one of my pet peeves is when people tell me 'hey there's a sale over at blabla you wouldnt believe how cheap i got this stuff!'
i feel like slapping them.. 'why do you think it was so cheap?!'
did they use inferior materials? probly, did they use sweatshop labor?! most likely.. the easiest way to cut down costs is to pay workers less.. every other cost cutting innovation either reduces quality or costs in investment like better machines etc. and as was said above there's always someone to replace the workers who have had enough of being treated like crap.
to get around wal-mart i dumpster dive and garbage pick almost religiously

.. i get 3 of everything used(if i have the space) fix things up and shop at thrift stores.. it takes patience and work but feels better than buying crap at chainstores, i really don't understand why people don't think about it most of the time.