Some good points in here, but the points about chains/franchises is misguided. I've been to many countries. If you go to China, Vietnam, Colombia, Eastern Euro

Some good points in here, but the points about chains/franchises is misguided. I've been to many countries. If you go to China, Vietnam, Colombia, Eastern Europe, you can find plenty of places without mainstream chains and lots of local shops. You know what? Most of them suck. Bad selections, overpriced, trying to cheat you on change, rat droppings or layers of dust on top of a variety of food products... ... I know if I go to Duane Reade or Chipotle, the food or medicine I buy will be legit, unexpired, and without any egregious violation. If I buy a pair of jeans at Walmart or Target and they rip in the first week I own them, I can take them back. Chain banks mostly suck, and credit unions or online banks are far better. But for food, clothing, and medicine, chains are a godsend. You don't get cheated, everything is decent quality, and clean. If you buy something and it's broken, you can take it back. Not so in most of the world. (And also, many of the small shops locally owned aren't owned by local people just getting by -- they're owned by local bosses, who are just as callous as the archetypical big corporation, but much less effective at delivering to customers and much less accountable.) Liked the rest of the article, and do admire companies that operate differently like REI. But lionizing small disorganized ineffective dirty shops is a miss; Chipotle and Duane Reade are godsends compared to what you'd get otherwise. If you don't believe it, check out any developing country before chain stores move in. It's not a better state of affairs.