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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 6, 2025

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The problem with this is that now you are a captive customer to that one store.

I know this well -- I lived in a "walkable neighborhood" with just such a store. It had insane prices, long lines and shitty product. I did have a car and I make enough that food & sundries isn't a huge fraction of my budget, but seeing far poorer families get completely ripped off by these people was radicalizing.

This is like super-basic game theory: a situation where most customers can easily change which store they patronize is one in which stores compete on price/quality/service far more than one in which customers walk to one and cannot easily substitute.

Where on earth do you live that's somehow walkable but also has literally exactly one grocery store?

Walkability is enabled by density and density by definition means there's lots of stuff around, I am within 4 city blocks of 3 (soon 4) big box grocery stores, at least 3 fruit markets, and if you expand that radius to a ~15 minute walk you can add at least 2 more big box stores and 2 entire neighborhoods of places defined by their vibrant collection of grocers and other food stores.

I have not one but multiple stores within 2 minute walking distance.