Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge has an excerpt from the book Category Killers by Robert Spector, which explores what's next for big-box, category killers like Staples and Home Depot.

Because many shoppers are reacting negatively to dealing with big superstores full of jammed aisles and backed-up checkout lines, they are turning to smaller specialty stores, where they can get in, buy what they're looking for, and get out. In response, category killers are opening small, easier-to-shop, neighborhood stores to attract these time-pressed consumers. Although smaller stores translate to lower costs, the challenge for category killers is to find ways to extract the highest possible number of sales in a limited space.