Sunday Morning Blog

June 30, 2005

Trying to Keep it Local

[mood| surprised]

Some of you may realize my feelings about WalMart and the big chain stores. WalMart, specifically, sucks up 7% of all retail spending, and I think that is just too much of a piece of the pie for anyone. It is for this reason that I try to give my shopping money to locally owned stores when I can. Unfortunately, this philosophy does not always prove the easiest to follow.

After work last night, I headed to Crane Appliance to see if I could pick up a dehumidifier for the new homestead. I was pleased when I walked in the front door and found several models right there next to the a.c. Units. I was standing there comparing them for several minutes, when I decided that I might have to approach one of the several sales people sitting at their desks ignoring me. I turned, caught one of the salesperson's eye, and he asked if he could help me (without rising from his seat). I asked about the dehumidifiers, and I was told that they would be receiving a shipment tomorrow, but they only had one particular 60qt model left on the shelf. I inquired about the price of the units they had left on the shelf, and the salesperson had to ask another desk bound associate if he had “ever found the price” of these units earlier. I stood there for five more minutes (no exaggeration) waiting for an answer from these two “salespeople,” but never received one. I left, telling them I would be back tomorrow when they received their shipment. This should have been understood as code for: “I am going to WalMart, see you poor excuses for salespeople later!”

At WalMart, I found the dehumidifiers exactly where I would expect to find them and I purchased TWO! Three hundred and forty-two dollars that could have stayed local. So much for the anti-big box store philosophy. I tried... I really did.

Posted by capecodcyclist at June 30, 2005 06:31 AM