It is often said that people get what they deserve. Unfortunately, most of the people shop price first and service and quality last. This is why the big box stores keep growing. It isn't just Agway stores that this trend is effecting, but all forms of business. Growing up, there were Thom McCann shoes stores and lots of locally owned shoe stores. There was a shoe repair store in every town. Today, you will have a next to impossible task to find a place that will put new soles and heels on a pair of shoes. The Thom McCann name survives, but they are made in China, and have no resemblance to what they once were. The only way to keep these loss of small family owned stores is to support them. The small extra cost is more than made up by the fact that they support the local economy and have the expertise and service that we all desire. If you want to loose the ability to have a choice where to shop, then support the large box store. While I will make purchases at Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, or for that matter, Walmart, I first try to find the item at the locally owned store first. The way that I see it, the people that work in the locally owned stores are my neighbors, and their lively hood depends on it. They in turn also support locally owned business. Even the large box stores are now learning that there is a lot of competition from the on-line stores, that have no local presence and sell for even less. Sometimes, I wonder where it will all end....... Dusty
