Gothamist: News Flash: New York City Flooded with Chain Stores

agashgaei

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:48:02 -0500

What people don't seem to understand is that the reason people in NY hate chains is because of the loss of a unique environment. Any where you go in fatland amercia is the same. There is nothing unexpected or different. It is a boring, simple, predictable & fattening life. If you want this, then get the hell out of ny, get in your cars & live the drive-through life. NYC was a unique place with unique neighborhoods with stores that reflected it. Now, with all the mid-western idiots coming here & demanding their McDonalds & Applebees, NYC is turning into a big midwester mall. The result is that NYC is becoming boring & is no longer a premeir destination for artists, musicians & other types who may not fit into the fat amercian mold. So, simply, goodbye NYC (the greatest mall ever!). Hello other places that value their uniqueness & hold onto it.

rayburn

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:36:12 -0500

What's wrong with chains? Each local franchise may well be owned and managed by a local family (i.e. a mom and a pop). What's more, a chain offers you consistency in the quality of the product, be it coffee, donuts, or shampoo. You know exactly what you're getting, and you know you're not going to get ripped off, because everything's computerized rather than in some cashier's head. These stores are also well-lit, and they're supposed to comply with the franchise's level of cleanliness (and for food service establishments, the franchise's level of food safety). That's more than you can say for Joe Blow Pizzeria where the employees are wiping their noses right before they hand you your slice. I'd rather go into a Duane Reade any day for my Diet Coke instead of the corner "mom-and-pop" bodega/newsstand where I have to look at all the porn magazines right beside the front counter. Especially in the outer boroughs, I'd say these chains are providing a welcome service for people who live in less-than-ideal neighborhoods.

Potosi

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:39:20 -0500

I also wish these chains would mostly go away, but Duane Reade isn't a national chain. It's a New York city chain.

spiritross

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:54:17 -0500

And yet there are areas of Brooklyn that do not have a grocery store within 20 blocks

sinisterteashop

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:55:59 -0500

Actually, the mom and pop stores were extremely efficient. They catered to neighborhood needs. They stocked what sold. Chain stores like Staples, for instance, don't have to sell stock aimed at specific demographics. They corner the market and play hard ball with distributors so what you get in NYC is the same shit you get in Canton, OH. Chains could care less what consumers want or need. They become the only game in town and can do what they please.

Sir Jimbob

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:20:50 -0500

Needs a Dairy Queen and a Jimmy John's.

babyhitler

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:18:46 -0500

#24 a supermegastore is something like a walmart, bj's, sams club, costco, etc.

NannyState

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:53:09 -0500

^You know what that's about, right? Duane Reade gets word that a coveted corner location is available and they grab it to keep Rite-Aid or somebody else out. Pretty soon they have all these locations locked up and the competitor withers away.

mikehawk

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:41:10 -0500

OK get this Duane Reade has a 24 hour store on 79th and Amsterdam but wait... they are opening a 2nd Duane Reade on 78th and Broadway! Same block. One store on the northeast corner and the other on the southwest corner! Just in case you find walking from Broadway to Amsterdam too far. (by the way that is a pretty short block too) Why?

Pharmer

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:25:37 -0500

The thing with Dunkin Donuts is that it doesn't need a lot of space to open a new location compared to Duane Reade. I see a lot of those hole in the wall DD where everything is grab and go.

the horse

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:09:56 -0500

what's a supermegastore?

babyhitler

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:59:22 -0500

chain stores are the new mom and pop stores. now you've got them just struggling to stay afloat when supermegastores and the internet are kicking their ass. sharper image is dead, circuit city is on it's knees. starbucks is feeling it. It's a whole new economy.

NannyState

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:18:52 -0500

What we need are more Bennigan's and Steak and Ales....oops. never mind.

matthewer

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:17:50 -0500

Dude Jack in the Box is the way to go. I wish they had that in NYC.

esquared

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:39:02 -0500

And this is a News Flash, just now?

AvenueHebrew

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:33:20 -0500

This is what bugs me: Dunkin Donuts has over 100 more stores in the 5 boroughs than Starbucks and McDonalds. They've got Starbucks beat 10 to 1 in almost any other area of the country. But what gets brought up in every conversation about oversaturation of the market? Starbucks.

kearnj

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:28:03 -0500

Actually surprises me that Duane Reade has less of a presence than say, McD's or Starbucks.

JenChungsBra

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:16:44 -0500

What's up with Sonic? They're ads are on TV all the time yet you can't find one anywhere. Sonic sucks ass anyway but why advertise in a market where you have no stores?

ny2102

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:12:55 -0500

I'm surprised there are more DDs than DRs.

Politburo

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:06:19 -0500

I see Baskin-Robbins is #6.. frequently these are colocated with Dunkin Donuts. I wonder if these locations got double counted in the survey.

JacqueMehoff

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:02:05 -0500

actually I would like to try me some Sonic and that MILF in the Sonic commercial.

kcin122

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:37:34 -0500

these places have cheaper stuff which helps poor people. why does everyone hate poor people?

PBRK

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:37:20 -0500

Have you seen the lines in a Target? Imagine having to deal with that every time you had to buy something in the City. The convienence of big box is geared towards car based suburbia, not a dense urban market. And the cost savings to consumers just screws someone else in the supply chain and consumers eventually wind up with inferior goods.

eyekantspel

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:30:15 -0500

agree #6, the whole "mom and pop" argument is antiquated. We're surrounded by chains already, where most of the time the employees don't know the customers or have a chatty relationship with them. The idea that we should support smaller and less efficient stores with more expensive goods, because to do otherwise would cost poor mom and pop their livelihoods, is largely irrelevant at this point. Nowadays, mom & pop arguments are mostly made by people with other agendas, like unions, environmental groups, and people who wish that things were as quaint now as they once used to be.

Toby von Meistersinger

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:19:28 -0500

What about a list of the number of banks? They are even worse than chain stores.

Cacheton

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:19:26 -0500

Lighten up... retard

neckbeard

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:18:01 -0500

@3 you're right, i'm a dodger retard. whatever that means. and I can have it both ways, I can be a dodger fan and live in new york. you've embarrassed me. you really have.

Inwood Hood

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:03:09 -0500

While mom-and-pop shops still seem to hold on to people's imaginations as somewhat more authentic and quaint, there are many advantages to chains. A chain can get better deals from suppliers than can 20 separate single owner shops. That can translate into better cost savings for consumers. It would be a real boon if all the mom-and-pop shops on a square block could be transformed into a big box retailer. Not only are there cost savings, there are an environmental benefits since one truck is delivering a bunch of stuff at one time rather than delivering a lot of little things to 20 separate stores. Unfortunately, quaintness is costly, especially in already expensive NYC.

mmlanglie

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:03:08 -0500

JDS, as much as I hate chain stores, I completely agree that not having a single DQ in the 5 boroughs is a travesty. Even though it was my first job, and likely a reason for me to hate the place, I heart Dairy Queen. Mmmm....

JMH

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:59:26 -0500

Huh, I was not aware that there were that many Sleepy's.

Cacheton

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:57:22 -0500

Everyone can have it both ways. Like a dodger retard posting on gothamist.

neckbeard

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:50:51 -0500

having grown up in LA (home of fast food) one of the first things i noticed when moving here was the amount of dunkin donuts. if you don't like it, then don't shop at these stores. you can't have it both ways, though most new yorkers love a reason to complain.

thenamesdave

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:45:56 -0500

Duane Reade has my permission to die a quick, violent death.