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How Bodega typifies Silicon Valley’s cultural ignorance

(www.engadget.com)
39 points pmcpinto | 2 comments | 20 Sep 17 08:49 UTC | HN request time: 0.591s | source
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wink ◴[20 Sep 17 10:53 UTC] No.15292328[source]▶
When reading about things like this I'm always wondering if I'm the odd one out or others' perceptions are really off.

Background: I live in Munich, Germany which grew from ~1.3m to 1.5m people in my lifetime. I've never lived in the city center, and never outside. Just in "normal" neighborhoods, as I'd call them. And the same discussion about "brick and mortar book stores" and their downfall and people lamenting their demise and now this same thing. I've only ever had one of those "corner stores" near where I lived and it was basically a small supermarket. You went there in emergencies (shops here are only open from 7:00 to 20:00 at most, mind you) because there wasn't much stuff. I guess a few people went there exclusively but the selection was really limited.

TLDR: How can I live in a big city and still have never have experienced any upside to this? I'm not saying corner stores are bad at all, but I really don't get the fuss.

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kstenerud ◴[20 Sep 17 10:59 UTC] No.15292369[source]▶
In America (especially the East coast), the mom & pop bodegas serve as impromptu social gathering places for the locals, as the store and its owners are very much a part of the community. Taking that away feels a lot like ripping apart a family.
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1. Laforet ◴[20 Sep 17 11:03 UTC] No.15292394[source]▶
Sounds like general stores in small towns closing down because a Walmart has opened next door.
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2. dagw ◴[20 Sep 17 11:29 UTC] No.15292541[source]▶
To be fair, a lot of people are seriously angry at Walmart about that as well.