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| | Big-Box Stores Rule Top 10 List (washingtonpost.com) |
 | | What's gradually being lost in the grocery store industry is the kind of cultlike enthusiasm that shoppers once had for their own regional chains, dotted across the country. |
 | | Ten years ago, Target (No. 4) was but a division of the department-store-driven company Dayton Hudson, and now it is one of the most influential design retailers in the country, exposing millions of consumers to high-quality, interesting, unique merchandise, even if it is relatively cheap. |
 | | Costco, too, was not on the list in the mid-1990s, but has moved up to fifth place largely because of its terrific merchandising, which keeps shoppers excited and eager to spend. |
| www.washingtonpost.com /wp-dyn/articles/A41925-2004Jul11_2.html (629 words) |
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