[Vision2020] Goodnight Goody, Goodnight Ridge

[Art Deco]

Music Lovers,  Economists, and Absolute Monists,

The following words appeared in the letter below written by Jay Feldman and
posted by Tom Hansen:

"Ross tells us there is just such a store in Moscow, Paradise Ridge Records,
but he is unwilling to patronize it because its prices are higher than the
defunct Goody."

I believe the assumption in this quote is wrong.  My experience has been
that Sam Goody had the highest CD prices on the Palouse by a considerable
margin except for advertised specials, some of the prices of these specials
were still higher than Paradise Ridge CDs' prices.

For example,  I recently bought Moonlight Serenade by Carly Simon (a
collection of really old tunes for really old people like myself, done quite
tastefully).  The album comes with a disc which is a CD on one side and a
DVD on the other.  It was priced at $19.98 at Sam Goody and $16.98
elsewhere.  When I shopped at Paradise Ridge CDs, I found their prices
competitive -- many were below list.  Discussions with others lead me to
believe that they found prices highest by far at Sam Goody also.

Sam Goody at the PEM is closing in part because of corporate problems, part
of which may be related to their pricing strategies.  The local Sam Goody
also had other problems, some not fit for discussion on this list.


For those keeping track:

There are seven, soon to be eight vacancies at the PEM:

1.    Army Recruiters
2.    Marine Recruiters
3.    Optometrist Office
4.    Chocolaut
5.    Flower Shop
6.    Subway
7.    Market Place Gifts
8.    Sam Goody

There are persistent rumors that one quite large retailer is seriously
considering leaving.

Questions:

1.    Where is the PEM in its life cycle?
2.    Did the redecoration at the PEM with the oodles of light fixtures that
makes one think that they are in the midst of an extensive, well organized
invasion of flying saucers help or hinder the effort to attract more
customers?
3.    Did the stinginess/anti-community attitude of the PEM management in
eliminating the bus stop help or hinder the volume of business?
4.    If the vacancies at the PEM are an indication in some way of problems
of some kind with the local economy, how does this reflect on plans for the
big jesus shopping mall planned for just over the state line?
5.    Does the PEM vacancy rate have anything to do with the WalMart or the
two proposed WalMart Super Centers?
6.    What, if anything, could the PEM management do to increase the general
volume of business?

Of course, question 3 above is quite biasly stated; however, I think some
community reflection on these questions would be helpful in examining and
shaping some community values.


Quite sadly, a downtown store which we patronized very happily, is soon to
go out of business.  Although they carried a really excellent line of
products, gave excellent customer service, were very product knowledgeable,
and had an extremely liberal return policy, they are being squeezed by the
internet.  This is what happens:  People come in and look at the
merchandise, get detailed information, ask technical questions, examine
closely /try on the products, then they order the products over the
internet.

For many items we buy locally, we do just the opposite.  We research using
the internet, then buy or special order the products locally.  Local
merchants contribute and support many diverse community activities --
internet etailers do not.  Etailers generally do not collect Idaho sales tax
either.

Are any list members are concerned about the health of several local
business who face heavy competition from the internet?


Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
To: "Moscow Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2006 6:57 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] Goodnight Goody, Goodnight Ridge


> >From today's (March 3, 2006) UI Argonaut with a special thanks to Jay
> Feldman.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Goodnight Goody, goodnight Ridge
>
> Dear Editor,
>
> Am I the only one that noticed the irony in the placement of the column
> "Death of a pop supercenter" next to the anti-Superwalmart editorial?
> The writer, Jon Ross, laments that Sam Goody is going out of business
> nationwide (including Moscow) while he dreams of an indie-esque record 
> store
> in Moscow to replace it. Oddly though, Ross tells us there is just such a
> store in Moscow, Paradise Ridge Records, but he is unwilling to patronize 
> it
> because its prices are higher than the defunct Goody.
>
> Well, as consumers, we can't have it both ways. We can't have quality
> independent stores that pay more into the local tax base, offer 
> personalized
> service, a greater selection, a professional staff that is paid a living
> wage, along with, as the writer expects, "cheap music." Yet, we expect to
> because Wal-Mart has responded to our deep desire for the lowest price by
> setting us on a race to the bottom where every store must match its prices
> regardless of what that store might offer its patrons and its community.
>
> Unfortunately, in America, price has become the sole factor in deciding
> which stores we frequent. As the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart can
> offer the lowest prices possible but at a high cost to communities like
> Moscow. Shoppers have come to assume the Wal-Mart price is the proper 
> market
> price and the Wal-Mart price thus is the price we should expect to pay.
> Because of such a mentality, shoppers - including Ross, at his own 
> admission
> - will not pay more than this false standard. As a result, when forced to
> compete with a Super Wal-Mart, small independent stores, like many in
> Moscow, go out of business and small towns are left with the impersonal,
> poor selection, tax-base draining, Super Wal-Marts, just the position Ross
> laments.
>
> Certainly paying a bit extra is difficult for many, and luckily we have 
> the
> independent chain WinCo to provide us with groceries that beat any Super
> Wal-Mart's prices and an existing Wal-Mart for those who wish to shop 
> there.
> What we don't need is a Wal-Mart Supercenter that will reinforce this
> "lowest price at any cost" mentality.
>
> Ross laments not having a quality, all-music store in Moscow, when in fact
> we do have one. Ross needs to do what so many of us need to do, overcome 
> our
> addiction to low price and support the local businesses whose tax revenues
> support us.
>
> Jay P. Feldman
> Department of philosophy
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
>
> **************************************************************
>
> "A bad cause will ever be supported by bad means and bad men."
>
> - Thomas Paine (English Writer, 1737-1809)
>
> **************************************************************
>
>
>
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