Editorial from Joplin, MO on something many of us take for granted. A full service supermarket.

[Sherman A1]

Wally Kennedy: Joplin needs a full-service supermarket

Frequent readers of this column know that I visit family near Boulder, Colorado, at this time of year. Boulder, as you might know, has been named the happiest city in America. Every time I go there, I am struck by the vibrancy of the city. It is a happy place.

But I have never been envious until now. Boulder has something that Joplin used to have — a full-service supermarket. This is a supermarket with a bakery, a delicatessen, a seafood department, a floral department, dine-in and carryout food service, wine and spirits, a pharmacy and a coffee kiosk.

While in Boulder, I visited a Safeway supermarket. I picked up a handheld basket because I did not think I would be buying that much. Just a few things, the basics. When I walked into the produce department, I stopped to look around. This prompted a store employee to walk up and ask me: “Can I help you find something?”

“No,” I said. “I’m just marveling.”

https://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/wally-kennedy-joplin-needs-a-full-service-supermarket/article_4badccb5-a335-5ad8-9756-d274baefd7e0.html