# Which Industries are not (yet) Chains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676 "2008-08-11T23:14:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/21 "2008-08-12T08:42:40Z")
As to construction, there are several all-but nationwide house construction companies. Toll Brothers is one of the biggees. They’re not a “chain” in the sense that they are franchised, but they are a chain in the sense that they have local outlets owned by the central corp which sell & deliver their wares in the local market with policies, & procedures, and product line centrally determined at HQ. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/22 "2008-08-12T09:40:04Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Supermarkets are a surprising exception to national chains. There are a lot of big regional chains and some chains like WalMart that sell groceries along with other commodities. But no supermarket chain like Krogers or Publix or Safeway or Wegmans has achieved the kind of market penetration that chains like Blockbuster or Best Buy or NAPA has. [/QUOTE] Is this a case of the same company operating under different names in different regions, like Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s? Because it does seem odd that no big national supermarket exists (and I’m guessing IGA doesn’t count). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/23 "2008-08-12T09:40:35Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Supermarkets are a surprising exception to national chains. There are a lot of big regional chains and some chains like WalMart that sell groceries along with other commodities. But no supermarket chain like Krogers or Publix or Safeway or Wegmans has achieved the kind of market penetration that chains like Blockbuster or Best Buy or NAPA has. [/QUOTE] The national chains are in the _wholesale_ grocery industry, supplying all those regional supermarket chains out of public view. The largest, SuperValu, supplies about 11% of the groceries sold in the US. The next largest, Fleming, supplies about 9%. Nash Finch supplies about 4%. So these 3 together provide about one fourth of the groceries sold in the US. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/24 "2008-08-12T11:18:44Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] Is this a case of the same company operating under different names in different regions, like Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s? Because it does seem odd that no big national supermarket exists (and I’m guessing IGA doesn’t count). [/QUOTE] That’s the case with [Kroger’s](http://www.thekrogerco.com/). They own 15 brand names of grocery stores plus two chains of discount grocery stores. You can see all the brands at the link I gave. I couldn’t find a map of all the locations for their stores, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t cover pretty much the entire US. Around here, we have QFC and Fred Meyer. Freddies sell more than groceries, so they’re not listed as one of the 15, but they do have a full sized grocery store as a major part of all their stores. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/25 "2008-08-12T11:40:25Z")
[QUOTE=dtilque] That’s the case with [Kroger’s](http://www.thekrogerco.com/). They own 15 brand names of grocery stores plus two chains of discount grocery stores. You can see all the brands at the link I gave. I couldn’t find a map of all the locations for their stores, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t cover pretty much the entire US. Around here, we have QFC and Fred Meyer. Freddies sell more than groceries, so they’re not listed as one of the 15, but they do have a full sized grocery store as a major part of all their stores. [/QUOTE] How bizarre-- I looked at that link to find that Kroger runs a few jewelry chains in addition to their grocery business. Certainly not what I’d expected. It seems like it’s only in the last few decades (within my lifetime) that nationwide chains have become the norm for so many non-fast-food businesses. Groceries, banking, hardware, high-end department stores, casual dining, funeral homes, gas stations, pharmacies. Despite early coast-to-coast chains like A&P (or broken-up monopolies like Standard Oil), it seems like regionals were the rule rather than the exception until fairly recently. I wonder if it was due to fears of antitrust action like Standard’s breakup, or purely financial. Are there any nationwide new car dealers? Florists (FTD and the like are more like associations of independent owners)? Cab companies? Bars/pubs (I know chains exist in the UK, and there are minor chains in the US like Howl at the Moon, but they seem too small to be considered national)? ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/26 "2008-08-12T11:40:53Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] [http://www.troongolf.com/](http://www.troongolf.com/) [/QUOTE] Troon has 200 courses spread across 31 countries. As of 2005 the US alone has about 16,000 courses. I’d have to say, barring discovery of more chains, golfing as an industry remains “mostly local” as per the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/27 "2008-08-12T14:34:17Z")
[QUOTE=UncleFred] Bowling Alleys? [/QUOTE] I know the bowling alley chain Brunswick Zone have locations in 19 states across the US. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/28 "2008-08-12T14:41:03Z")
[QUOTE=psycat90] [Adam & Eve](http://www.adamevestores.com/index.asp?page=franchising) (warning - site has sound, but is otherwise completely SFW.) I don’t know of any franchise head shops or tattoo studios. [/QUOTE] Do head shops still exist? I was under the impression that the mere possession of a bong or other “paraphernalia” was now outlawed, no? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/29 "2008-08-12T14:51:10Z")
[QUOTE=Student Driver] …funeral homes… [/QUOTE] While chain funeral homes are common the funeral industry goes to great lengths to hide this. The is no common branding. When a chain buys a local funeral home not only does it not change the name it also keeps the former owners on payroll. This creates the illusion of small, family run, businesses. Families will often send their dead to the same funeral home for generations. [QUOTE=zoid] Do head shops still exist? I was under the impression that the mere possession of a bong or other “paraphernalia” was now outlawed, no? [/QUOTE] _Tobacco_ paraphernalia is perfectly legal. 😉 The head shops I’ve been in have tend to have signs saying stuff is _For tobacco use only_. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/30 "2008-08-12T17:23:24Z")
[QUOTE=HeyHomie] **Fine Dining** [/quote] There’s some chains that go even more upscale than places like Ruth’s Chris and Morton’s, such as The Palm and a few other world city-only mini-chains. You’re not going to see branches of such chains in Peoria, or even Phoenix or Dallas. > [@](#): > > **Construction and Related Industries** Regional plumber and handyman chains are relatively common. There are large design-build-engineering services firms with tens of branches (URS, Bechtel, etc), although they technically aren’t chains; they’re just branch offices of a large firm. [QUOTE=yabob] Dry cleaners? [/QUOTE] Many local and regional chains in the US, but nothing national that I know of. [QUOTE=Scarlett67] Porn shops? [/QUOTE] There’s a few emerging national chains with stores in more conventional locations, such as Adam&Eve. There’s plenty of regional chains, such as AdultMart. Supposedly the bulk of porn stores that have cropped up by rural Interstate exits in recent years are owned by just a few people; even though the stores have different names, they have common ownership. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/31 "2008-08-12T17:29:39Z")
What exactly do you mean by Chain? ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/32 "2008-08-12T17:32:39Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s some chains that go even more upscale than places like Ruth’s Chris and Morton’s, such as The Palm and a few other world city-only mini-chains. You’re not going to see branches of such chains in Peoria, or even Phoenix or Dallas. Like [Nobu](http://www.noburestaurants.com/). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/33 "2008-08-12T17:34:48Z")
I haven’t seen _national_ chains for … - Certain types of increasingly common ethnic cuisine, including Thai, Greek, Indian, and Middle Eastern. - Vegetarian restaurants. - Dance, yoga, and martial arts studios. - Bicycle stores. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/34 "2008-08-12T18:00:10Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by zoid > > Do head shops still exist? I was under the impression that the mere possession of a bong or other “paraphernalia” was now outlawed, no? > > Tobacco paraphernalia is perfectly legal. The head shops I’ve been in have tend to have signs saying stuff is For tobacco use only. And it’s a “water pipe,” not a bong. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/35 "2008-08-12T18:45:26Z")
[QUOTE=dtilque] That’s the case with [Kroger’s](http://www.thekrogerco.com/). They own 15 brand names of grocery stores plus two chains of discount grocery stores. You can see all the brands at the link I gave. I couldn’t find a map of all the locations for their stores, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t cover pretty much the entire US. [/QUOTE] None of the ones listed there are in the northeast US…except maybe parts of PA (and maybe southern NJ?.) But not New England and not any parts of New York or New Jersey I’ve been to. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/36 "2008-08-12T18:54:12Z")
[QUOTE=dalej42] Law firms? [/QUOTE] large law firms have offices in many cities across the US and abroad. check out the AmLaw 100 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/37 "2008-08-12T18:55:47Z")
[QUOTE=zoid] Do head shops still exist? I was under the impression that the mere possession of a bong or other “paraphernalia” was now outlawed, no? [/QUOTE] Yes, it’s outlawed. The difficult thing to prosecute is dual-use gear: You can roll tobacco in those papers just as well as anything else. The fact some towns actually have stores that sell loose tobacco and rolling papers makes it even more difficult to prosecute for some kinds of paraphernalia. > [@smiling bandit](#): > > What exactly do you mean by Chain? A single corporation that has stores operating under (at least) one brand across a sizeable portion of the country, if not the world. The fast food market is dominated by large multinational chains, the low to medium end of the real restaurant business less so, and fine dining (apparently) not at all. I’ve also not noticed ethnic food chains above the fast food level, and I haven’t noticed any Indian food chains at all. ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/38 "2008-08-12T19:45:32Z")
[QUOTE=dtilque] That’s the case with [Kroger’s](http://www.thekrogerco.com/). They own 15 brand names of grocery stores plus two chains of discount grocery stores. You can see all the brands at the link I gave. I couldn’t find a map of all the locations for their stores, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t cover pretty much the entire US. Around here, we have QFC and Fred Meyer. Freddies sell more than groceries, so they’re not listed as one of the 15, but they do have a full sized grocery store as a major part of all their stores. [/QUOTE] Former Krogerite here. You’re exactly right. We had 2500-ish grocery stores everywhere in the US, except for NY/NJ/NE. Look on the back of your Fred/Fry’s/Dillon’s/Kroger card some time. You should see most of the various banners that’ll take the card for loyalty purposes. When Kroger buys out a local chain, it often leaves some stores under the original banner for marketing reasons while folding operations into the regional division. So why the sign on the store may say Farmer Jack’s, most of the mid-tier private label food items will be labeled “Kroger.” ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/39 "2008-08-12T20:11:38Z")
[QUOTE=Student Driver] Are there any nationwide new car dealers? [/QUOTE] I’m not sure whether [Auto Nation](http://www.autonation.com/) is true chain or just a very large assocation of dealers. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676/40 "2008-08-12T21:19:07Z")
[QUOTE=black rabbit] Former Krogerite here. You’re exactly right. We had 2500-ish grocery stores everywhere in the US, except for NY/NJ/NE. Look on the back of your Fred/Fry’s/Dillon’s/Kroger card some time. You should see most of the various banners that’ll take the card for loyalty purposes. When Kroger buys out a local chain, it often leaves some stores under the original banner for marketing reasons while folding operations into the regional division. So why the sign on the store may say Farmer Jack’s, most of the mid-tier private label food items will be labeled “Kroger.” [/QUOTE] I’ve never seen any of those stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Florida. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-industries-are-not-yet-chains/459676.md?page=3)