"You can get away with it at a big-box store, with mostly lower skilled retail positions, " he says, noting that a specialty electronics chain like Best Buy generally requires more knowledgeable workers.

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Some 70% happen away from a big-box store.

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Of course, walking into any big-box electronics store to peer down aisles of seemingly identical flat screens could drive anyone mad before they ever step on campus, so we've narrowed down the list for you, and even suggested a few other items to plug into those HDTVs.

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Not only are these store-within-a-store small spaces highly efficient vis a vis outfitting the Big Box but, like speed dating, you can get real-world experience, have the opportunity to make a good impression and (if desirable) get in and get out without too much damage.

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You won't find many category killers in Japan, since its Large-Scale Retail Store Law still limits the advance of big-box stores.

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If it is unable to either shift from the big-box retail format to smaller stores, or optimize store space by sub-leasing to other businesses, operating costs will not come down.

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Divya Jayanthi, an assistant sales manager at Hunter Douglas, which makes window treatments, says she still uses her local store for daily needs but goes to a big- box retailer HyperCITY Retail (India) Ltd.

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Apps such as Key Ring and CardStar let you store the information for grocery stores, pharmacies, big-box retailers and other stores.

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The rise of big-box retailers, be they discounters or swollen supermarkets and drugstores, has given store chains the heft to bypass wholesalers.

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