Big scandal? I dunno. It's always been true. Retailers say it's to make up for the higher rate of shoplifting and vandalism, which seemed fair to me. Even when I lived in one of those neighborhoods and paid higher or drove out of town.
The city near where I live has no major grocery store in one area of town and hasn't had in about 20 years. The residents are yammering about their neighborhood being "red lined" but I remember what happened at the last store that was there. They had reached the point where they had to have an armed guard and they closed the store shortly after he was murdered.
Who in their right mind would put a store there?