The Low Price Leader.............

Lane wrote an amazing blog the other day and I would strongly recommend that you go read his blog before you read my mindless dribble.....Having said that his blog did inspire to write about something near and dear to my heart---The American Experiance known as retail shopping!!

I go to Wal Mart way to much .....Sometimes a couple of times during any given week. I make lists and try to stick to them but often times I find myself going "CRAP" I forgot something...
So I go back again and again and again. Its not because I like Wal Mart. I dont care for the store at all actually. I understand they they have a huge economic impact on the cities in which they have stores. I understand that alot of folks who would normally not have a job find their way to Wal Mart and employment. But there are TONS of negatives that come when Wal Mart announces that its coming to town.
In 1980 Wal Mart had sales of $1.2 Billion a year....That number had grown to well over $200 Billion by 2006. That is considerably more than the gross domestic products of many nations around the globe.
Much of the money spent in Wal Mart was once spent in different businesses in towns that closed due to Wal Mart coming to town.
Smaller businesses cannot in any way compete with the "low price leader".
Consider this-You can go to Wal Mart early on a Saturday Morning and do the following....Get the oil in your car changed and have new tires put on if you like....You can complete your banking.....You can get your eyes checked....You can fill your monthly prescriptions .....You can shop for weekly groceries....Get a gift for anyone, from a kid to an elderly person.....get your hair cut....get paint for that painting project......stock up on stationary supplies or office supplies.....eat at McDonalds or Subway.....have pictures made of the family.......buy any number of flowers or garden supplies.....The point I make is this -Wal Mart Has become the new downtown.

Wal Mart is amazing in how it can move people to them..... sometimes entire communities build up around them ....Wal Mart will follow housing developments or vice versa.
Post offices have even been known to move to follow them....In Livingston Montana, residents discovered that their downtown post office was closing and moving to a zone of malls on the outside of town. No matter that the post office had been in the center of town sine 1914. The postal service informed the town council on a Tuesday and advertised the sale of the property the next day. That sucks

So what do we do ? I have tried boycotting Wal Mart by going to smaller stores but the sad thing here in Montgomery is this ....There just is not that many left. Carl' Hardware in Eastbook Shopping center closed last fall after being in business for nearly 65 years.
Any ideas you folks might have please feel free to send um my way......

Smoking.......
LSMFT....LSMFT....Yes Ladies and Gentleman this is Frank Sinatra and LUCKY STRIKES MEANS FINE TOBACCO!! The coolest smoker of all time!
It would seem that everything I am talking about tonight is based on other folks Blogs. Luke and Jackie have decided to stop smoking and I applaud their decision. I have to say there is a certain flair to smoking....Watch the movie "Good Night and Good Luck", those folks make smoking look COOL ....to me anyway. FDR smoked cigarettes and used a bakelite cigarette holder all the time....My Hero! The click of a Zippo lighter as you light your cigaretter ...ahhhh!!
I told Laura several weeks ago that when she became pregnant I would stop smoking.....well here we are a month after the big revel and I was still smoking .
For me smoking is a nervous habit....I only started after my Dad died last year . I rarely smoked in my house. I NEVER smoked in anyone elses house. I have been going to Bham these past few months for a date and I would not smoke at all going up . I have been off on week long trips and have not smoked ONCE. But you get me home and I know I can do it....then I smoke.
I stopped yesterday. Like Luke said, the main thing is that I will be in better shape in the long run....my health will benefit and I will not stink anymore. I will miss it for a bit and I have issued a request to some to STAY IN MY FACE about this ...but I am done. I wish Luke and Jackie good luck in their journey. I am still gonna carry my Zippo though......
Stay Tuned....

Presidential Politics 2008....
I made this comment Wednesday January 9, 2008. Sen Hillary Clinton will be our next president. I am a supporter.....I had to finally decide between Sen Clinton and John Edwards and while I really do like John Edwards, I had to get off the fence and come down firmly on one side. I made a small contribution to Sen Clintons campaign today and am looking forward to getting more involved ....

The Weekend...
We have a long weekend coming up with the annual Youth Winter Retreat.....maybe some pictures on Monday .