One is the Lonliest Number ...

[Digital Prophet]

Have you ever noticed how many things come in pairs? And I'm not talking about coincidences or love birds or twinkies. I am talking about big things. For instance: Home Depot and Lowes. Or WalMart and Target. Gas stations. Or Starbucks.

Ok so here is where it hit me. I was driving along one day with No Name and Wildcrotch and I saw a Walgreens on a corner of an intersection. No biggie. But then I realized that there was no room on the other three corners for development. They were pre-developmented. And I asked myself, rather casually, "Hmmm, I wonder where the CVS will go?" And it was clear; they are always together. You can't drive more than two miles past one without tripping over the other. And most of the time it's right across the street! They're like nipples: You never see one without the other for long.

And what is with that business model? "I know, there is already a huge drug store there, so what I will do is go there and build ANOTHER huge drugstore. That way we can both have half the business we could otherwise have by not sharing parking lots!!!!" Genius. Pure genius.

All I got to say is that if you wait long enough, or get stuck in traffic long enough, you notice some pretty disturbing trends that we just came to accept and expect.

Prophet out.

[swanny338]

Where is La Quinta Inn? next to dennys

[Digital Prophet]

See! This is everywhere!

Prophet out.

[awsilver]

Originally Posted by swanny338

Where is La Quinta Inn? next to dennys

I thought the literal translation of "La Quinta" was "next to Denny's"...uhmmmmm

[johnastovall]

The Business model for similiar stores near one another are target customer demographics and that target customer traffic flow. They know their customers and when they run the data into a site location model they will get the same results.

The presence of the competor is not that important.

Yes, I confess in another life I worked on some the early modeling for this at SMU.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by swanny338

Where is La Quinta Inn? next to dennys

A more intersting question is why does Wal-Mart sell disposable diapers near the Beer?

I know but am not telling. It is classic in Data Mining circles.

[chloew]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

A more intersting question is why does Wal-Mart sell disposable diapers near the Beer?

I know but am not telling. It is classic in Data Mining circles.

Because daddy gets sent out at night to buy more diapers, and this way he will also impulse buy some beer.

[jerrykr]

About 3 miles from my house are a Super Wal-Mart and a Super Target, back-to-back. talk about convenient, if one does not have what you want, drive around into the other's parking lot. They are going to build both of them anyway, might as well put them together, than blight up 2 seperate areas.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by chloew

Because daddy gets sent out at night to buy more diapers, and this way he will also impulse buy some beer.

Yep... Ever single transaction at every Wal-Mart in the World gets uploaded to their data mine in Bentonville where they look for buying patterns.

Wal-Mart has the largest non-governmental data warehouse in the world.

[srwatters]

Plano has the new 'upscale Super Walmart' right across the street from the existing Super Target. On the other side of the Toll Road is the Costco. The coneheads would be in nirvana with all the mass quantities. And of course the Hummer dealership is next door so you can haul all your purchases back to the homestead in 'style'

While we're on the subject. In California you can't stand on the sidewalk of ANY Noah's Bagel shop without seeing a Starbucks. Those two are literally joined at the hip. Convenient, ain't it

[adam7731]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

Yep... Ever single transaction at every Wal-Mart in the World gets uploaded to their data mine in Bentonville where they look for buying patterns.

Wal-Mart has the largest non-governmental data warehouse in the world.

you might want to take a look at USAA. I think they either are catching up or beating them. all i know is something else is going on with USAA to have a strong hold bunker built 6 stories in ground like the two they have. And in SA USAA never stops building...