Which is mightier: bricks and mortar or bits and bytes? That age-old question will finally be resolved on the blood-soaked ultrasuede floor of the Worst Company In America Ellipse of Evil.

For many years, Walmart has been the knee-jerk, go-to brand name to throw out when one needs to reference a big, bad retailer. And though the company continues to have an unmatched influence on not just the way Americans shop, but also on how other stores handle everything from pricing to packaging to logistics, readers still react with a slightly annoyed shrug.

Just look at how Walmart has squeaked through the first two rounds, winning by less than 20% over the fizzling combo of Sears and Kmart and barely eking out over GameStop, in spite of the disparity in the two stores’ sizes.

And then there’s PayPal, which most customers only use to make online purchases. Yet, despite the fact that the service often represents a relatively small portion of consumers’ transactions, those that use PayPal don’t seem to be to pleased about it.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that it beat a bottom-rated regional cable company by a wide margin, but for PayPal to take nearly 73% of the vote in its matchup against Capital One demonstrates the anger this company seems to foster in its customers.

We could keep talking about these two companies until we’re blue in the face, but it’s probably better if we just suck it up and vote.

(Voting on this poll has now closed. Thanks to everyone who voted! Check back March 29 to see who made it through to the semifinals)

As we mentioned when announcing the Round 3 contenders, we want to add some suspense to the remaining contests so the results will stay hidden until we post the four victors on the morning of March 29. So be sure to check back Thursday morning to see if your least-favorite made the cut.

If you like competing for free stuff, there’s a sweepstakes on the Consumerist Facebook page that lets you pick who you think will win the Golden Poo. The prize packages includes the usual T-shirts and coffee mugs, but also our own Laura Northrup will knit you a little something nice. Go HERE for details.

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2012 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. See the entire WCIA 2012 bracket and schedule of match-ups HERE.

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