The purchase follows the closing of every non-Wal Mart owned business that couldn’t compete with the retail giant. According to a new study from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, when Walmart enters a market, other mass merchandiser’s sales dropped by 40 percent and supermarket’s sales dropped by 17 percent. That is a pretty big hit for some stores, and often Walmart’s entrance in an area means the demise of local businesses.

Chamber representative Lilly Freadmont said, “There weren’t any businesses left for us to help. By letting Wal Mart take the reigns and do what they have done with every town, city & country they have went to. Total domination. And by purchasing the Cosi Chamber, they will continue to dominate.”

Others aren’t so optimistic however. A group of concerned citizens, known as D.I.M.W.I.T. (Death is Imminent Mainly with WalMart In Town) oppose such a move. DIMWIT President Joel Sroke said “This will be the final blow to commerce in our area. Wal Mart has slowly closed more doors while we just eat up the cheap products they sell with no regards to the child slave labor it takes to make what they sell, the hurt our own community causes by supporting them and the businesses that couldn’t compete with the buying power they have.” He continued, “I saw the owner of Joes Country Store & Sushi buying light bulbs there and he sells them at his own store.”