3 ms·

Big box retailers sell things in big boxes. Without the giant parking lot, it isn't viable to sell most of the products. Delivery from a separate warehouse woul

by tropo 10y ago

Big box retailers sell things in big boxes. Without the giant parking lot, it isn't viable to sell most of the products. Delivery from a separate warehouse would be required. Buyers aren't going to toss a refrigerator in a backpack and then hop on a bicycle! Putting a refrigerator in a minivan is reasonable. The same goes for large TVs, washing machines, clothes dryers, mattresses, sofas, desks, chairs, whiteboards, canoes, etc. The old-style downtown shop simply can't handle large products in a reasonable way. Since it can't, people get used to shopping at places that can handle everything.

mwarkentin 10y ago
I always thought "big box" referred to the size of the store itself, not the items it sells. Wikipedia seems to agree with me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store
gizmo 10y ago
And so people end up with a car three sizes too large just because so they can go to a big box retailer twice a year. How many refrigerators does a family really need? Renting a van or getting the big box item delivered is so much more convenient. Commuting to work and running errands in a minivan is just so wasteful.
- cptskippy 10y ago
  A minivan becomes a necessity when your family hits around 5 people. You can get by with a midsize sedan but it's difficult and you're unable to offer rides to anyone. Unfortunately in the US they can't or won't sell 6+ seater variants of smaller vehicles like the Prius or Accord. Larger vehicles like conversion vans and full size SUVs that don't seat anymore people than a minivan but get half the fuel efficiency and take up twice the space are on the other hand completely impractical.
cptskippy 10y ago
> Big box retailers sell things in big boxes. Err... I think we have different definitions of what a big box retailer is. Big box is a reference to the shape of the building and not what it sells. Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store
- tropo 10y ago
  Yes, but why is the building like that? The building is a big box largely so that it can sell large items. You can't fit very many large items in a small store; small stores typically limit themselves to small things. You could sell refrigerators in a small building. The selection would be very limited, and there would be a high risk of stock running out. The refrigerators out on the floor at a Home Depot or Lowe's take up more space than an old-style downtown store has. That's just refrigerators, and just the ones put out on the floor for display. Many more refrigerators are stored in the back, away from customers, and refrigerators are just one of many products.
  - cptskippy 10y ago
    It's not about size, it's about quantity. Big box stores are warehouses and that allow for pallets of product to easily be moved around and put on the floor for consumption. It has nothing to do with the size of the product being sold.

by tropo 10y ago

mwarkentin 10y ago

I always thought "big box" referred to the size of the store itself, not the items it sells. Wikipedia seems to agree with me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store

gizmo 10y ago

And so people end up with a car three sizes too large just because so they can go to a big box retailer twice a year. How many refrigerators does a family really need? Renting a van or getting the big box item delivered is so much more convenient. Commuting to work and running errands in a minivan is just so wasteful.

cptskippy 10y ago
A minivan becomes a necessity when your family hits around 5 people. You can get by with a midsize sedan but it's difficult and you're unable to offer rides to anyone. Unfortunately in the US they can't or won't sell 6+ seater variants of smaller vehicles like the Prius or Accord. Larger vehicles like conversion vans and full size SUVs that don't seat anymore people than a minivan but get half the fuel efficiency and take up twice the space are on the other hand completely impractical.

cptskippy 10y ago

> Big box retailers sell things in big boxes. Err... I think we have different definitions of what a big box retailer is. Big box is a reference to the shape of the building and not what it sells. Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store

tropo 10y ago
Yes, but why is the building like that? The building is a big box largely so that it can sell large items. You can't fit very many large items in a small store; small stores typically limit themselves to small things. You could sell refrigerators in a small building. The selection would be very limited, and there would be a high risk of stock running out. The refrigerators out on the floor at a Home Depot or Lowe's take up more space than an old-style downtown store has. That's just refrigerators, and just the ones put out on the floor for display. Many more refrigerators are stored in the back, away from customers, and refrigerators are just one of many products.
- cptskippy 10y ago
  It's not about size, it's about quantity. Big box stores are warehouses and that allow for pallets of product to easily be moved around and put on the floor for consumption. It has nothing to do with the size of the product being sold.