RE: Big Box Stores
Thanks, everybody, for your replies. Especially Onyx_TKD for the wiki link.

For some reason I thought Big Box Store was an e-hell term, probably because I never heard of that term outside of e-hell, so I never even thought to google it.
Now I know!

RE: Why are cars such boring colors?
LOL!
DDs and I are looking for a car. We sat down with a dealer and chatted a bit then he asked if we were looking for any specific color. DD#2

piped up and said
"A pretty color, like Azure (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure_%28color%29) or a pale lime green. Not the shocking Woah! Bright! lime green but a nice soft pastel lime green. Something like that."
The salesman was all

Then he wrote down "pretty color" and looked at me. I said "Any color."
Just thought I'd let you know that you have a car-color soul mate.

I'm sure you'll get more technical responses, but I'm going to say Demand/Cost/Feasibility of repair.
Not a whole lot of people want an orange car so they stick to neutral colors. They paint their cars and parts in "lots" and it's cheaper by the dozen, KWIM? With any body damage people can buy touch-up paints in their specific lot color and it would be a pretty darn good match.
Just my thoughts.