Stricken

Did I talk about the grocery store workers' strike that may still be happening here in California? I know that I spoke with positive hope for a work stoppage in the NFL, as well as the NBA. Those are frivolous things, and as much as I like them, life would have continued on. Not so with garbage collection, as  my father explained to me once, nor with grocery store workers. I imagined that my local grocery store would limp along with hastily-trained scabs, but now I understand that may not be so.

I had been less than happy about the notion of crossing a picket line for food. I figured that if that were the case, I would shop elsewhere in solidarity for the duration. I have learned now that my resolve may never be put to the test, as a plan has been declared by management to simply close down the stores. Apparently scab-run stores lost piles of money during the last strike. That's all well and good. As I said, I was leaning towards not shopping at the affected stores anyway.

A further development is what worries me more. Someone seemingly reputable is of the opinion that stores which shut down are likely never to reopen. You must understand how I love my neighborhood grocery store. It is close enough to walk there in minutes. It's open all night. It has a random and endless assortment delectables hot and ready to eat at all hours. I'm to understand that it could conceivably close and never return?

I know what happens when retail spaces are vacated. I've seen it here. A place closes down, and the building remains vacant for years. Places which were vacant two and three years ago in my old neighborhood a couple miles north are still vacant. This is no fertile crescent of commerce we have here. If something thrives, nothing short of a nuclear catastrophe ought to knock it out. It's pretty ridiculous. This is where you see who has the power, though. The basketball players will probably find that it's the grocery store workers and not them.