Boombats wrote: Big-Boxers do the real damage in small towns like Upstate NY has. The local independents and small chains get fucked royally when Mal-Wart moves in, as does the ecology and natural skyline.
Good point. A city can absorb a Big Box much more comfortably than in the boonies. It's more of a moral and aesthetic victory than an economic victory over Wal Mart in Manhattan. Because many people in Manhattan don't do their shopping by car and so are more inclined to support local merchants out of convenience, there is less instant damage to small retail from a Big Box in the city.