glowing-fish posted:

1. Supply chain logistics. These stores, through a unified supply chain, can deliver goods to more places at a cheaper price, thus increasing efficiency. Some of the low prices are not due to predatory business practices as much as they are due to good centralized planning.

2. Related to the first: these have often opened up new classes of goods in places they wouldn't otherwise be. Unified marketing and economies of scale were one of the things that allowed things like computers to be sold outside of specialty shops.