[smokey_the_bear]

It's really not just price. One day when I was living in the middle of San Francisco I needed a ordinary paper hole punch. An item I remembered as being relatively common. I walked down Haight street and tried the stationary store, the art store, the hardware store, walgreens, and the salvation army. The salvation army had a three hole punch, no one else had any paper punchers. I ended up spending $20 to get a device designed to punch holes in metal or something the hardware store. I really wished for a walmart that day.

[johnwatson11218]

This is so true. I experienced this living in both NYC and San Francisco. They say NYC is so great because its "the city that never sleeps" etc. Well one night I was painting my apartment and needed a hammer at around midnight. There was no way I would have gotten that. Now I live in Phoenix and I go to Wal-Mart at 11:00 PM about once a week. I love it, I don't ever want to live in a place without Wal-Mart ever again.

[gcheong]

Not to mention all the time you spent going from place to place.