Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Boxed In

Mom and pop are finished. 
The coliseums of capitalism did them out.
How could a small business with a modest inventory, 
and a few workers,  compete with  big-box,  
stand-alone,  mega-stores?
They can’t.

The   corner bookstore with the creaky wooden floor and the big cat who sat in the window, was run out of town by Borders, and Barnes and Noble.

The local hardware store bolted after being overtaken by Home Depot and Lowes.

The Main Street pharmacy was staggered by CVS, Walgreens and Rite-Aid.
(Duane Reade in urban- speak)

Stationery stores proved to be less than stationary after Office Depot and Staples reamed them out.

Pet stores are endangered by Pet Smart and PetCo.

Doctors'   practices are  going  abdomen-up as they  join Professional Medical Group Management Associations.
A Doc-in-a-bigger-box.

Maybe, in the end, we’ll just have one big box left.


4 comments:

The Political Impaler said...

No one forced us to shop at a box. We could have stayed with mom and pop and payed more for less choice but we are always looking to pay less for a product. If ISIS sells us oil at a dollar less a gallon there are millions of Americans who would buy it.

quicksand said...

That is my point as well.
We hunt for bargains as we eliminate jobs.
I can see it now...ISIS...pump your own gas at a discount.
May sound silly...but probably true.

DrMojo said...

I was upstate New York a few years ago, strolling down Main Street of this once thriving small town. We noticed about 50% of the stores/shops were boarded up. It was quite sad. The only thing with any life to it was the bar. Later, when I noticed a thriving WallMart just outside of town, I understood why the small shops could not compete. I do not blame the people of this town for needing or wanting to get the best prices but by abandoning their now lifeless downtown I cant help think if many are regretting that bargain.

quicksand said...

Maybe, in the end, Amazon will be the only one standing.