3 ms·

My point regarding megastores is that they squeeze out neighborhood stores, which they can do because corporate is willing to burn money to take over markets.

• yellowapple 8y ago
  Wal-Mart as a specific example also happens to be readily affordable and available to lower-class (let alone middle-class) Americans 24-hours a day and 7 days a week. Very few neighborhood or even department stores offer that, nor do most grocers (Safeway being a notable exception). It's for that reason that I tend to appreciate Wal-Mart's existence; yeah, it certainly ain't the best employer, and I know I personally prefer shopping at the mom-and-pop stores, but I also recognize that most Americans don't have the privilege of being choosy about those sorts of things. As an additional bonus, most Wal-Marts (in my observation) will let you park your car there overnight, no questions asked. For someone who's homeless and living out of one's car, or for someone who's traveling and can't afford lodging, that's a pretty huge help.