Without having convenient stores nearby, with friendly people, there is more driving, more traffic congestion, more noise, more unsafe pedestrian travel, more pollution, more dollar losses to local people, and more contributions to global warming. I suppose its just wishful thinking to want those neighborhood stores back now. I have included it here since it is directly related to what has been happening in the older neighborhoods of St. Paul since the early 1950s. After 45 years, Lynn is closing a small-town store, and blames local residents who are driving to nearby cities to shop at chain store supermarkets. Dennis, another small town store owner, said that larger cities have become shopping destinations for people who used to make a trip up and down small-town Main Street for their needs.
Customer loyalty is a thing of the past.
This has been happening all across Minnesota, not only in small towns, but also in older metropolitan neighborhoods. Lynn and Dennis are blaming the wrong people by blaming local residents and their loyalty. Customer loyalty may be a thing of the past, but the blame should not go to the customers. Its much bigger than that. Its big business, big auto makers, big politicians, big chain stores with big economies of scale and big parking lots.