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Things I Am Glad For

June 6, 2011, 9:41 am

I am happy that my neighbors here in Phoenix are not allowed a hecklers veto to prevent grocery store chains, or any other business, from serving me at convenient locations.  I live walking distance from an intersection with three grocery stores (Whole Foods, Fry's, Albertsons) and I love it.

Tags: ,
Category: General Business, Regulation
  • Mike

    Feel glad that you are not in DC where the Mayor has stated that he will allow Wal-Mart to open multiple stores in the District only if he will open one in the Southeast part of town..... or feel glad you aren't in Montgomery County where there's exactly 1 Wal-Mart or feel glad you aren't in Maryland where's there's only 1 Wal Mart Supercenter.

    People here in very liberal, smug Montgomery County complain that the poor cannot possibly pay $3.99 for a gallon of milk or $4 for a box of oatmeal and that we need to increase government payments to the poor but then they block places like Wal-Mart from opening ($2.69 for a gallon and $2.12 for oatmeal at the one Supercenter in Frederick)

    Don't get me started on how Maryland regulates beer sales either.... I have to drive the 20 miles to Virginia to find a Total Wine.

    You know it's amazing for a "backward" and "hate the poor" type of place like Arizona that they actually treat such people more like adults than progressive thinking Maryland/DC

  • DrTorch

    Too funny. Modern liberals would starve themselves to death.

  • chuck martel

    The Phoenix area is an incredibly competitive grocery market. The Lee Lee Market on Dobson in Chandler has a fantastic selection of foreign beers.

  • eddie

    I'm glad that I live someplace where nobody gives a shit about what grocery stores open and close in what buildings.

    Jeesus. Don't these people have whales to go save or something?

  • Judge Fredd

    Even for a backwater state, we have several chains: Lishman's, Sav-a-Lot, Rouses (local), Wal-Mart, and (soon) Target. Granted, the last two aren't entirely grocery stores, but they do offer more choice than what was given in the story.

  • Mike

    Chuck Martel,

    Your example of Lee Lee brings up another good point (though their beer selection and pricing wasn't what it was 6 or 7 years ago)....

    Lee Lee's Chandler site used to be occupied by Mega up until the mid or late 1990s, as is the Sunflower up at Southern and McClintock. I don't know what used to be at the Lee Lee over at 75th Ave and Cactus but I want to say an Albertson's

    This goes back to an earlier point that Warren made about GM and bankruptcy. Sites already commercially zoned with ample parking and physical structures already set-up for grocery are pretty valuable assets - if a grocery chain like an ABCO or Mega cannot properly utilize the asset then have them go away in favor of someone who can. Even though general purpose grocery stores have grown in size leading to major chains either abandoning (Basha's at Dobson and Baseline) or redeveloping sites (Basha's at Hayden and Indian School), there are still ample room for niche players who can get away with smaller footprints (like a Sprout's or Sunflower) who can occupy and utilize

    I understand that sometimes it takes a long time for some empty places to fill like the old Smith's at Cooper and Warner and maybe some times places never do but I think the healthy competition in the Phoenix market helps consumers by both lowering prices and by obliterating the lower tier which open up the ecosystem (grocery store physical plant) to more diversity. Around me here in Montgomery there are several Lee Lee type stores though much smaller and with a Latino bent - it's clear they have been old regular grocery stores but nobody here wants to hear about competition

    I miss Lee Lee's, the fact that I could get pretty good fish beer, cheap produce, and pig's feet in one stop was awesome - and I was pretty good at the demolition derby/scrum fest with the mama sans back at the fish counter

  • tehag

    Can't they just pin a scarlet A on Whole Foods then get on with their lives?