They mill around the cavernous store as the forklifts that tool up and down the aisles beep incessantly.

Roaming the aisles recently for sundries, customers expressed their attachment to the cavernous store, which managed to be both drab and charming.

But after a few moments, she put it back and went on to look around the cavernous store.

As land prices rise near populous areas, for instance, cavernous stores may not be as viable.

In her last years, she moved around the cavernous store on a golf cart, sometimes startling visitors by abruptly zipping away toward customers who appeared to be waiting for attention.

And when saturation hits, many publishers fear that some cavernous stores will close, sending truckloads of books back to publishers, which accept returns as a standard industry practice.

But to some Vermonters, the cavernous store in this Burlington suburb symbolizes something else: the big-box-ification of a largely unspoiled part of the country.

Last fall, shoppers at Toys "R" Us, armed with holiday wish lists, often left the chain's cavernous stores frustrated and empty-handed.

"Owner In Store W/Gun," read a sign outside Rodeo's Boot Outlet, a cavernous store with the front blown off.

In addition to supermarkets, big chains like Staples, Wal-Mart and Home Depot have combined cavernous stores with steady prices to build high volume and profitable sales.