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They used to refer to this as 'Walmartization' and it is very real. Walmart (and probably all the other big boxes by now) would visit factories to show them how to 'improve processes and materials' so as to be able to meet the incredibly tight, perhaps impossible pricing demands of the big box. Suppliers are basically forced into it, as the big box market rules - boycotted by them means obscurity/failure.
I first heard of this waaaay back, when living in Cleveland, and it is the only true first hand I have (but well documented in many areas). This came from a tire factory worker in Ohio who warned me off of the big-box tire deals - originally, the tires all came off the same line, but the Walmart-bound tires did not get the final inspections (because lifetime warranty - customers get to do that for them). Since about 5% of tires fail that, you have the required 'improvement' by skipping that step. Later on they began to 'optimize' materials so there were separate production lines, but all the same branding.
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