I don't think that reasonning is correct. There is nothing inevitable about the dollar store putting the grocer out of business. The grocer doesn't have to insist and try to sell the same things the dollar store does. There are many other things that need retailing, and there are many other services that need providing. For example everywhere I look, farmers markets are doing great - while surrounded by megamarts. For another example, the alleged king of megamarts is doing a truly shitty job and giving a free ride to Amazon. It's not that Amazon or Target are winning but that it was Walmart's opportunity to not win and they are valiantly going at giving everyone else a chance. The grocer can absolutely "not even try" but that doesn't prove a whole lot. Granted that once that grocer has let both the dollar store and the online marketplaces take over, well now they have to get truly creative and adapt to two generation steps at once. And then again, surrounded by megamarts and free advice web sites, stores dedicated to wine with advice, or dedicated to cheese are all over Europe. Their job is retail and they found a need and a customer base that neither the megamarts nor amazon could manage.
You mention the web designer and that's again a good example - but not supporting the direction you want, I think. Web design is a field that's easy to enter (because does not require tens of years of experience or expensive in house server farms or expensive tools or license or large corporate team). It's not obvious for a busy small business to find a not-sold-out but good web designer but only because of near full employment. Probably that web designer should be more and more aware and agile using lower level tools (including generative AI and lower wage countries), but there is no reason supply and demand can't still meet each other in web design. Even in the age of Wix and such. They are different kinds of offerings which do compete with each other so that the boundary fluctuates but do not replace each other. Wix only displaces web designers that only do what Wix does. And even then only marginally so: a web designer can use Wix - just better than the customer - and have a service to sell.
Great new video on how Dollar General operates and the impact, positive or negative on the area. I had seen something similar ages ago but this is a good one too. Or it's the same video, reheated.
However, it sells the boring usual cliché on how DG stores kill the local food stores: Dollar General sells the stuff they carry for far less. Well of course they do! Duh. While in the same video it is also shown that the local food store sells lots of things the Dollar General doesn't. Stop expecting to make a living by things you can't compete on. That just does not make sense. And the solution is NOT to get the other guy outlawed - that's tempting and seems easy but that only works in the short term. Shuffle prices around, carry other things, add services, change hours, do something! A potential issue could be that a tiny town may only be able to support so much retail activity. I don't think this one is in play. The stores of a small isolated town have a moat: their customers would have to drive at least 20 minutes, bus at least 40 perhaps, to get to the next store. And the small retail stores that persist all over Europe do NOT do so by selling the same stuff for more money. THAT is just dumb.
Another example shown in this video is 69 DG-equivalents within 10 miles of a downtown (all carrying the same things). There is plenty of buying power in that otherwise poor area. There should be space for other stores, probably for inexpensive fresh food and for more specialized stores. At least until Amazon figures out the fresh food issue. But obviously there isn't space for smaller stores trying to make a living selling the same things! Obviously?
For that matter, the video also describes the working conditions and salary of the DG-equivalents: minimum wage and employees who don't care. Another area where other stores can compete: by having a slightly more engaged workforce.
I would love to find videos discussing people who "actually did something rather than sit on their asses" and either it worked or failed. Pointers anyone?
You mention the web designer and that's again a good example - but not supporting the direction you want, I think. Web design is a field that's easy to enter (because does not require tens of years of experience or expensive in house server farms or expensive tools or license or large corporate team). It's not obvious for a busy small business to find a not-sold-out but good web designer but only because of near full employment. Probably that web designer should be more and more aware and agile using lower level tools (including generative AI and lower wage countries), but there is no reason supply and demand can't still meet each other in web design. Even in the age of Wix and such. They are different kinds of offerings which do compete with each other so that the boundary fluctuates but do not replace each other. Wix only displaces web designers that only do what Wix does. And even then only marginally so: a web designer can use Wix - just better than the customer - and have a service to sell.