They exist because of capitalism. You've talked a lot about how capitalism works but seem unfamiliar with the negative effects capitalism can have
Let me illustrate how this happens. Walmart enters into a small town. They bankrupt the local groceries by undercutting and using economy of scale. They become the sole grocer in town. Healthier alternatives cannot exist because Walmart quickly crushes them.
Next, Walmart leaves because they've squeezed as much value as possible out of the town and are no longer seeing growth. The jobs and grocery that the town relied on vanish, and no other grocers can enter into that space because of the bootstrap costs.
This location is now a food desert. Nearest grocery access is a few towns over, or you get lucky and one of the dollar store chains enters in to help.
This isn't just an illustrative example. This is something that happens [1]. Constantly. [2].
Let me illustrate how this happens. Walmart enters into a small town. They bankrupt the local groceries by undercutting and using economy of scale. They become the sole grocer in town. Healthier alternatives cannot exist because Walmart quickly crushes them.
Next, Walmart leaves because they've squeezed as much value as possible out of the town and are no longer seeing growth. The jobs and grocery that the town relied on vanish, and no other grocers can enter into that space because of the bootstrap costs.
This location is now a food desert. Nearest grocery access is a few towns over, or you get lucky and one of the dollar store chains enters in to help.
This isn't just an illustrative example. This is something that happens [1]. Constantly. [2].
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/09/what-happene...
[2] https://abcnews.go.com/Business/walmart-closures-leaving-sma...