Christmas was rough on a lot of retailers this year, and apparently my little Safeway in the Financial District is still wooing those ever-elusive holiday shoppers. I stopped by on the way home tonight just as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” kicked in on the Muzak…
It was rather sweet, in a creepy sort of way…
Unrelated (more or less): a letter-writer in the Chronicle today stated “I am amazed that Californians living near the Oregon border who shop in Oregon because there is no sales tax remain in California! If they don’t feel any responsibility for sharing the cost of California public services, why don’t they move?”…
Spare me. I was surprised to see that the writer was from Sonora, as he has a very San Franciscan viewpoint: specifically that one must repeatedly (and cheerfully) be gouged just for the “great privilege” of living here. Bullshit. If I could save 10% or more on all my purchases by making a short trip to a place which does a better job of managing its finances, I’d do it in an instant…
My sense of civic pride does not require a vow of poverty, thanks, and if I were forced to do all my shopping in San Francisco (or California) as a requirement of residence, I’d most definitely move…
