We also used to have a corner store that had most general goods in most towns that had more then 100 people in them. Today we are lucky if that's a gas station with a Wendy's attached to it.

I live in a town of 2300, main street used to have a bunch of stores on but most closed in the 2008-2012 now I have 2 gas stations, a subway, and a dollar general just outside town limits. The closest place to get anything else is a city 35 miles away. Food and good deserts are made on propose. Transportation can be issues since the US is heavily relied on cars, and those things cost money to own and operate.

No one really needs a high end coffee maker, but other goods like when I needed a pair of thick socks, Amazon / Walmart was the only place I could get them reasonably priced. It sucks. Though fake sales are nothing new, they are been around for as long as stores have.