Wally World Watch

Oliver Photo, located on Tenney Mtn. Highway, is closed its doors last week. The store, which actually develops pictures for less than Wal-Mart, still cannot compete with grand scale competition. It isn’t hard to kill an hour in Wal-Mart, or any other large chain store while you wait for your pictures to be developed. Similar camera models are cheaper at Wal-Mart because they buy more from the manufacturer (buying in bulk saves money, mostly due to less packaging), and sell more of them.. Oliver Photo would lose money if they charged the same as Wal-Mart, because not as many people shop at Oliver Photo. Oliver Photo, which has been a staple in the local shopping district, certainly, isn’t the only family owned store that has shut down because there is too much competition. Many people love the small town feel of areas like Plymouth. Walk down Main Street, or into any small store, and you will see your neighbors, and the store owners are your friends. As “big box” superstores open across the country, mom and pop shops close their doors. Wal-Mart is not the only store guilty of this, stores such as Target, Hannaford, and Best Buy also have similar effects on the local economy. Not all local stores close when a chain moves into the neighborhood, however, Across the country dozens of small scale stores learn to co-exist. Can Wal-Mart really be blamed for this phenomenon? Sure, Plymouth and other small towns may lose some of their character as locally known family stores shut down, but that is part of the business world after all.Thanks to Oliver Photo for its years of support and friendly service. Surely, they will be missed. Oliver Drug, located at 19 Avery Street in Plymouth, will remain open.