Lower Standards, Always.

My little neighborhood grocery store closed last week.

It was inevitable, really, as a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Grocery opened across the street from it about six years ago. At first I was excited about the appearance of the Wal-Mart and the possibility of all those low prices, but once they got here I saw it was the triumph of marketing over truth. Their prices were almost always higher than the larger chains in the area, but they beat the bejesus out of my little store.

I say "little" but it must have been staffed by over a hundred people. But they're all out of jobs now, thanks more to the George Bush Depression than anything Wal-Mart could ever do.

Now the Wal-Mart is the sole food store in a heavily-populated residential area of Dallas, stretching almost three miles in any direction. That's a lot of stomachs, and a lot of profit.

From what I know of Wal-Mart's business practices this means their prices will soon start to inch up, but it won't bother me. I'll simply drive a little farther for my black beans and cat food, but I feel sorry for those without means to drive those few extra miles. Hopefully, when the economy begins to recover, we'll have a new, more nimble, more people friendly (think Costco) grocery franchise putting down roots and offering better choices.

While I'm at it, I'd like a pony, too.

(More on Wal-Mart's business practices here.)

=mike=

PS, I don't mean to suggest that Wal-Mart or any of its subsidiaries are actually evil, just that they're the physical manifestation of all of mankind's collective sins.