Rodney

This is exactly true. I hate casinos in Vegas; they seem to be designed both to disorient you and keep you in the store -- lots of shiny lights, reflections, and barriers in the middle of the gaming floor that keep you from figuring out where you came in and where you are. I'm one of those people who always needs to know where I am, and the average Walmart seems designed to confuse you and keep you in the store -- blind alleys, no clear site-lines to windows or an exit, and so on.

On the other hand, the wife dragged me to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond the other day -- a home furnishings chain -- and the layout was brilliant. Yes, there are walls in the middle of the floor that block your sightlines, but the basic layout is a big circle or oval; you come in the front door, walk straight ahead, down the main aisle, and eventually you're straight back to where you started. Meanwhile, the different classes of merchandise -- sheets and comforters, towels, kitchen appliances, plastic containers -- are each grouped in their own little cul-de-sac sections off the main aisle. I really enjoyed the experience.

The big issue with chains, of course, is that most don't offer a lot of customer service; that's how they keep prices low. This Bed, Bath,
and Beyond had some high-end cooking pots that we can also get in a locally-owned cooking store downtown. The thing is, at BB&B, you have to know what you want and need when you're buying a specialty product, whereas at the locally-owned store there's somebody to give you advice. It's not just about the lowest prices -- it's about buying the product that's appropriate for you, neither too much nor too little. At the big chains, you have to know what you want or research it on the Internet first. Because there's often no one to tell you if the product is right for you.