Why my dollars don't always stay local

I want to support my local businesses.  Wal-Mart may be one-stop shopping where I can get the lowest prices on toilet paper EVER, but they creep me out.  It’s not just that they go out of their way to look no-frills; you can feel how overworked and rushed the employees are.  I’ve been in one less than five times in my life.  I’ve gone to Target more often, but I always knew that I’d be able to find their horror stories if I dug just a little bit.  Here’s to Lady Gaga for doing the work for me.

I’ve made buying local a lot easier on myself by getting rid of my car.  I could get to Target if I really wanted to, but I don’t love the Number 16 bus- or Target- so I don’t.  If there is a local option, I’ll take it.

… As long as I can get to it, or easily leave from it.  I’ve been a member of since we were fighting about what to do with the Allston store in the 90s, but a lot of times I’ll look for another food shopping option.  It’s easy enough for me to get there if I’m not carrying anything, but it can be a real pain to get home from there with three or four shopping bags.  Sure I could wait for the 39 bus, and I frequently do... for a while.  It says something about the way Boston has developed its mass transit system that it is easier for me to buy fruits and vegetables at Haymarket than at Harvest or .

You know where I end up sometimes?  The Whole Foods at Symphony.  Why?  Because for purchases over $150, they will deliver.  I wasn’t proud even before the Should Whole Foods Be In JP? debate, but we can talk about why later (cough, John Mackey’s editorial on health care reform, cough).

Fortunately, for some things I don’t have to make a choice.  If I want books, I go to .  I’m always a little torn; on the one hand, Brookline Booksmith is an indie rockstar: they made Barnes and Noble cry, pick up their ball and leave the playground (and since B&N is a bully, that’s okay).  On the other hand, they’re not in my neighborhood.  Well, forgive me.  There is now only one bookstore left in JP, and it’s... not just a bookstore and, unless it’s dramatically changed since the last time I went there, it’s not very well stocked.  I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have had the State of the World 2011, the pop-up book and the vegan, gluten-free baking book that BB did when I walked in.  I’m not trying to be a bad neighbor- I just want what I want when I go to spend my money.

This Sunday my husband celebrated his birthday.  What he really wanted was the board game Risk.  He wanted to take the twins to Target, and of course I pestered him until he agreed to try .  He checked their website and saw that they’re supposed to be open on Sunday at 11.  I used the word “supposed”, so you know where this is going.  At 11:30, the store was still closed, despite the fact that nothing on their website, store front or phone message (yes, he called too) indicated that they wouldn’t be open.  I suspect Boston Comic Con had something to do with it but, again, without any word from JP Comics and Games, it’s just a guess.

So where did my husband and sons go to get Risk?   in Brookline.  They were open, and they were very helpful.  I’m glad that once again our dollars went to support someone’s local business, but if my husband was thinking that his life would have been easier if he’d gone to Target as he’d originally wanted to, I couldn’t argue.

Just so everyone knows, I’d happily pay some money for my food to be delivered.  I also don’t need the rock bottom, low-low price on books and games.  I just need you to be there.