Walmart at 50: Gutting the Middle Class 1 Small Business and Manufacturing Job at a TimeJuly 7, 2012 | FlaglerLive | 40 CommentsWalmart’s 50th anniversary caps a 150year stretch when the number of independent retailers fell by over 60,000, and when, between 2001 and 2007, some 40,000 U.S. factories closed, eliminating millions of jobs.