[Mack184]

I did not want to hijack the thread "What Do You Wish For South Of 466-A" but there was a certain sub-text that kept coming up and I thought it worth some discussion.

While I find most "social media" loathsome and a waste of time, almost all major companies employ armies of 20 & 30-somethings to read, report and make comments on the various social media including FaceBook, Twitter, Tumblr and so on. Yes..without a doubt they read TOTV.

In the 466-A thread there were a couple of side interests that were getting a lot of play. I'll start with "the price thing". While we live in "The Bubble" my wife works in Gainesville & while I work from home I often have to drive to the mother ship in Jacksonville. We have found it very interesting what happens to prices for things when you leave "The Bubble". The prices go down! Why? Let's take a look.

How many times on ANY of the various TOTV threads have you read these statements or something similar...

1) I won't go ANYWHERE unless I can go in my golf cart.

2) We NEVER leave TV..why would you EVER want to go someplace else?

3) If we have to take our car we just won't go.

The corporate 20 & 30-somethings who are reading your little passages first of all see you as boring, uninteresting "old people" who don't do anything.

Most corporate entities will not advertise directly to the "50 to dead crowd" despite the fact that they have the largest disposable income of any demo group. After spending nearly 40 years in radio and working with a lot of stations that cater to the "older" audience it is a bear to get the advertisers, especially those represented by agencies to spend any money trying to reach you.

However..the biggest thing that these messages tell the business is that YOU are NOT going to leave the area and look for bargains. It tells them exactly what they want to hear...no matter what the price is..you're going to buy from them because...YOU WON'T GO ANYWHERE YOU CAN'T TAKE YOUR GOLF CART TO! They have now got you by the short ones and they are NOT going to let go.

And while you may grump & gripe, they know that it doesn't matter because in the end..they are going to win. They can get the extra dollars from YOU that they can't get in other more competitive markets because you won't tell them (and then actually do it) that you'll go somewhere else! Oh you might grumble to a cashier about it, but in the end, you're not going someplace else..they know it..and the prices will ALWAYS be higher in "The Bubble" because of it.

The only way to make it happen is for you to get out of your ParCar or EZ-Go and get into the Ford or Buick and drive to another store in another town where the prices are lower. No..it makes no sense to do that for a loaf of bread or a tube of toothpaste, but if you're going to do some significant shopping..stop spending the cash there..and go where the price is lower. THAT they WILL listen to!

[paulandjean]

Sounds fine, But what about all the stores and restaurants that left here. Would you like to see empty buildings at our squares. Sorry ,I will just pay a little more.

[tommy steam]

You make a good point.

[DougB]

Might as well draw a big "L" on my forehead!

[Mack184]

Originally Posted by paulandjean

Sounds fine, But what about all the stores and restaurants that left here. Would you like to see empty buildings at our squares. Sorry ,I will just pay a little more.

See that's fine. Nothing wrong with that. But for the people who are continually complaining about price, then you either have to put up with it, or take it on the road.

For me..if I'm out of town but heading home and I need something, then I buy it where the price is lower, but I don't have a problem with things costing a bit more in The Bubble. A number of other posters do.

[angiefox10]

Most of us have lived a lot of places in our lifetimes. In all the places that I've lived.... I've rarely traveled far to shop! It just doesn't make sense to spend the money on gas or the time to shop outside of my local community.

That being said.. In this day of computers.... most of us do much of our shopping online. So... I can live in the bubble and still get the same great deals as everyone else because the next great deal is no farther than my fingertips.

[wendyquat]

Originally Posted by angiefox10

Most of us have lived a lot of places in our lifetimes. In all the places that I've lived.... I've rarely traveled far to shop! It just doesn't make sense to spend the money on gas or the time to shop outside of my local community.

That being said.. In this day of computers.... most of us do much of our shopping online. So... I can live in the bubble and still get the same great deals as everyone else because the next great deal is no farther than my fingertips.

I'm with you Angie! At today's gas prices, I can't see the savings!

[ilovetv]

I like the original post. And I think too much is said here to portray all of us TVers as "old" "cheapskates".

We all love a good bargain but some take it to a level of sick-mindedness here, i.e. refusing to tip waiters/waitresses decently...or refusing to take the car a few miles instead of the golf cart.

I think all the calls for a Costco, Trader Joe's, HomeGoods etc. shows how willing many of us are to go off campus to shop, because many of us are doing it now. Hopefully they will come here.

[skip0358]

Convenience is what it's all about. I've said all along what I pay for in the bubble may be a little more but it's the convience that's important. NO matter what it's cheaper then where I came from. The guy who drives 6 miles further to save a .05 on gas or .30 if it's empty for his golf cart is crazy in my book unless I'm up that way I'll pay the nickel. Once a month we hit Sams Club but not at Lunch Time, as for Publix I shop early they open at 7 AM I'm there ,don't care about the crowds I like the store and a crowded busy store has fresher items and find it better then SB and HATE Walmart for other reasons. If we need something outside the bubble that requires the car then we see what else is needed by car. Otherwise WE support our local Merchants. My only wish is we'd get a few different named stores and restaurants and that seems to be coming true in Brownwood. If people are surprised at the crowds or the prices they didn't do a very good job on research before moving to TV. As for us just about everything is a GC ride away and there are more options coming within a year. Relax and enjoy.