Grocery stores used to serve as neighborhood hubs, because before delivery, the internet, and retailers like Target and Walmart moving into the space, brick-and-mortar retailers were the only option.
When I was a kid back in the 1980s, my town had a Star Market. That was the only supermarket that was an easy drive from our house. Amazon didn’t exist yet, and the only thing you could get delivered was pizza, so we were loyal Star Market customers.
That has obviously changed over the years, and now, even in my three-square-mile hometown, there’s a Stop & Shop as well as a Whole Foods. Crossing into neighboring towns brings multiple options, including Market Basket, Target, and Walmart…