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Imo gay Americans fit the European lifestyle far more than the average American. Many like to live in urban areas with lots of amenities and enjoy arts, cafes, culture. The average straight American outside urban downtown areas tends to be a conservative, religious, anti-urban, anti public transportation get rid of govt type. They like to barbecue in their fenced in backyard with their family and tend to be suspicous of those they deem "different". Europe is just not like that even outside urban areas. In their small towns and villages Europeans are always out and about. In America, not so much. I went to a movie on a sunday night in Ambler, PA a few weeks ago. I came out of the theatre at 9:30pm and couldn't find one single place to get a coffee or have a snack. The main street was dark and deserted. By 10pm every place was closed. Pathetic, but Americans being the religious bunch they are shut down on Sunday night.
This seems to imply that it is not the USA that some find boring, its the people they choose to be around that they find boring. If American gays do many of the things Europeans do, then by the European definition, America DOES have many things for people to do...the people they hang around just choose not to do them...perhaps because we're not Europe and dont want to be?...idk
But if you find that you enjoy most things that gay americans enjoy, then just come out of the closet and go find others like you...problem solved
Big box stores. Tell you what, go do your grocery shopping and buy your meat at one store, your bread at a bakery and your greens somewhere else. Then criticize the US business model of having those all under one roof.
Do it while walking or taking public transportation. Remember, you'll have to do it every day, or every other day. After work.
Exactly. The big box model is a little bit more convenient but boring. Going to buy grocery is just another chore instead of a chance to be outside to mix and mingle. It also destroys uniqueness and the aesthetic of having streets lined with people and shops that many would equate to a cute and quaint shopping experience.
I had lived in several cities, I can tell you that buying goods at several stores is not a hassle at all; because the shops are usually grouped together in the same general area that is walkable. Also, the scale is smaller so the lines are shorter. If you do the math, walking around a 50,000 to 100,000 sq ft big box grocery to find your items is no more convenient than buying those items at several stores that each span a couple thousand sq ft. In fact, you probably spend more time looking for your items in the big box than I do at the small retail. The big box helps if you're buying a lot of different stuff but if you just want to grab one or two items it's a big hassle.
Also, the big box tempts you with unnecessary purchases. Walked in just needing to buy milk, walked pass the bakery section, candy section, etc; and suddenly I'm walking out with milk, donuts, chocolate, sodas, gum, and I even rented a DVD. But I'm going off topic here.
Bottom line is, no one ever plan their exciting trip around going to a big box retail. No one ever said, "Let's spend this Sunday hanging out at Safeway!" But I've heard plenty of people make shopping at [name of walkable commercial strip lined with mom and pop stores] a thing. So there must be something about the later that is more appealing than the former.
Quote:
Originally Posted by North Beach Person
Do it while walking or taking public transportation. Remember, you'll have to do it every day, or every other day. After work.
This has nothing to do with big box at all, this should be a comment on density because walking and taking public transportation is only a thing in denser cities (at least for the average Americans). And in those cities even putting in a big box store doesn't relieve the shoppers of having to walk or take public transportation to get there. So this point is moot. Also, many dense cities in America still use the big box grocery model (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, etc); so having a big box retail and being in a dense American city is not mutually exclusive, at all.
But you did bring up another point that I didn't mention in my first post - even the cities in America cannot escape the boring big box retail model.
Shopping is just one thing on the list - the small density, the general lack of entertainment, and the lack of historical sites all contributed to this boring reputation. Now, there are pockets that are fun of course (and I'm living in one of them).
.
Exactly. The big box model is a little bit more convenient but boring. Going to buy grocery is just another chore instead of a chance to be outside to mix and mingle. It also destroys uniqueness and the aesthetic of having streets lined with people and shops that many would equate to a cute and quaint shopping experience.
I had lived in several cities, I can tell you that buying goods at several stores is not a hassle at all; because the shops are usually grouped together in the same general area that is walkable. Also, the scale is smaller so the lines are shorter. If you do the math, walking around a 50,000 to 100,000 sq ft big box grocery to find your items is no more convenient than buying those items at several stores that each span a couple thousand sq ft. In fact, you probably spend more time looking for your items in the big box than I do at the small retail. The big box helps if you're buying a lot of different stuff but if you just want to grab one or two items it's a big hassle.
Also, the big box tempts you with unnecessary purchases. Walked in just needing to buy milk, walked pass the bakery section, candy section, etc; and suddenly I'm walking out with milk, donuts, chocolate, sodas, gum, and I even rented a DVD. But I'm going off topic here.
Bottom line is, no one ever plan their exciting trip around going to a big box retail. No one ever said, "Let's spend this Sunday hanging out at Safeway!" But I've heard plenty of people make shopping at [name of walkable commercial strip lined with mom and pop stores] a thing. So there must be something about the later that is more appealing than the former.
This has nothing to do with big box at all, this should be a comment on density because walking and taking public transportation is only a thing in denser cities (at least for the average Americans). And in those cities even putting in a big box store doesn't relieve the shoppers of having to walk or take public transportation to get there. So this point is moot. Also, many dense cities in America still use the big box grocery model (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, etc); so having a big box retail and being in a dense American city is not mutually exclusive, at all.
But you did bring up another point that I didn't mention in my first post - even the cities in America cannot escape the boring big box retail model.
Shopping is just one thing on the list - the small density, the general lack of entertainment, and the lack of historical sites all contributed to this boring reputation. Now, there are pockets that are fun of course (and I'm living in one of them).
.
I have never thought of grocery shopping as a social activity. Not to mention, in my community it's common to meet people one knows at the supermarket.
I have never thought of grocery shopping as a social activity. Not to mention, in my community it's common to meet people one knows at the supermarket.
In my town you can make friends at locally owned shops. Community shops are usually accompanied by people who are proud of their community, thus they tend to communicate more
Plus they carry local brands, and are much more interested in the interests of the area as a whole. This leads people that own the place(s) to be more invested in their community. It is also more important for small business owners to actually be the labor at some shops and provide a friendly face to the community.
I have never thought of grocery shopping as a social activity. Not to mention, in my community it's common to meet people one knows at the supermarket.
If not then why do they, and almost all other retailers, emphasize the "shopping experience" of patronizing them?
There's a Safeway in Bethesda (I think, maybe NW DC) that proudly calls itself the "Social Safeway".
In my town you can make friends at locally owned shops. Community shops are usually accompanied by people who are proud of their community, thus they tend to communicate more
Plus they carry local brands, and are much more interested in the interests of the area as a whole. This leads people that own the place(s) to be more invested in their community. It is also more important for small business owners to actually be the labor at some shops and provide a friendly face to the community.
Oh, give me a break! People communicate more because the store is local? Quelle nonsense!
Local brands? Kinda hard to grow much food here in Colorado from about Sept-Oct. through May. Of course, during the summer all the groceries, even Walmart, carry locally-grown produce, particularly sweet corn. There's the "ABC" (Always Buy Colorado) campaign, and "We're Colorado Proud" at one chain, King Soopers which is part of Kroger. Year round we do have local honey, eggs, milk, etc.
I've travelled all over South America, some in Europe, Africa a bit, and lived in many different states. I never met a boring location, but I met a few boring people...
Oh yeah, not to exclude Canada, I've been to Halifax, had a great time.
The reason most US cities are deserted is because of the culture that the US has, the American culture is driven by work and religion. The protestant and work ethic traditions forces people to think that they have to be doing something constructive all the time, remember the biblical statement "idle hands are the devil's workshop"
Livelines has nothing to do with the size of the city nor if the people are friendly, it is just culture. Look (below) at this medium size South American city that no one has ever heard of, but look at how lively it is during the day and night.
I have never thought of grocery shopping as a social activity. Not to mention, in my community it's common to meet people one knows at the supermarket.
You've never heard of Farmer's Market?
The point is that grocery shopping is much less boring in many parts of the world. But if you like the one we got here, there is nothing wrong with that. Just keep in mind what I'm saying is this is boring, that's all. I am not saying it has to change. Many people like boring.
Oh, give me a break! People communicate more because the store is local? Quelle nonsense!
Local brands? Kinda hard to grow much food here in Colorado from about Sept-Oct. through May. Of course, during the summer all the groceries, even Walmart, carry locally-grown produce, particularly sweet corn. There's the "ABC" (Always Buy Colorado) campaign, and "We're Colorado Proud" at one chain, King Soopers which is part of Kroger. Year round we do have local honey, eggs, milk, etc.
Yeah, we had some consultant here "suggest" we support a year round farmer's market with individual vendor's stalls. Support meant that the Town would rent the building, manage it and offer free space.
I, of course, threw a turd into the punchbowl when I innocently asked what would be sold Dec.-April. I just got a stupid look from the boosters. They'd never thought of that. The idea has kinda died.
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