On 1/17/2016 12:43 PM, rbowman wrote:
On 01/17/2016 12:38 AM, Don Y wrote:

You laugh -- but I recall when my in-laws exclaimed over the arrival of a
McDonald's in their home town ("Hey, we must be on the map, now!")

I think the first Walmart was like that for a lot of people here. Progress for
me was when they built a supermarket on the outskirts of town so I wouldn't
have to drive all the way in. I suppose I should have known it would be
followed by Old Navy, Taco Bell, B&N, BestBuy (formerly Future Shoppe) Lowe's,
Petsmart, and so forth.

Yup. When they said "If you built it, they will come" they were
talking about the OTHER BUSINESSES! :

I've found that "basics" varies in parts of the country. E.g., I can
buy live *chicks* in the hardware store up the corner. And, bales of
hay down the street. But, it will cost me a 30 minute drive to buy
an overpriced capacitor at the *one* place in town that sells them!

Since RatShack closed I don't think I could scare up a capacitor in town.
Chicks, hay, and stock tanks are no problem.

I don't think they even *sell* discretes anymore!

I can *possibly* get a decent Italian meal if I go to one of the 4 stars
that cater to resort visitors. But, damn little else for more modest
tastes!

It hardly qualifies as decent, but there is a Johnny Carino's. There are a
couple of others that I've never been to. I've never seen good stats but from
my experience there are more Hmong in Montana than Italians.

Here, all Mexican. Though I've found a few "passable" chinese joints.

Large metros have both better selections and better prices. I don't
care that
much for the company but even for something like the new Cabelas in
town, my
gut impression from a quick walk through was it wasn't as well stocked
as the
one in Glendale.

Name (chain?) doesn't ring a bell.

It's a large sporting goods chain, or outfitters as they prefer to be called.
Much of their business is direct marketing but the brick and mortar stores tend
to be dramatic. Their customer base probably also gets LL Bean and REI catalogs
and aren't looking for the lowest prices.

Ah. Not the sort of place I'd frequent! :

Smaller markets give vendors too much control over prices. And, customers
alter their preferences to fit those choices -- so there's no pressure
on the store to change its selection or pricing.

In the '80s I took a contract at Ft. Wayne. There was a legitimate coffee
shortage, with price increases and empty shelves. However one weekend I drove
down to Indianapolis and found the shortage was over. Apparently the news never
made it to Ft. Wayne. The population is about 250,000 but the supermarkets knew
a good thing when they saw it.

By extension, why offer *anything* unless you have to (in order to
remain in business).

"Sure, we carry toilet paper. Do you want THE single ply or THE two-ply?"