New shopping center attracts the frugal (stores, clothing, buy, toys)

[Rcm58]

My wife and I went shopping over the weekend and decided to stop into a shopping center that is only partially completed, One week ago on Sunday was the grand opening of Dick's Sporting Goods on the northern outskirts of kingsport TN. We went in to look and possably buy gifts for our kids, it was very busy or so we thought. They have several pool tables and air hockey tables set up as demos but instead the locals were bringing their familys to play. The tables were completly destroyed in their first week, the felt was ripped in about 50 differant spots and pulled up making it impossable to roll a ball anymore. Kids and adults alike were laughing as they knocked balls flying off the table. One of the sales people said he'd never seen anything like it and appoligized for not haveing any pool cues left that were'nt either warped or broken. I think management and salespeople are intimidated by the rough crowd comming in from Bloomingdale that is made up primarily of trailorparks and run down shacks and known to be the domestic dispute capital of Kingsport. We walked through the other departments before we left and although the golf, skating and weight and boxing departments appeared in good shape the clothing was demolished, on the floor, wadded up and tossed on displays. I will not go back unless they make some major changes.

[Redrover]

You bring up a subject that has always confounded me. I have always wondered what it is about low income/poverty that excuses people from civilized behavior. Out in the countryside you see all kinds of trash strewn all over properties, abandoned cars, broken appliances, ruined toys etc. and in the cities it is much the same. Where is it written that if you're poor you have a free pass on common cleanliness? Middle class people don't put a useless oven, refridgerator or recliner on their front porches so why is it that you see that all the time in low income areas (along with cars up on blocks)? And that behavior you described at that sporting good stores is inexcusable. That's where the phrase, "trailer park trash" comes from, not from the lack of income or resources but from the behavior and general trashiness. There just is no reasonable explanation for that kind of behavior. I don't get it.

[Granny Sue]

I think that's so sad that there are people out there that actually think this kind of behaviour is OK and they seem to be passing it on to their children.
I was taught that if it isn't mind, don't touch it. And my kids were taught the same thing.

[tamcim72]

The reason you don't see stuff littering the yard of middle-upper class homes is b/c they can pile all their useless crap into the GARAGE

I live in a new communtiy where everyone has 2 or 3 car garage, many of them can't park one car in there b/c of all the old crap the brought with them.