I can’t find it now, but there’s a metric for describing the number of times a dollar circulates within a community. A lot of chains will use that as a way to decide where they can go “strip mine” as @VeronicaConnor describes. If a thriving local community sees each dollar circulate something like 3.5 times locally, that community essentially triples their collective wealth.
When most chains come in, that number plummets. So I think collectively, it is fair to say “chains bad, local good,” but that doesn’t get at the availability and cost issues some in the community might still struggle with. That requires a caring community.
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