Box Stores, Do We Need Them?

There is an old joke. "Where does a 600lb guerrilla sleep? Anywhere he wants." Big box stores have become the 600 lb guerilla in the world of small town shopping. The little stores can't compete with them. In town after town when the big guys move in the local stores disappear.

This may be great for shopping and getting a bargain; but all too soon the shopper finds they have no choice left. Computation is about more than price. The shops that disappear often provided services the big guys didn't.

When some corporate genius decides to stop carrying a certain product or size, you may no longer be able to get those items locally. In small towns that can mean a long drive to find what you need. The choice becomes driving over an hour or settling for something you didn't want in the first place. We have sacrificed the service and convinance of the corner store for a long drive to save a buck.