Walmart has been declining for a while and looking for ways to stem the tide, including different business models. The Express and Neighborhood Market stores, which make up a lot of the closings, do not appear to be the answer to Walmart's problems.
The interesting thing is, a lot of other industries are doing pretty well but Americans seem to be wasting less on cheap junk they don't really need, which hits Walmart especially hard.
Though I feel bad for those losing their jobs, I really dislike Walmart. I worked there for a bit and it was a bad atmosphere, the worst I've ever been a part of. I'd love to see people take their business elsewhere.