More on the Decline of Small, Family-Owned Businesses

Due to the deterioration of the hubs of my front lawnmower wheels after years of use, I need to get some replacements. This Saturday afternoon, I motorcycled to the local, small-town hardware store. (I could have bicycled, but I didn't want to miss too much of the football game on TV.) Part of my thinking was that I could have went to the mega Dow Jones Industrial Average component international hardware store conglomerate, but I'd give the little guy some business.

When I got home and tried to attach the new wheels to my lawnmower, I found that they were the wrong size. (My axles were too short to fit all the way through the hubs.) I don't blame the store for that. I was going to return to the store for an exchange or refund, but I thought it might be a good idea to call first to make sure they were still open. No dice; I called at 5:15, and they said that they closed at 5:00pm on Saturdays. When I enquired about their Sunday hours, I learned that they are closed on Sunday.

These sorts of hours may have been the norm when I was a kid, but I've come to expect being able to do business before the sun sinks too far towards the horizon on a Saturday afternoon, and being able to do business on a Sunday. From this experience, I couldn't help but think to myself, "I should have went to the mega Dow Jones Industrial Average component international hardware store conglomerate. Next time I will."

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I'm goin' (yes I'm) goin', I'm a-goin' to the
Goin' to the (hard) ware I'm goin', really goin' to the
Goin' (hard) I'm goin' to the (hard) oh yes, I'm goin' to the
Hardware store