Hans Howe

Sprawlmart is finding out, first hand, that when you have become a community’s replacement for a number of hyper-local establishments, the whole only-the-bottom-line-matters approach is unacceptable. Having moved into the community, and taken the role of de facto meeting place and community heart after driving the local businesses out of business, they failed to understand their responsibility, in the eyes of the locals.

A huge, for profit, business focused solely on the bottom line is ill-suited to providing those jobs that the community appreciates and responds well too. Everyone knows “Jimmy”, and that he’s a bit slow, but Jimmy used to sweep up at Thompson’s 5&10. Everyone visiting would talk with Jimmy, and the whole community respected Thompson’s for helping Jimmy work and feel pride in his job. Sprawlmart has no corporate understanding of this concept and it can’t be reflected on their accounting statements or manager reviews.

A smart regional director would have noticed Delores, the greeter, and observed how everyone entering the store interacted with her, and talked about how she had taught them, or their parents, when she was the school marm. He would know that some would even make it a point to stop by weekly to talk to her, and realize the net positive result that had for the store. Instead, a bean counter in Benton, AR sees an underutilized employee, a waste of a few dollars an hour. Thus greeters become hosts, the rest is history.

BY CP @ EBMisfit’s

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