steven oldner Montag, 26.01.2009

Es tut mir leid, mein Deutsch is nicht so gut.

In the USA we have the same issue. Wal-Mart and Target do not have the "persönliche Kundenkontakt" that the small grocery stores have.

It is more noticable in hardware stores where a cutomer has many questions.

Barbara Fischer Montag, 26.01.2009

The small stores here in Switzerland often sell special goods, e.g. biological food or products without conservatives. So usually it is very expensive there.
What I feel sorry for is that grocery shopping loses its social part. Especially for older people. I could tell a lot of stories about that. But what do you think?

Viele der kleineren Läden bei uns sind stark spezialisiert (=teuer). Ausserdem geht eine soziale Dienstleistung verloren. Hat man sich im Dorfladen doch früher noch um ältere oder kranke Menschen gekümmert und ihnen zugehört.

steven oldner Montag, 26.01.2009

Let me speak about the hardware stores since do-it-yourself home repairs are popular.

Home-depot and Lowe's are the 2 largest 'box' stores. Box stores are extremely large buildings with everything from lumber to plants. A customer must know something of what he needs. The store workers often are part-time people who have only a little knowledge of home repair or the products.

Compare with the small hardware stores. They have a much smaller selection and their prices are higher. However, most have owners or employees who are more knowledgeable and can make suggestions.

For me, I shop depending on what I need. If I am comfortable with my level of knowledge, then it Home-Depot. Otherwise, it is the local hardware store.