I think the message being sent is one of power and coercion, not one of convenience or availability.
You can't swing a dead cat here in Massachusetts without hitting a CVS or a Walgreens pharmacy. Why can't these people just drive a half block to the store that has what they want...
Wal-Mart bashing (very popular on Huffingtonpost.com where I piss liberals off on a daily basis) just kills me. WalMart is a retailer with a formula. Others include Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, Target, Starbucks, etc. No one seems to bash those stores. I guess you start with the largest most successful one and work your way down...