Doug Kanter wrote:

I'm not disputing the fact that they sell a lot. I'm saying that for many
products, they are NOT cheaper. They've just created an image. Tell me this:
Faced with a 5 mile commercial strip packed with weekend traffic, are you
going to go back and forth between WM and two supermarkets to determine
whether you're getting the best prices? Of course not. This is what WM
counts on.

That's what supermarkets counted on, too, when they added lots of 'store
within the store' operations to the basic foodstuffs. Going further
back, the supermarket counted on convenience to compete with delis,
bakeries, butchers, and the like.