Small shops and romance

Suddenly there is a profusion of supermarkets in my area of the city(I suspect this is the case in most parts of the city).They are all air conditioned,have numerous staff and are well stocked.In addition their prices seem so much lower that the local chaps.I wandered in the other day but despite the good looks and the swank interiors,it lacks one basic ingredient.Call me old fashioned but I like the fact that my local veggie man will enquire about my family,office and then tell me his story or the current gossip,he also know what I am cooking that day,we exchange recipes and if i run short of money,he knows i will be back so he lets me take the veggies on credit.I go to the grocer next door and the story is the same.I have know the owner from the time I was six,when we took the bus at the same bus stand.Today I can walk in and ask for stuff if I cant find it on the shelf.He know what i buy so will let me know if something I like has come in.
All of these little social interactions are missing in the big format shops.Yes they do have the fancy herbs,the salad veggies and all kinds of exotica but is that everyday life?
It hit home today,the need for patronising the local chaps,the local produce.The veggie man looks rather dull in spirits and when I asked he mentioned that the competition was eating him up and it was only a matter of time before he closed down.He made an interesting observation."mam he said.I operate this shop to earn a living and the big guy over there operates to reduce his income tax".What a telling example of the new economy.The large reliance fresh shops are not very well occupied.Their veggies are anything but fresh and while there is a lot of hype and hoopla there is that basic interpersonal and social exchange missing.Its so much a reflection of our insulated lives that we live in flats and don't know our neighbours,we invest heavy amounts but don't interact with the person on the other side.We bank on the Internet and all we get when we call is a recorded voice that's used by most services.
Where is the personal touch,does efficiency alone matter(even that is debatable what with the call centre culture and everyone doing just a limited operation).Business is all about human being in the end.Its all about communities,its relationships and no amount of large formatting,air conditioning,computerization and gizmo's will replace that basic need for human contact.Its small wonder then that in countries in Europe there is a movement to patronise produce with in a particular geographical range,they have rediscovered the need for human contact,but sadly by the time we realise the value of the small farmer and the small shops,they would long be dead and gone.In the meanwhile I continue to shop at the local small stores because I know them and because I have a relationship going with them.I may pay a little more but oh the joys of rummaging in the sacks fresh from the market,haggling with him about the quality of the wares and the general freshness of local produce will still hold all the romance of shopping for me.