Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2005 5:37 pm
I despise wal-mart. But my time in Italy are blissfully Wal-Mart free, and I don't miss it one bit! (And I don't miss those venerable denizens of Wal-Mart ... the Wal-Martians)
There are some Superstores in Italy like the IperFamilia, Coop, and Carrefour, which are very Wal-Mart-like. The same thing is happening here that's been happening in America for the past 30 or 40 years ... there's a mom and pop store on pretty much every street corner around here, and most people can walk to where they need to go to buy what they want.
However, as the youths of Italy grow up and become more "Americanized" they tend to hop in the car and drive everywhere - and that includes to the superstores. I can only see the trend continuing here. What at least gives me a little hope is that the Superstores here all seem to carry LOCAL PRODUCE when they can, which is a huge plus, but even if it's not local, it usually comes from within the EU, which is a hell of alot better than Wal-Mart's "buy it from the cheapest third world nation of the moment" produce.
There are some Superstores in Italy like the IperFamilia, Coop, and Carrefour, which are very Wal-Mart-like. The same thing is happening here that's been happening in America for the past 30 or 40 years ... there's a mom and pop store on pretty much every street corner around here, and most people can walk to where they need to go to buy what they want.
However, as the youths of Italy grow up and become more "Americanized" they tend to hop in the car and drive everywhere - and that includes to the superstores. I can only see the trend continuing here. What at least gives me a little hope is that the Superstores here all seem to carry LOCAL PRODUCE when they can, which is a huge plus, but even if it's not local, it usually comes from within the EU, which is a hell of alot better than Wal-Mart's "buy it from the cheapest third world nation of the moment" produce.