Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I was in a real visitor's center. There were so many glossy brochures bragging up one place or another. It was almost funny how little any of that mattered to me. I was trying to learn how a visitor might get a UPS package delivered in this town. It used to be easy, but the drug store abandoned their partnership with UPS and Amazon, and the UPS customer service center is now closed. That is happening everywhere it seems.
Isn't it strange that towns acknowledge the importance of visitors to their economy but they don't understand that visitors shop online when they are traveling? Hell, there is nothing to buy in stores anymore, except grocery stores and gas stations.
On the bright side, thrift stores seem to be coming up in the world. Maybe they will take the place of Dollar Stores now that Dollar Stores are charging convenience-store prices. Considering what a landfill economy we have, it makes sense that thrift stores would have an important niche. But their hours are so bad! There is too much useless clutter and debris in the store, such as VCR tapes where there should be DVDs or CDROMs.
I'm surprised that some Wall Street financial corporation hasn't started buying up thousands of thrift stores across America, and made them more McDonald's-like, that is, uniform and predictable. It could be quite a sensation.
Then they could offer a corner of the store to Starbucks, like Safeway does. After a couple years of rapid growth, they could dress up all their stuff to be "antiques," and priced accordingly.
It's not inconceivable that the parent corporation could introduce the subscription model to Thrift Store America.
Comments
...Look for "pack and ship" type stores, which can often be found in smaller towns where there may not be a dedicated UPS or FedEx retail store. Google on "shipping" "package" and "office" and you'll likely find one. Sometimes, in really small towns, the local hardware store may handle this responsibility.
I found that Ace Hardware in Springerville, AZ would accept packages. You might also try any of the commercial RV Parks in the area and see if they will accept a package for you.
It is hell to be homeless! HA
I have had good luck with graphics stores.
I never tried an RV park, since I am never staying there. But if I were them I would use this as an excuse to get a non-guest to walk into the RV park and perhaps be impressed with it.
About your "Thrill": indeed, one can adopt a playfully predatory mindset and make a nice hobby out of it. You get to know a town a little better that way.
That is the difference in the thinking that people have in a small town. "Try That in a Small Town" song by Jason Aldean has its positive side as well as all the negativity that it received.