n Mexico without giving proper consideration to cultural differences. In the United States, a huge store like Wal-Mart is usually set as the centerpiece in a shopping center, or it may stand in isolation as its own target location. It is not usually found in a downtown area, however, and instead serves the suburban shopper. The idea of the shopping center is unusual in Mexico, with only a few such centers in existence. The consumer is not accustomed to this sort of shopping experience, and in any case, there are major differences between the way Americans and Mexicans shop. American supercenters operate on the principle that the consumer can be shifted from one kind of product and one kind of store to another--if a shopper intends to buy groceries, he or she will also be willing to buy general merchandise while they are in the area. The shopping center depends on this idea so that shoppers can be attracted to a variety of kinds of store. The average consumer in Mexico, however, does not buy groceries in a supermarket and instead shops at neighborhood stores--the butcher shop, bakery, tortiller
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