I grew up in a Walmart society.
That is to say, I never frequented mom-and-pop stores of any type. Every restaurant, grocery store, movie theater, and barber shop that I visited was part of a broader chain. I'm sure I benefited from lower prices and more consistent service and products than previous generations perhaps did, but I also tend to think that I missed out on a lot too.
In Philadelphia, I became friends with the owners of a few establishments in my area, but here in Morocco that experience has been taken to an entirely different level.
Today I went and picked up some produce at the outdoor market nearest my house. I always go to the same stall. I've become well acquainted with Lotfi and Said, the two friends who work there. They know me by now and they ask me about America and tell me about their friends and family abroad (almost every Moroccan has several friends or family members living in Europe or the United States).
It occurred to me this morning that I almost never know the people at any of the grocery stores or restaurants or cafes that I go to in the United States. Yet here, I am often on a first name basis with all of them.
And, I have to say, it's a very enjoyable experience.
I know this sort of thing still exists in the United States; I certainly got a taste of it in Philadelphia. But the better part of America grows up these days as I did, where familiar faces and personal relationships are not as important as familiar brands and primarily economic relationships.
And while they may be paying slightly lower prices, I tend to think they're missing out on something.
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We not only get slightly lower prices, but also wider availability of goods and more specialized services. It's the dilemma I face every time I order something off of Amazon instead of going to the neighborhood bookstore.
ReplyDeleteBut I also agree with you: dealing with the local bank or my cell phone provider can be maddening because the staff people have no power (to adjust my credit limit or to replace my broken phone, respectively).
The other difference between "network of local stores which may be open odd hours and may not immediately have what I want" and Walmart is the time factor. A confrere who worked in Haiti described devoting whole afternoons to wandering around the city center running errands at a bunch of specialized shops.
So there seems to be some inverse relation between "quality of social interaction" and "ability to get stuff done." I'm not sure which one is better.