Some good points in here, but the points about chains&#x2F;franchises is misguided.<p>I&#x27;ve been to many countries. If you go to China, Vietnam, Colombia, Eastern Europe, you can find plenty of places without mainstream chains and lots of local shops.<p>You know what? Most of them suck.<p>Bad selections, overpriced, trying to cheat you on change, rat droppings or layers of dust on top of a variety of food products...<p>... I know if I go to Duane Reade or Chipotle, the food or medicine I buy will be legit, unexpired, and without any egregious violation.<p>If I buy a pair of jeans at Walmart or Target and they rip in the first week I own them, I can take them back.<p>Chain banks mostly suck, and credit unions or online banks are far better. But for food, clothing, and medicine, chains are a godsend. You don&#x27;t get cheated, everything is decent quality, and clean. If you buy something and it&#x27;s broken, you can take it back. Not so in most of the world.<p>(And also, many of the small shops locally owned aren&#x27;t owned by local people just getting by -- they&#x27;re owned by local bosses, who are just as callous as the archetypical big corporation, but much less effective at delivering to customers and much less accountable.)<p>Liked the rest of the article, and do admire companies that operate differently like REI. But lionizing small disorganized ineffective dirty shops is a miss; Chipotle and Duane Reade are godsends compared to what you&#x27;d get otherwise. If you don&#x27;t believe it, check out any developing country before chain stores move in. It&#x27;s not a better state of affairs.