To your #3 - in my (US) city there have always been those cheap goods stores. There was one in the (2000 person) town I grew up in, too. The big change I'm seei

To your #3 - in my (US) city there have always been those cheap goods stores. There was one in the (2000 person) town I grew up in, too. The big change I'm seeing is that the independent, mom-and-pop ones are being displaced by major chains.