24 January 2009

Extra! Extra! Saturday Edition...
OK, time for some news that you probably WILL NOT see on the local channels NOR in the local papers.
(if THEY want to avail themselfves of MY services...be warned, I don't come cheap)
But THIS is the TRUTH (which never comes cheap either), so it falls on MY shoulders to bring it to every one of you.
It's what I do.
My wife and I trekked over to our "future former" Scotts for our weekly grocery shopping gig, and after we got through the doors, we were both astonished by what we saw...
(fotunately, I had my trusty digicam along for the ride, so out it came for the pics you see here)
What we did see was nothing short of a whole lot of NOT MUCH SHELF STOCK!!!
Seems the "Krogerites" (not to be confused with the CENOBITES from the HELLRAISER movies, who SHARE the same agenda, apparently) deemed it fit to start EMPTYING the store WAY AHEAD of the target closing date of Valentine's Day (good old 14 February).
So screw the list I had made...we we're going to have to "shop on the fly", as it were. Impulse buying...gotta love it.
And if YOU are thinking OF shopping there...better get your ass over there and do it QUICK, before everything is gone.
The good news (you mean there IS some?) is that everything is 25% off....(big whoop-de-do), but there are NO regular 2 liter sodas (unless you prefer DIET).
The meat selection is barely a THIRD of the space it would normally take up.
Produce is like a damn GHOST TOWN.

Only thing missing were tumbleweeds and a Sergio Leone soundtrack!

And the DELI section?
WHAT deli section?
They've got a mere HANDFUL of meats and cheeses available...and the store's not set to "officially" close until another 3 weeks!
Now I spoke to several employees there (very nice people, who are obviously bothered by all of this...and who can blame them?) who said they were called into a meeting on Tuesday, where they were told about the closing, and that considerations for transfers to other locations would commence.
Immediately, they closed the WINE CELLAR, and removed ALL the beer from the Decatur Rd. location (for obvious reasons).
With a minimal staff manning the store (and NOT for 24 hours as well), "if" there is a break-in, no one will get ANY booze...smart move, given the "local talent".
The really incredible thing about this whole store closing, is that the SOUTHGATE location is a SMALLER store (by around 5K sq. ft.).
AND...the Southgate store is being RENTED BY KROGER (as opposed to the DECATUR ROAD store being OWNED outright, free and clear).
No one in the media MENTIONED THAT...did they?
Now I'm no businessman, but it doesn't take an economics major to figure out that THIS scenario isn't practicing GOOD business savvy, especially in TODAY'S economic times, right?
But, it's just ONE MORE NAIL in the coffin of THIS part of town...
Sure...makes perfect sense...
Let the CRIME continue.
Let the section 8'ers take the hell over.
Let the entire area become a ghetto.
Be nice to think of a once vital part of this city declining into something akin to a "third world" venue, doesn't it?
We're already tickling a "second world" status down here...won't take much to drop the bottom ENTIRELY out of it, will it?
On behalf of all the customers, former residents, current home OWNERS, and businessmen that have relocated, as well as the current businesses STRUGGLING to hang the hell on, by the skin of their damn teeth, I want to personally THANK the city leaders of Fort Wayne, both past and present for ALL they've (not) done to make THIS part of the city what it has become.
That includes ALL the council people, the mayors, the developers, zoning, and a slew of other city, county and probably state and federal agencies that have contributed to this festering sore on the backside of a once nice city.
Glad all of you could help.
We REALLY appreciate it...
I think this picture (click on it to enlarge it) sums much of the problem down here nicely, albeit in a rather IRONIC way, don't you think?
One picture truly IS worth...a THOUSAND WORDS.
IRONY...(much like beef used to be).
It's what's for dinner.
As for the rest of you..
DO try and have a nice weekend!
(what's left of it)

6 comments:

Kristina said...

Bob - OMG!!!! OMG!!!!! I did not know any of this!!!

Bob G. said...

Kris:
Yeah...took the wife and I by surprise as well.

But I HAD to get a few pictures...to NOT get some shots of this does a disservice to Mr, Eavey, Mr. Scott, and those in the community that STILL care (however FEW in number we might be).

Amazing that NONE of the media outlets are following this.
(not entertaining enough?)

But now YOU know.

Kristina said...

Bob - email me at kristinafh@gmail.com, k?

Bob G. said...

Sure...can do.

Phil Marx said...

So, did they have any white American cheese left?

Bob G. said...

NO, actually they did NOT.
We did manage to grab some COLBY and some PEPPER JACK.

Nice to tell us they were NOT taking ANY more shipments to that location, so we could walk through a store that was about a THIRD emptied out.
Made my list a LOT easier to work.

Show me ONE Fort Wayne politician currently in some office that say's they're HONESTLY concerned about THIS part of town, and I'll show you well over FIFTY businesses that have ALREADY left...AND a lying S.O.B. to boot.

But that's just *my* opinion.

B.G.