An insanely vast Super Walmart store recently received approval for construction in Flagstaff. I shuddered when I heard the news.

Either I was under a rock, or the city has been rather mum about the plans for this new development. I had not heard about this giant shopping facility, and now that I have, the prospect has got me tossing and turning at night.

There are a few positives to building a two-story buying center in this small town, such as increased jobs and stimulation of the economy. Walmart is the leader of low prices, which lends promise in a struggling society. Also, the stores offer pretty much everything from lawn mowers to hair dye; that definitely makes one-stop shopping a hell of a lot simpler. Many people love the idea of this new addition to the community.

But these upsides do not seem to trump the negatives. Most horrifying of all is the fact that Walmart drives down wages and increases poverty in small communities. A 2007 survey found building a single new store reduced wages 1.5 percent for other grocery employees and retailers. Only six cents of every dollar of Walmart’s profits is given to the city, compared to the 60 cents most local retailers hand out. That means the supercenters are not sharing much of the profits gained.

Another problem with the new supercenter is it seems like the name Walmart is gaining a negative stigma — one that screams sloppy, careless and cheap. Yes, there are many wonderful products available, but people tend to disrespect the notion of a discount supercenter.

Also, in a larger scope, a negative of yet another branch of this multi-million-dollar company is the obliteration of small shops. Grocery and general merchandise stores, nicknamed “mom and pop shops,” are being squashed by the “everyday low prices” Walmart promises.

There are scary facts about the negatives of Walmart. In 2005, Walmart was sued for violating the Clean Water Act, and it also cost the state of California $256 million for infrastructure repair because of the influx in traffic due to the new supercenter that was built.

Also, why is Walmart directly across from Olive Garden not sufficing? It appears to be huge and packed full of merchandise — no problem there. And it is readily available to college students; you could bike there in a jiffy.

Do we really need another Walmart? I would say no. It is sucking in our money and trampling small communities, which is not anything I want to support. But because it is already in the making, I guess the only thing I can do is stay away.