More on "big box" retail.

This link has resources to multiple publications that talk in great detail on the effect of these retail behemoths.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, you know what Wal-Mart does with a store after it's done with it?

And by done with it I mean it closes one location in order to build another, BIGGER store often just up the road...

It abandons it.

Nice huh?

Now I live in the beautiful and generally economically viable South Puget Sound region of Washington State, but I used to live in the Mid-West and for a while the south.

If memory serves, there were HUGE SWATHS of this country that pretty much looked like this.

And it was usually because of economic collapse.

Either from the depression of the 30's or the recession of the 70's-80's.

So, draw yer own conclusions, but if this is the sign of a successful store, well maybe we outta change our definition of "successful" a bit.