The reality is...
Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
Yes, work on changing company and businesses policies. Let the local stores know of your displeasure with a well written letter, and continue sending these letters up the chain from local, to regional to corporate level.
That said, and for an example, I moved from a bigger city in another state, where I had choices. Meaning I could choose to not do business with folks and instead conduct business with more friendly folks in regard to what I believe in.
I am now in another state, in a village not big enough to have a dot, on many maps.
We have one cop, no traffic lights, but we do have speed limit , stop, yield signs.
I have one "store" in town. A gas station or better said, a convenience store.
The closest towns to me, in any direction is 15 miles. This is where I have to go,to get anything I need.
Chain and franchise stores, are where one "has" to get most of anything, as the small mom-n-pop stores have died out.
It took me checking out three , maybe it was four places just to have extra sets of keys made.
The "mom-n-pop" places are gone, one had quit making keys and it would not surprise me if the place I finally found that did make keys, quits doing so.
It is over 30 miles to a bigger city, that has a U-haul, or Cracker Barrel, or anything of this sort.
Sixty miles to a really big city, that affords any choices.
One of our members, a good friend of mine, lives 5 miles from the nearest gas station.
He and his family, and a few neighbors "down the way" , read their own utility meters, as the utility companies only come out once a year to check meters, unless there is an emergency.
He and his wife have kids, and while they do not like either of two stores, nearest, they have a choice of the lesser of two evils, and often go to the one 10 miles closer than the other, which is still about 25 miles away.
You get a sick kid, you go and get what you need at this place, whether you agree with politics or not.
You can only buy so much online, and have delivery services such as USPS, UPS, or Fed Ex deliver it.
I am not a shopper per se' , I'd just as soon call in what I want for groceries and have them delivered.
I last bought groceries a month ago, and have only been in a store to buy something once since. That was about two weeks ago as when I was in to buy groceries, they were out of what I wanted for allergies and sinus.