I consider it the ultimate compliment when people read what I write and take the time to either email me or call the paper with support or disagreement. I feel it is a great privilege to write about local business and as well as business from the surrounding areas that affect us here in Statesboro.
It has been a week since I wrote about the prospect of Publix returning to Statesboro, and I know that my column has yielded support from many and disappointment from others. From what I have been able to discern, some, maybe many of you felt that I was encouraging people to leave Bulloch County and go to Savannah and buy their groceries at Publix.
If that was the message that you got, it was not the one I intended to send. Publix, like any other successful brand, has built a following of loyal, ardent customers. In the short time that Publix was here, based on the rabidity of the correspondence I have gotten from people hoping that they will return, they clearly built a fan base.
That fan base continues to shop there to some extent, and through the beauty of information technology, Publix is keenly aware of this. Is it realistic to go to Savannah to buy your groceries all of the time? For 99.99 percent of us, the answer is an emphatic "No!" At best, Publix is getting an insignificant amount of our grocery dollar.
It is clear that Statesboro residents go to Savannah and Augusta for some of their shopping. They have been doing that forever and make "no bones" about it. That is why we all want the stores that are in Savannah and Augusta to open here. People ask me all of the time - "Are we getting a Target, a Best Buy, a Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc." They have been to these places and they like them.
Even so, if the truth be known, we all spend the vast majority of our shopping dollars - in this case I am speaking of the money used to support our every day living - right here.
There are certain brands of automobiles that are not sold here. There are certain levels of medical care that are not provided here, at least not yet. We have always looked to our larger neighbors to fill in those types of gaps. And, on occasion, we all are attracted to the bright lights of the big city and blow a few bucks there.
That is the reality. Personally, I am grateful that I can live and work in this community, and when push comes to shove, find what I need without having to go very far or stay there very long.
That's one of the things that makes Statesboro great. We have the best of both worlds. Some people just choose to visit the other world more often than others, and I hope you don't think it is because I encouraged them to do so. Because that was not the point of the column.
Until next week, I bid you au revoir.
Got a scoop for Jan? Call her at (912) 489-9463 or e-mail her at jmoore@statesboroherald.net