US parking space requirements. As a brick-and-mortar business, you cannot open shop unless you meet the minimum parking requirements in your city or state. These requirements were set in the 50's when the auto was starting to take over the streets. The minimum number of spaces are totally made up and not based on any statistical trends, they tend to overshoot the parking that is actually required. This leaves us with 4 parking spaces for every vehicle in the US and it means that businesses in old towns have to buy up and demolish historic buildings to make enough parking to open shop. Parking lots are also expensive! And companies pass along that cost to the customer in their prices. Even if the customer does not own a car, they are paying for the parking spaces of other shopper's cars.

Here's the video that taught me about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUNXFHpUhu8