Mom and Pop stores are great if you don't need a lot of variety, or what you're looking for is a box of Cheerios and not granola crunch. But a lot of the time they just don't deliver on what you're looking for. They can't. A small store can't afford a gigantic inventory.
In my home town in Minnesota there aren't any "box stores" or other major chains. This hasn't made the Mom and Pop stores any more prosperous. Most people drive thirty miles to Mankato to shop.
Wal-Mart wouldn't build a store somewhere if people there didn't prefer to shop there for more selections and lower prices. What would be the point? It's silly to say Wal-Mart builds stores that nobody at all in the town wants.
You want small, interesting stores full of expensive stuff, drive to Carmel. People on a budget just looking to feed and clothe their families go elsewhere.
Ironically, for all the crap Wal-Mart gets for not being unionized, Mom and Pop stores aren't famous for employee benefits either.
Current Events » in reply to "without doubt elitist"
I did live in a small town.