Hardware Stores...off topic? - General Tiki

AC Atomic Cocktail Tiki Socialite Land O' The Next Big One-L.A. Joined: Jun 25, 2002 Posts: 929	AC Atomic Cocktail Posted posted on Wed, Jul 31, 2002 6:27 PM On 2002-07-31 11:06, theandrewssister wrote: ...but the stark reality is that, if our grandpappies had had the choice of Ol' Bob on the corner AND Walmart, Ol' Bob would have disappeared every bit as quickly as he's disappearing now. Or - and some of you may see this as worse -- Ol' Bob would turn into a high-class niche marketeer whose prices exclude all but the middle-class nostalgia-fiends who never knew wht it was like not to have a choice. You know, I was just talking to my solid, working class Mom about this very same subject the other day. Her porch light burnt out and she needed a new one. She was complaining about Home Despot-the lack of quality products, the 20 mile drive (as opposed to one mile to the old place), the poor customer service and that the prices are not much better than the defunct local hardware store. I KNOW my Grandfather would not have shopped at a big chain. He made it a point (as did my Dad) to support local businesses. My Grandpa was a fisherman who built his own boats and made his own nets (well into his old age-years after he stopped fishing commercially). Where do you think he bought his boat fittings and line for nets? The local hardware store. I know for a fact that you cannot get these at a big chain. I can go to my (thankfully) thriving local hardware store in Los Angeles and buy one nail which I cannot do in a chain. My main gripe with huge chains is their monolithic sameness. I've been inside Walmarts in Fishkill, N.Y., Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Santa Clarita, CA. If you set me down in anyone of those stores and asked me to guess where I was-I would have a hell of a hard time. Look, there a good big businesses and bad small businesses (just look at the posts regarding Tiki Trader). But, it has just been my experience in the many neighborhood I've lived in (and I've moved 15 times!) the demise of the local, old hardware store has not been a positive thing. INTO THE VOLCANO WITH 'EM! [ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2002-07-31 18:30 ]

On 2002-07-31 11:06, theandrewssister wrote:
...but the stark reality is that, if our grandpappies had had the choice of Ol' Bob on the corner AND Walmart, Ol' Bob would have disappeared every bit as quickly as he's disappearing now. Or - and some of you may see this as worse -- Ol' Bob would turn into a high-class niche marketeer whose prices exclude all but the middle-class nostalgia-fiends who never knew wht it was like not to have a choice.

You know, I was just talking to my solid, working class Mom about this very same subject the other day. Her porch light burnt out and she needed a new one. She was complaining about Home Despot-the lack of quality products, the 20 mile drive (as opposed to one mile to the old place), the poor customer service and that the prices are not much better than the defunct local hardware store.

I KNOW my Grandfather would not have shopped at a big chain. He made it a point (as did my Dad) to support local businesses. My Grandpa was a fisherman who built his own boats and made his own nets (well into his old age-years after he stopped fishing commercially). Where do you think he bought his boat fittings and line for nets? The local hardware store. I know for a fact that you cannot get these at a big chain.

I can go to my (thankfully) thriving local hardware store in Los Angeles and buy one nail which I cannot do in a chain.

My main gripe with huge chains is their monolithic sameness. I've been inside Walmarts in Fishkill, N.Y., Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Santa Clarita, CA. If you set me down in anyone of those stores and asked me to guess where I was-I would have a hell of a hard time.

Look, there a good big businesses and bad small businesses (just look at the posts regarding Tiki Trader). But, it has just been my experience in the many neighborhood I've lived in (and I've moved 15 times!) the demise of the local, old hardware store has not been a positive thing.

INTO THE VOLCANO WITH 'EM!

[ Edited by: Atomic Cocktail on 2002-07-31 18:30 ]

Post #4821 by Atomic Cocktail on Wed, Jul 31, 2002 6:27 PM