Walmartism and the Death of the Local Grocer

I admit I have mixed feelings about going to Wal-Mart. 

When I first moved out of my parent’s house, I lived up in Northern Michigan for my job.  I was about 1 mile from the Country Store. 

It was a place I’d been going almost all my life.  We’d stop there to get groceries when I was a toddler, I rode my minibike there when I was 9 for gas and candy.  And the same old couple still owned it back then.  I felt I wanted to support it. 

Back then, in the early ‘90’s, there was no Wal-Mart around to tempt me.  But being single, and really not money conscious at all, I wonder if I’d have done my grocery shopping there at all.

I’d stop at the Country Store for all my necessary items.  Any kind of food, drink, or home basics, they had, and I bought.  I’m certain it cost a little more than the grocer in town, but I didn’t care.  I used to say that if you liked having the Country Store there when you needed them, you better support them when you have a choice.  I was aware of that reality, even back then. 

Time passed, the store changed hands after the wife died, and I moved away.  The store is a house now, the owner does welding stuff in the garage out back.  But it looks much the same.  Just no giant Country Store sign up on the roof. 

Now, when I want groceries, living in that same town, the choice is the local chain grocery store, or Wal-Mart.  The local store is about 5 miles south of where I live, the Wal-Mart is 20 miles North. 

I like Wal-Mart for their prices.  I can fill up a cart really full, for under $200 dollars, and with a family of five in my present life, I have to do that up to four times a month.  Three dogs too, I forgot, they contribute to the bill.  Iams dog food is not super cheap. 

I also drive right by the Wal-Mart on my way home from work every day.  Since I work the night shift, and get off work at midnight, the store is usually pretty empty.  It takes a lot less time to get in and out, than during the daytime.

I don’t like the selection at Wal-Mart usually.  Sometimes, it’s because I have no preference for something, and they have just too many dang choices for me to know what would be the best thing.  Other times, it’s because the selection is too limited. 

The local grocer in town, while being 15 miles closer, has it’s limitations.  They don’t turn over their stock very often, and even when things are going well, I have gotten food that was a little old from them.  If the power in town has gone out for more than an hour or so any time in the last week, I know to avoid the frozen and refrigerated stuff.  They run things on a tight budget, and don’t get rid of things afterwards, like they probably should. 

The frozen peas will be solid blocks, the milk will smell a little, um, stale. 

And their prices, are quite a bit higher there.  When I spend $100 dollars there, I just don’t get as much for my money for sure. 

So what to do?  I feel guilty for not buying my things at the local grocer.  I know that they don’t do well, and I’m frankly surprised that they are still in business. 

But my pocketbook is just not that full, and I need to squeeze mileage out of my coin. 

Once again, I’m definitely a part of the problem.  I’m contributing to the monster that is eating the small stores up across America, thereby making it bigger, selling more stuff, able to buy it cheaper and in larger lots, and sadly making it impossible for the local grocer in my town to compete with their selection and prices.

I see only one ray of hope, at least for all the local grocers across America, that live within driving distance of a Wal-Mart, or similar large box store.  That is to go for the niche market.

I’ve seen it work, and I think it could around here too.  There are some people who want higher quality foods, and are willing to pay a little more for certain things.  I, for instance, am partial to my good meats, breads, fruits.  I can’t say I’d shop at a place like that every single day, but I would go to get my special things.  I can afford to do that. 

Conroy’s Organics was such a store.  It was just down the road from us when we lived out in upstate NY.  Just north of Plattsburgh, they were located on their family farm actually.  Often surrounded by a herd of the family highland cattle, the store was really neat.  It offered lots of local foods, organics, and natural (whatever that means).  My favorite, was the beef, from those very same cows you could see all around the store.

It’s not easy I’m sure, but if you happen to be in the right market, you can compete with the Wal-Marts of the world. 

So my guilt about not supporting the local grocer is a little less, when I think on such things.  Because they are trying to compete head to head with the large store up the road, and losing.  But in their fight to stay open, they are having to bend rules, limit selection, and raise prices.  Thereby ensuring more and more people opt for that 20 mile drive to the north.

Cheers, to changing your way of thinking to slay a giant.