Uganda, Dec. 8 -- One of Kampala's poorly kept secrets is the scam that store attendants at Game Store ran, in which they force-fed discounts on items into their payment systems, then split the difference with willing customers.

The store attendants made some money quietly. Customers got desired items at a discount. Everyone was happy except, of course, the business owner. The embers of the Game Store closing-down fire sale are still smouldering but will turn to ash before the month is out.

There are probably bigger forces at play behind the decision by Massmart, the store owner, to up stakes and leave. The failure to open more outlets in almost two decades speaks of a small consumer market in Uganda. The current downturn, which tops a ...