Summary of a written text (big-box stores)

In her essay “Big Box Stores Are Bad for Main Street,” Betsy Taylor argues that chain stores harm communities by taking the life out of downtown shopping districts. Explaining that a community’s “soul” is more important than low prices or consumer convenience, she argues that small businesses are better than stores like Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot because they emphasize personal interactions and don’t place demands on a community’s resources. Taylor asserts that big-box stores are successful because “we’ve become a nation of hyper-consumers,” although the convenience of shopping in these stores comes at the expense of benefits to the community. She concludes by suggesting that it’s not “anti-American” to oppose big-box stores because the damage they inflict on downtown shopping districts extends to America itself.

—Emilia Sanchez, student

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