Americans are used to being able to buy just about whatever they want whenever they want it. But this access is a relatively new phenomenon in the U.S. and across the world. In an interview with TIME, Fishman says:
“When you step in the front door of a Walmart the range of things that’s available within 50 steps of you, 100 steps of you is kind of mind boggling. Fifty years ago, when Sam Walton first started, even the richest person in the world couldn’t step into a room and have access to the range of products that we have now. You can buy potting soil and a Timex watch, and it doesn’t seem weird.”