"Becca" wrote:
> Bobo Bonobo® wrote:
>>
>> Or in many small towns, Wal Mart has driven the small grocers out of
>> business. Plus, you can get all the Wal Mart type stuff in the same
>> trip, i.e. a quart of oil. I run up to Wal Mart for milk and
>> half&half, when Aldi isn't open. They're closer and cheaper than the
>> supermarkets.
>> One really awful thing is their brined beef (enhanced with a
>> solution).
>
>
> One of my friends is visiting this weekend, and she owned a bicycle shop
> until Walmart opened Her store closed one year later, along with the
> store next door to her, which was a fabric store. This is why some
> communities do not care for Walmart.
>
>
> Becca

A small bicycle shop should have easily survived, they should have been
selling far superior products, be highly knowledeable about bicycle
technology, and service what they sell, Walmart sells mostly low end
bicycles and gives zero service. The same is true for a fabric store,
Walmart fabrics are garbage, and Walmart has no one who can give sewing
advice.

Most often the big box stores put the small privately owned specialty stores
out of business because for many years small neighborhood stores were the
only show in town and took advantage: they over charged and gave lousy
service, and many sold inferior products at large markup... I see that all
the time; paint store, hardware store, lumber yard, office supply store,
fabric store, window treatment stores. appliance store, the list is endless.
There is no reason to patronize a small neighborhood shop when they over
charge AND do not give service... most people will pay higher prices IF they
are properly serviced and not met with rudeness. The small neighborhood
stores disappeared because they were unwilling to respect their customers,
they never had to. However there are still plenty of small sole
proprietorships that do quite well, because they adjusted their attitude.
My small town had stores that didn't make it, the small Ace Hardware owner
was rude, just sat there, would never get up to help find something, when
you asked for something at best if he acknowleded your presence at all he'd
say in a begrudging tone to say end of aisle three... if you bought
something or not he never said thank you, come again. But we have a toy
store that beats toys r us all to heck, they give customers undivided
attention and their politeness is sincere. Small stores got knocked out of
business because they never should have been in business to begin with, but
often they were the only show in town... they didn't have the business
acumen to deal with competition... they're the type with the mindset that
believes sampling produce is bad... success in business is predicated on one
reaps what they sow. Our new toy store has been there three years, and has
already expanded to take over the next store space... whether their parents
buy something or not every kid that enters their store leaves with a free
complimentary toy... it's amazing how quickly a disappointed kid's tears
stop when a 25¢ waterpaint set is thrust in their hand, and how far that
goes towards people returning.