11-30-2010, 09:29 AM
I haven't spent a dime in a CVS, Longs or Walgreens in many many years, but they still seem to pop up two on every other corner in town. It's simple economics, one opens, the other watches their traffic, if traffic is high enough, the other opens across the street to take 1/2 that business - for investors, better 1/2 of a known quantity (guaranteed profit) than all of an unknown. If they would actually compete with each other on price, this would be a good thing for customers, but I think we know better than that...
On the food thing, yes! Food, Inc. is so sadly true. I believe it was in Food, Inc. where they showed a poor family who didn't really have the time and energy after working their jobs to make other food choices besides the fast food. It's the dual economic pressures of time and money that really slant the balance away from the farmer's market toward the global commodity market. When fuel jumped up in price a couple of years ago, it illuminated how much energy is put into having fresh grapes in the produce section year-round. Yet, it also points out that (some) people are willing to pay seven dollars a pound for grapes... Convenience and consistency sell food.
If the Farmer's Market would open a 7 days a week retail outlet selling sweet potato fries, taro chips and fresh fruit juices, they might start to compete with BK and Safeway.