People I speak to miss the days of popping in one shop after the other, having a friendly chat with the butcher, greengrocer, bumping into other folks you know. Shopping was more of a social thing back in the day. Now you can't even chat to a cashier because it's all self service
It's not because people want it, but because the big chains priced the little man out of the market. People will always go where the best deals are.
I used to work for a tiny family owned supermarket when I was a lad, there was no way they'd have let their employees work 15 hour shifts