On the other hand, I don't really see the need for stores to be unique. I go to stores to buy things. If they have what I need, that works for me. I think it's easy to associate big box stores with the ones that people tend to dislike, but there are also high quality places like Wegmans that are still big box, suburb-y stores.

It seems that much of the suburb vs. city debate comes down to culture and personal preference.