Raise the Hammer

1. Yes
2. N/A
3. Yes
4. Walmart on Upper James, No Frills on Main, Fortinos on Dundurn, Farmer's market when I can
5. Yes
6. Mentioned above (somewhere south of Main ideally, between James and Wellington)
7. Yes, as long as it's within 1-2km of my home
8. Foot or car depending on how many groceries will be purchased

To go back on topic. I know I'm in the minority here but I feel that even something like a Walmart grocery store or supercentre is something that we need. Why? Because it's still an economically strapped area. Because it's a business. Because we don't have a lot of stores that sell many things, or stores that sell what I need downtown. For the life of me, I can't buy underwear, socks, undershirts, milk, bread, eggs, cheese or other things cheaply, easily, or at all in the core.

The reality is, at least in my opinion, that something is better than nothing. It may put a bit of a squeeze on local businesses but business is an industry of survival of the fittest. There's plenty of businesses that are niche markets that the chain's can't provide which will continue to operate with or without a big chain store in the core. I stand by previous statements I've made - look at other large downtowns. They have chain stores and independent stores side by side.

I'm looking for things that are affordable and available. If I run out of bread on a Sunday night or I am making an early breakfast, I either go without or have to run down to to the convenience store and pay a premium. Once I ran out of milk and a bag of 1% was 7.99 there. That's not affordable. Being able to run to a grocery store a couple of blocks away, which has extended hours or is open 24 hours would help me a lot. I also work shiftwork out of town and sometimes am leaving early in the morning and coming home late, after the grocery stores are closed. I then have to wait until either the weekend, or go out of my way up to the 24 hour Metro on Upper James or the other one in Westdale to get what I need, which isn't terribly convenient. Or, what I've done before is shop at a grocery store in Mississauga, and spend my money there.

Sorry about a bit of rambling, but since the thread has become more of a 'pros and cons of a chain store in the core' I thought I'd give my 2 cents. Remember: chain store's aren't evil, even if they are large entities. Not every business has to be a small self-run business.

Comment edited by DowntownInHamilton on 2012-02-08 07:40:53