If so, why mom-and-pop stores in rest of America are deemed less worthy of same protections as NYC?

This is few years old news but appears NYC policy is same for the most part.
Bill De Blasio, has been opposed to Walmart for many years. His position is that the retailer is a killer of good jobs.
New York -- The mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, said Thursday that Walmart stores are not welcome in New York City, Newsday reported. His attitude is much different from his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg.