In a world where low costs are the primary motivating factor for a large portion of consumers, big box stores have found a major foothold in many markets around the world. On the surface, this can seem like a win for people who need access to affordable goods, but the reality is that the practices of the warehouse giants can stifle competition and create monopolistic environments that end up harming the communities they claim to serve. As more shopping moves to the internet and the big box stores continue to streamline their operations with the help of big data, countless mom-and-pop stores are continuing to go under due to the inability to compete with the massive resources of this corporate competition and the stifling effect of regulations that these giants lobby for. In this week’s episode, Phil and Danielle discuss the ethics and implications of investing in these big box retailers, and what their success means for the business community at large. Comprehending a company’s market capitalization can help you make smarter investing choices—click here for your copy of Understanding Market Capitalization, our guide which can help you navigate this important and complex metric: https://bit.ly/44p1xE9 Topics Discussed: Research tangents Ethics of big box stores Activist intervention Ag-gag laws Predatory pricing Big box inflation The waterbed effect Microsoft monopoly lawsuit Tulsa dollar store ordinance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices