Lowes and Home Depot dont' seem to be hurting.

Newest housing area being built SE of Phoenix: A Lowes and a Home Depot
built brand new right across the street from each other...and both parking
lots packed.

Oh, and there is a Wall Mart about two miles to the north ...

How healthy are all the little shops on Main Street?

It's not that Lowes and Home Depot and WalMart hurt each other, it is
that they impact the small stores that would otherwise sell the same
merchandise (more expensively because they can't get the bulk deals).
And it's not a matter of "protecting the little stores"; that's not at
all what I am advocating. (Actually I'm not advocating anything).
Rather, it is an example of the ability of the customer to influence the
retailer.

The customer can easily influence a Main Street retailer, because one
customer is important to them. There is almost no chance that a single
customer can influence a big box store. It's "take it or leave it, but
it won't change". That is the equality (or lack of it) between retailer
and customer that I am addressing. Unrestrained capitalism is "fair"
when such equality exists. The retailers have the advantage when it
does not.

Jose
--
The monkey turns the crank and thinks he's making the music.
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