By Nicole Fortuna
I gotta have my Wawa.
I—and every other functioning human being in the tri-state area—do, too.
It’s clear on Facebook, as well, that Wawa is a permanent staple in the diet of young people everywhere.
It’s all right there. If I want pineapple Sunchips at 11:30 p.m., I know where I can get them. Easy.
But all the hype of the Wawas, the Sheetz, the Wal-Marts has got me thinking—what happened to Mom and Pop? Yes, the stores with the original names and the stories behind them?
Throughout Cape May County, the decline of Mom and Pop’s stores has become much more obvious over the years.
What’s a Mom-and-Pop? A small family-owned business with minimal or no outsider employees.
There never was a point in time when customers expressed unhappiness with them, making Mom and Pop pack their bags. And I’m relatively certain that there isn’t a law against these kinds of stores. So what happened?
Attitudes change, and the economy responds. Or is it the economy that creates change? Concepts like strip malls and bargains stores fed our need for convenience and simplicity. They showed us that bigger is better. But we all recognize this. It’s capitalism.
This is the way I see it: since each mom-and-pop businesses is unique, and in Cape May County many of them make the majority of their profits in summer, competing with other businesses can cause considerable economical strain.
Franchised businesses, on the other hand, have gimmicks and built-in advertising. If a consumer is unsure if she can get paper clips and milk at the Mom and Pop store on the corner, she probably won’t chance it.
Young people don’t put too much thought into where our food comes from. When we’re hungry we think of the most efficient way to get food. How many McDonald’s and Wawas can you name within a five mile radius of your house?
Should we care? Should we still invest in Mom and Pop? Of course. You see, although we value efficiency, convenience and immediate gratification, Mom and Pop endorses notions like friendship, conscientiousness and longevity.
Mom-and-Pop businesses don’t plan to have a business for one year; they plan for a lifetime. What does that say about the quality of the product you will buy?
Finally, what does it say about the relationships you may form as a result of simple transaction? As a 19-year-old, I am on the cusp of adulthood. At one point in time I will decide where to truly invest my money.
Will I choose convenience or thrift? Will I find what else is out there, or, what has always been around, like Mom and Pop?
The stories behind these establishments, say a lot about the kind of service they want to provide. That doesn’t mean that franchised businesses don’t care. But some of the Mom and Pop businesses have seen struggle, tears and happy endings.
I, for one, love a good story. (Hence the whole reporting gig I have going on.)
nfortuna@cmcherald.com
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