Where Even Walmart Won't Go: How Dollar General Took Over Rural America

Here's a really important article from The Guardian about the shifting sands of retail especially (but not exclusively) in rural America. How similar is the situation in rural Canada? This article touches so many 'hot buttons':

• The importance of both price and convenience (for different market segments), coupled with buying decisions' correlation with daily travel patterns and 'where you work'

• The challenges faced by retailers in your community when jobs evaporate and incomes decline

• The opportunities for existing retailers to act on what they know are issues for their current customers (e.g. store hours, value add for shoppers that larger competitors don't have, impact of your business on community health --- from tax revenues to the nutritional habits of your customers) [pay particular attention to how at least one business in the article is taking action]

• Local governments offering incentives to attract new businesses while existing ones languish.