Multiple reasons. I forgot the exact definition, grocery store within two miles or something.
Some neighborhoods the big chains leave because they lose a lot of money from theft. A whole lot of money. I heard all kinds of schemes from talking to people when I drove a cab, people would walk out of stores with full grocery carts. So they just write off that part of town and the locals get Dollar General and gas station convenience stores to shop at.
Then, grocery chains don’t like competing one store against another and there’s only three (I believe) major chains these days so won’t build them too close together. Depending on how they’re spread out you might end up with no stores reasonably close. So back to Dollar General.
One thing I noticed about Phoenix is the poor and rich areas both didn’t have much shopping. Rich areas, didn’t matter, they just drove to the store and were happy about it, try to find a gas station in Paradise Valley or North Scottsdale. Poor areas, matters a lot because they have to pay a premium to shop local or pay for a ride to a proper grocery store. Even if it’s only $20 round trip that adds up when money is tight. I used to get these calls where the insurance company would pay for a cab ride to pickup prescriptions and there’d be four adults with three full shopping carts thinking they were getting a free shopping trip. If they had a reasonable amount of groceries (they were there anyway…) I’d take them with maybe a little whining but if it’s a couple families doing their monthly shopping thinking I’m going to waste close to an hour for $6 then, no, I’d just leave them. Eh, got kind of off track there.
Multiple reasons. I forgot the exact definition, grocery store within two miles or something.
Some neighborhoods the big chains leave because they lose a lot of money from theft. A whole lot of money. I heard all kinds of schemes from talking to people when I drove a cab, people would walk out of stores with full grocery carts. So they just write off that part of town and the locals get Dollar General and gas station convenience stores to shop at.
Then, grocery chains don’t like competing one store against another and there’s only three (I believe) major chains these days so won’t build them too close together. Depending on how they’re spread out you might end up with no stores reasonably close. So back to Dollar General.
One thing I noticed about Phoenix is the poor and rich areas both didn’t have much shopping. Rich areas, didn’t matter, they just drove to the store and were happy about it, try to find a gas station in Paradise Valley or North Scottsdale. Poor areas, matters a lot because they have to pay a premium to shop local or pay for a ride to a proper grocery store. Even if it’s only $20 round trip that adds up when money is tight. I used to get these calls where the insurance company would pay for a cab ride to pickup prescriptions and there’d be four adults with three full shopping carts thinking they were getting a free shopping trip. If they had a reasonable amount of groceries (they were there anyway…) I’d take them with maybe a little whining but if it’s a couple families doing their monthly shopping thinking I’m going to waste close to an hour for $6 then, no, I’d just leave them. Eh, got kind of off track there.