By way of clarification, I’d generally rather shop at Target as well. They have nicer stores and the whole shopping experience is generally more pleasant than at Wal-Mart. But my point — and the theme of the article cited — is that I don’t equate Target’s enhanced shopping experience nor their elevated sense of style and fashion with some false notion of moral or ethical superiority…

Ultimately, Target and Wal-Mart are two very competent retailers who do everything they can to maximize profits. The only siginificant differences are aesthetics and demographics. The fact that Target attracts stylish middle-class urbanites rather than fat, boring low-income rural and ethnic shoppers does not by definition make it more “socially conscious”. It’s all marketing. Period…

Interesting article from the Boston Globe on why Wal-Mart is perceived as pure evil while Target is seen as pure virtue by so many urban sophisticates snobs, even though both companies have similar business practices…

Um, never mind what this entry originally said. I really should read more carefully before I babble sometimes…

I love the Landmark. I never ate there much when I lived in Charlotte before, perhaps because it was too much the “upscale” version of a diner, where everything was (gasp) about a dollar more than it was at Athens or San Remo…

This time around, though, I’m a definite convert, and I’ve decided that it’s only partially about the food, although the food is quite good. What I really like is the fact that, even though this is pretty much nothing more than a high volume diner, the service is remarkably professional. They make you feel rather special while you’re eating your eight dollar meal, more so than many places make you feel even when you’re chowing down on a twenty or thirty dollar meal. I like that a lot…

There are a lot more things I like about Charlotte. Almost enough, you might think, to start a whole different website…