Why your lumber from Home Depot is (seemingly) cheaper

because the problems that result from servicing day laborers that congregate around such stores are off-loaded onto the public. See "Two sites eyed for D.C. day-labor center" from the Washington Times. From the article:

Mr. Thomas secured $500,000 in budget funding to build the center, which he hopes will connect day laborers and local residents to jobs by offering training and employment services. He also said the center would be a multicultural facility and include restrooms.

There are a great number of articles written about the increase in crime around Big Box stores, and how this can overwhelm local jurisdictions in terms of the increased costs. (I have read a bunch of stories about this vis-a-vis Wal Mart.)

Now the Washington Times doesn't tend to be in favor of immigration. I wonder if they editorialized in favor of the large tax and other incentives provided to the developer of Rhode Island Place and the stores that located there? From the article:

Mr. Thomas initially envisioned the facility as a public-private partnership between the city government and the Home Depot. Company executives have so far cooperated with such projects in other parts of the country. And a Home Depot spokesman said in May that officials were discussing the project with Mr. Thomas.

Still, the company has given mixed signals about its willingness to cooperate with such projects. In California, some city governments required the home-improvement chain to build facilities for day laborers. However, the company supported an amendment to an immigration bill defeated in the Senate last month that would have banned city councils from requiring stores to provide shelter and services for day-labor sites.