The song is written about how the big companies have driven the little businesses out of business these days. There is still the government agency Small Business Administration, but their definition of small business can be a million dollar a year business with less than 50 employees. I doubt they loan to a small mom and pop operation qualifies these days.
I remember the mom and pop stores that were in operation when I was a child, the corner grocery,the neighborhood dry goods store, the corner garage and gas station, the TV shop, radio shop, small appliance shop,the family liquor store, the soda shop. I see none of those things anymore. The big outfits have run them all out of business.
I remember the local bakery. Walking in there, the aroma of fresh-baked goods made me salivate. The dry goods store where I got my socks, shirts, pants where the owner knew all about his/she products and gave personal service. The big box stores have clerks that barely know where things are and nothing much about the items. The soda shop where I sat at the counter and got to see them preparing my order. I watched the fountain mix the syrup and carbonated water mix and then the hand-scooped ice cream plopping into the soda, followed by the whipped cream and the cherry on top. It was delightful. The corner store with a whole glass case of penny candy to ogle over before making my grand 5 cent purchase. I went there every day to have candy or milk or bread or cigarettes for mom. The store had comic books and I could buy them and then trade back 2 I read for 1 I hadn't. The neighborhood garage where the owner was also the mechanic and he did good work and didn't try to pad the bill.
I know those days are gone like one's virginity, hopefully everyone remembers that day. We all know and for the most part love Walmart, but they did more than any other entity to eliminate the mom and pop operations. I understand how inflation changed the country and those nickels, dimes and quarters won't support anyone. One more thing, with the advent of more cars, that was a factor in hurting the corner stores.
Here's something that fascinates me. Over 100 years ago most shopping was done with the Montgomery-Ward or the Sears-Roebuck catalogs and purchases were delivered to customers. Now we are with the help of the internet going back into the past. Things we buy are delivered to the door by the post office, UPS, Fed-X. The brick and mortar stores are closing by the thousands this year alone. Of course Walmart will always be with us. Shopping malls will soon be a thing of the past. Many across the country were abandoned over the last few years and most will follow in the coming years.
Those mom and pop stores made a living for families back then. Now few people are satisfied with just making a living. We had less in those days, but it was more in some ways. Today people don't make enough for the lifestyle they think they need. They work at jobs they do not like and work for big companies that have no regard for employees and there is a cloud overhead of the employees that any day they could be laid-off and that happens a lot these days, how well I know that! Years ago the companies had loyalty to employees and employees had loyalty to the company and that made our country great.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
I remember the mom and pop stores that were in operation when I was a child, the corner grocery,the neighborhood dry goods store, the corner garage and gas station, the TV shop, radio shop, small appliance shop,the family liquor store, the soda shop. I see none of those things anymore. The big outfits have run them all out of business.
I remember the local bakery. Walking in there, the aroma of fresh-baked goods made me salivate. The dry goods store where I got my socks, shirts, pants where the owner knew all about his/she products and gave personal service. The big box stores have clerks that barely know where things are and nothing much about the items. The soda shop where I sat at the counter and got to see them preparing my order. I watched the fountain mix the syrup and carbonated water mix and then the hand-scooped ice cream plopping into the soda, followed by the whipped cream and the cherry on top. It was delightful. The corner store with a whole glass case of penny candy to ogle over before making my grand 5 cent purchase. I went there every day to have candy or milk or bread or cigarettes for mom. The store had comic books and I could buy them and then trade back 2 I read for 1 I hadn't. The neighborhood garage where the owner was also the mechanic and he did good work and didn't try to pad the bill.
I know those days are gone like one's virginity, hopefully everyone remembers that day. We all know and for the most part love Walmart, but they did more than any other entity to eliminate the mom and pop operations. I understand how inflation changed the country and those nickels, dimes and quarters won't support anyone. One more thing, with the advent of more cars, that was a factor in hurting the corner stores.
Here's something that fascinates me. Over 100 years ago most shopping was done with the Montgomery-Ward or the Sears-Roebuck catalogs and purchases were delivered to customers. Now we are with the help of the internet going back into the past. Things we buy are delivered to the door by the post office, UPS, Fed-X. The brick and mortar stores are closing by the thousands this year alone. Of course Walmart will always be with us. Shopping malls will soon be a thing of the past. Many across the country were abandoned over the last few years and most will follow in the coming years.
Those mom and pop stores made a living for families back then. Now few people are satisfied with just making a living. We had less in those days, but it was more in some ways. Today people don't make enough for the lifestyle they think they need. They work at jobs they do not like and work for big companies that have no regard for employees and there is a cloud overhead of the employees that any day they could be laid-off and that happens a lot these days, how well I know that! Years ago the companies had loyalty to employees and employees had loyalty to the company and that made our country great.
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.
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