[thriftwy]

I believe this is an unique US situation where you are unable to scale down Walmart. Just make a Walmart Lite with no jeans or TVs but only food. Then these can be built practically everywhere, offering the same competitive prices. There are half dozen of chains like this in Russia and they often open on the other sides of same street.

[porkbeer]

They have these, they are Dollar General and they are gutting rural and low income area mom and pops. They are not a better solution.

[wolverine876]

Also, they have poor selection, especially of healthy foods.

[johnnyanmac]

Sounds good to me, but that's the issue with relying on corporate autocracies for societal need. Wal-Mart's goals aren't necessarily aligned with society, so unless some government contract is made there's no incentive for a Walmart-Lite

[lotsoweiners]

Those have already existed in the US for a decade or two. They are called Walmart Neighborhood Market and they are basically just a regular grocery store.

[NoZebra120vClip]

Our Downtown area is replete with miniaturized grocery stores, pharmacies, and other amenities that are built into the landscape there. They have sprung up commensurately with the addition of loft-type housing and other developments which are actively luring middle-class workers to live there again, after a long period of rather blighted and lifeless downtown environs.

Back in 2008, my fiancée flew out from Catalonia to visit me, and we went on many outings using rented bicycles and public transit. One Saturday, I took her to see some museums near Downtown, and we transferred in Central Station, which was more or less deserted, except for some very brave pigeons. She looked around and she was downright incredulous about the lack of passersby. I told her this is totally typical because nobody views Downtown as a place to hang out or be entertained, it's a financial and business district where people go to work and then GTFO to their suburbs.

In Europe it is very different for her: typically people live and work right in the city center, and the suburbs are something else entirely.

[wolverine876]

Are there places in Russia without grocery stores nearby?

[thriftwy]

Yes but they are usually really small. Like a village with 20 person permanent population small. Get it to 50 and a tiny shop will spring up.