[Mpls] The economics of big boxes- Cub, etc..

[Dyna]

	Given our druthers most of us would prefer to see clusters of 
pedestrian friendly mainstreet style shops and stores. Sadly, most of 
us can't afford what they'd have to charge us for goods and goddess 
knows where we'd park if these were the only type of retailers 
available.

	Big box retailers are designed more by economies of scale than 
corporate conspiracy. To keep shipping costs down an efficent retailer 
needs to have a loading dock that can accomodate tractor trailer 
trucks. To attract a critical mass of customers a retailer has to offer 
a large storeful of items to choose from. And of course parking space 
for a hundred or so customers and employees cars.

	Meeting all these needs produces a "big box" that has a total 
footprint of at least a traditional square city block. We may 
romanticly want to ban these big box retailers from our city. 
Unfortunately, they'll find plenty of sites outside our boundaries and 
customers from our city. So to remain competitive we have to accomodate 
the big box retailers while still retaining our city's character.

	hanging on in Hawthorne,

		Dyna Sluyter 

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