Supermarkets analogous to big box stores?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Thinking about how people say that big box stores have pushed smaller stores out of business, I wonder if that was a concern back when supermarkets were first opening. I was a child in the sixties, and 99+% of my family's grocery shopping was done at a supermarket, A&P, though by today's standards those were small stores. Yet they were still stores that one got in the car and drove miles to go to. The only small grocer I remember going to was in the tiny town nearest us. It carried very little and really was no larger than the entry hall in many people's homes today. I can't even remember if they even had any fresh food at all.

Now I live in a city where I understand there used to be corner stores galore. Everyone had a little bakery, a butcher, a green grocer, a fish market, etc within two or three blocks--not to mention many other services. Those are almost entirely gone. Wiped out by the competition of volume-buying, grocery-discounting supermarkets?

Was the loss of small shops anything largely decried as the supermarkets were taking over? I don't remember it, but I might have been too young as it was happening.

[disneysteve]

I'm old enough to remember shopping for stuff at the little corner stores you are referring to, but we already had supermarkets by then, though not the sprawling behemoths we have today. In the 60s and 70s, the supermarkets sold food and not a whole lot else. Now, they sell auto repair stuff, cosmetics, have full pharmacies, have bank branches inside, I know of one that has a dry cleaner inside, they sell lawn furniture, electronics, appliances and more.

Where I grew up (northeast Philadelphia), I lived one block from one of the main shopping corridors. We had everything within a few blocks. Deli, bakery, pharmacy, fish market, produce market, optician, bank, movie theater, restaurants, doctors offices, etc. But we also had a small supermarket on that strip. They were all able to compete because, I suppose, the supermarket wasn't what they are today, and it was a densely populated area.

Today, interestingly, that strip is still there and the stores are still operating (though not all the exact same ones as when I lived there). I think in the heavily populated areas, there is enough business to go around. It is out in the suburbs where the mom and pop shops have a harder time keeping up. If I have to drive anyway, I might as well drive to a one-stop shopping place. If I lived where I could walk to the various shops, like back in Philly, I wouldn't mind making 4 or 6 stops during my shopping trip.

[Goldy1]

Within a few mile radius, I have my choice of VG, Kroger, Meijer, and many gourmet,specific ethnic ie Polish and natural Food stores. Most of the FArmer JAck's in Michigan closed shop. I mainly shop Meijer due to lowest prices. There is also a Super WAlmart near with groceries.
I can't keep up with the store closings. I was talking about Comp usa last night and they are no longer here.

[disneysteve]

specific ethnic

Actually, the small shops I mentioned in Philly are mostly ethnic shops now, reflecting the large immigrant population in that area: Asian, Russian, Brazilian, etc. They cater to niche markets in a way that the big supermarkets don't.

[simpleyme]

edited as my post was too off topic;-)

[disneysteve]

Was the loss of small shops anything largely decried as the supermarkets were taking over? I don't remember it, but I might have been too young as it was happening.

I didn't really address this part of your post. I don't recall this specifically, but I have a vague sense that it did happen, mostly from the older folks who liked the convenience of walking everywhere. The younger generation didn't complain because they preferred to drive.

As much as I dislike the concept of the big-box grocery store, I can't deny the convenience factor. Instead of going to a deli, a bakery, a fish market, a butcher shop, a produce shop, a pharmacy and a general grocer, I now go to one store that offers all of that in one place. Plus, they are able to do it all at a lower price due to sales volume and better purchasing power.

[Investing First Steps]

In America we've decided to most indulge ourselves as consumers over other parts of our lives (citizens, producers, etc). I'm not sure where the line is or even if we've gone too far. I like "shopping" in mom and pop stores and I like "buying" in big box stores or online. Makes you wonder if we should subsidize them somehow.

It will be interesting to see if the internet does to big boxes what they did to small stores. If I'm really so concerned with the best price, why buy in the physical world at all?