The other issue people are forgetting is efficiency of shopping. Just thinking back to when "Wal-Mart" first came to our town, I remember shopping trips where w

The other issue people are forgetting is efficiency of shopping. Just thinking back to when "Wal-Mart" first came to our town, I remember shopping trips where we'd pick up, say, a spatula for the kitchen, a present for a kid's birthday party, oil for our push mower, some bathroom cleaner, and some tennis balls. With Walmart, that was 1 stop; before Walmart, that would have been 2-5 stops. It's certainly relevant that we could go after dinner, when many specialty stores were closed, and the prices were probably better. But even without those benefits, the increased efficiency was a big win – especially for parents where every transition from car to shop to car was a hassle.