Re: shahab on sope! - Chain stores

["JS M" <jbiggs50@hotmail.com>]

supermarket bagels suck.  It's not rocket science.  How come Winco has those 
gooey, yeasty hockey pucks?  Maybe it's the water.
jm


>From: "Shahab Mesbah" <moscadmin@moscow.com>
>To: <vision2020@moscow.com>
>Subject: shahab on sope! - Chain stores
>Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 18:22:15 -0800
>
>Dearest friends,
>
>ok...I'll bite! please remember that I am not trying to attack anyone here
>but let me try to explain my problem with the statement below.
>
>I think the fact that in the past 40 or so years we have slowly created an
>economy of huge chain stores is the main reason we do not have any choice 
>in
>our purchases. I have used the grocery stores as an example in the past. 
>let
>us look at a specific example. the proliferation of the supermarkets for
>years destroyed the local grocery stores. when I was growing up my mother
>and I used to go to the fruit store... yes the fruit store. they had the
>best fruit. they did not sell typewriters, fax machines, tires, carpet
>cleaners, and fruit... they sold fruit. they had contacts in their special
>area and they knew how to choose the best stuff. they were a bit more
>expensive but the quality was so much better. in our town we are fortunate
>to have the Coop. since the Coop has moved it has been able to give more
>options and better product. by the way anyone try the organic broccoli
>yet... I challenge you to find a broccoli as good... it is absolutely
>incredible. we also have Otto's now but I am sure things are not easy for
>him. not only the small business, if supported by community, gives you more
>options it also keeps the monetary flow balance within a community. every
>time we spend money in Spokane, on the web, in the chain stores or the like
>we loose the dollars... they leave our community. we do not have many ways
>to bring money into our community from other places. the reason Wal-Mart is
>such a huge company is that it has sucked precious money out of small
>communities like ours.
>
>The fact is that we have not been looking at quality... we have been 
>looking
>at price. if we had looked at quality we would not have lost so many local
>businesses who provided excellent service and product line. when we 
>purchase
>with the short term costs in mind we all loose. we may say that staples
>sells you a pen for 10 cents less than Ken's stationary but what we do not
>count on is the cost to the community. for that 10 cent saving how much tax
>money would we spend to revitalize the downtown? how will you get the money
>back to our own community? do we really want to consider working in staples
>a career? there are many places in our beloved country which have gone this
>way.
>
>I believe that we need to be careful how we buy things... our purchases are
>like votes. when a businessman provides superior product, service, and is
>involved in the community he or she (in Persian there is no sexual
>distinction as in he/she can I use she since it includes he also?!) is
>contributing greatly to the community and we should support himer (him /
>her - I am rewriting the English language too!). we need to educate
>ourselves about the local business. I am sad that we lost the bagel 
>store...
>I hate supermarket bagels!
>
>your brother in arms,
>
>Shahab...
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <WMSteed@aol.com>
>To: <dpalm@earthlink.net>; <wrparish@moscow.com>
>Cc: <bill_london@hotmail.com>; <vision2020@moscow.com>
>Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2000 5:19 PM
>Subject: Re: Alturas Park
>
>
>
>In a message dated 2/13/00 4:01:36 PM, dpalm@earthlink.net writes:
>
><< chain stores that add nothing to our community >>
>
>Duncan,  If it weren't for the chains we would be like Genesee and have to
>go
>to Lewiston, Spokane or Cd'A for certain things or any variety at all.
>Local
>people just don't have the resources to bring the number of restaurants, 
>gas
>stations (yea, I know about the prices), movie houses, variety stores,
>department stores, etc. that we have available to us.  Is there a local
>grocery store except the CO-OP here?  They don't carry certain items and I
>have to rely on the chains for those.
>
>I support local businesses but not to the exclusion of chains.  The best
>product at the best price is important to many of us.  I think we'd all be
>amazed if someone listed the number of businesses by some category and
>whether or not they were part of a chain.  Some here are a chain of two or
>three that most of us think of as local while the second one is in another
>state.  They started out as a local business for some community and due to
>hard work and persistence have grown into a dreaded "chain."
>
>Just the other side.
>
>Walter Steed
>
>
>

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com