<vent>Having just returned from a several-day stay in smog-shrouded, traffic-clogged LA, I have to admit to a bit of irritation reading about Molly’s upcoming presentation at Design Engaged: “All Hail the Vast, Conforming Suburb of th…

But as someone who lives in the “Walmart Nation” (the specific part of it you just visited, in fact), I know for a fact that there are plenty of independent coffee shops and quirky no-logo stores, if you’re willing to take the time to look for them. And having spent the last two weeks traveling on interstates between campgrounds and rural towns, I can assure you that there’s plenty of variety there as well. Yes, there’s a Wal-Mart in Centreville, AL. But there’s also the Twix-N-Tween, which has some of the best barbecue in the southeast.

(This post left me feeling a bit defensive…it’s got a tone of elitism that I found surprising, considering its author.

But as someone who lives in the “Walmart Nation” (the specific part of it you just visited, in fact), I know for a fact that there are plenty of independent coffee shops and quirky no-logo stores, if you’re willing to take the time to look for them. And having spent the last two weeks traveling on interstates between campgrounds and rural towns, I can assure you that there’s plenty of variety there as well. Yes, there’s a Wal-Mart in Centreville, AL. But there’s also the Twix-N-Tween, which has some of the best barbecue in the southeast.

(This post left me feeling a bit defensive…it’s got a tone of elitism that I found surprising, considering its author.

But as someone who lives in the “Walmart Nation” (the specific part of it you just visited, in fact), I know for a fact that there are plenty of independent coffee shops and quirky no-logo stores, if you’re willing to take the time to look for them. And having spent the last two weeks traveling on interstates between campgrounds and rural towns, I can assure you that there’s plenty of variety there as well. Yes, there’s a Wal-Mart in Centreville, AL. But there’s also the Twix-N-Tween, which has some of the best barbecue in the southeast.

(This post left me feeling a bit defensive…it’s got a tone of elitism that I found surprising, considering its author.

Starbucks has done a fantastic job of marketing a lifestyle, and the residents of Wichita have bought into it fully – Along with the much anticipated arrival of other chains ranging from Krispy Kreme to Abercrombie & Fitch, the presence of Starbucks allows residents to feel as if they do exist as part of civilization. It’s certainly not the coffee itself – prior to the arrival of Starbucks i think most people made coffee at home (or didn’t drink it at all), because we’ve never had any abundance of independent coffee shops.

(And, to add a bit of credibility to my statements, i’ve lived in Wichita for the past eleven years, escaping in four month intervals to attend school in the northeast. It’s not actually the worst place in the world…though i’m not in any rush to return on a permanent basis.)

I also noticed a lack of class distinction between servers/clerks/etc. in stores and their customers — which made the usual class distinctions in ‘the 48′ more apparent. People seemed to know one another and, even when they didn’t, treated one another as neighbors, not clerks and customers. I think there’s some relationship here: the store employees are not interchangeable/faceless units in homogenized stores. Some of my most interesting conversations were with women working in restaurants, with whom I talked about why they moved to Alaska and what life is like for Alaska residents.

BTW, WalMart and Fred Meyers (a Northwest chain like WalMart) in Anchorage have BIG sections selling guns, not just hunting rifles but handguns. I think I remember hearing that Alaska is the only place where WalMart does so.

ウォルマート国家とスターバックス国家に分裂-た（消費者）社会でのモ”リティ’考察-たApopheniaブログのエントリー。…

my wife has a rant about walmarts…everyone is just mad at me these days…i can’t figure this out…