Given that Walmart wiped out the small mom'n'pop shops of central business districts in small towns all over the country by importing products from China and paying substandard wages you'da thunk they woulda seen it coming. But, I suspect it's Amazon who is causing their downsizing rather than direct consumer buying from China - although I have done my part by ordering one each of the above
Did the eggs kill off the chickens? Or was it the chickens that did in the eggs? Or are eggs and chickens both part of a natural process?!?!?
Anyone that didn't see the coming changes in retail.... wasn't paying attention. My Dad complained about Sears and Roebuck trying to dominate the lawn mower retail industry (he owned his own shop) back in the 1950's. Business is competitive... no one can win... if someone doesn't lose.
Richard Sears and
Alvah Roebuck created a new retail industry (catalog) that turned a vast frontier... into a modern nation.
Sam Walton took retail into the small towns of rural America.
Jeff Bezos (Amazon) has removed retail bounties. And
Pierre Omidyar (ebay) founded a new way to directly and efficiently market... almost anything.
They are all great men. The dark ages saw nearly no change... and it sucked for mankind. Change is good.