Snotty Letter-Writer Tries to Tell Us All How to Shop

Editor,

I've been hearing some talk lately about supporting local businesses, and it's made me think. Sure, I love hopping in my car and going on a shopping spree at my favorite Target store, but I recently decided to try buying a few small items at stores in Alameda, just to see what it's like.

I have to say, it wasn't as difficult and unpleasant as I'd always imagined. It turns out that there are lots of good-quality products available right here in Alameda, and there are even some great bargains! I wouldn't want to be hasty, but what with new stores and restaurants opening up, I can almost imagine going for entire weekends without leaving town.

My friends all think I'm crazy for even suggesting such a thing, but I'm starting to think that that's what people have in mind when they talk about supporting local businesses. I know it's good for our tax base, and saves me money on gasoline, so I think I might continue with my experiment. Of course, buying things locally isn't for everyone, but I thought some of your readers might be interested in hearing about my novel experiences, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Dawn Diamond

Editor's comments:

This ridiculous letter from some sanctimonious Poindexter is a load of complete hogwash. Everyone knows that it's too expensive to buy from local businesses, which never have anything worth buying anyway. Besides, some of us can't give up buying toilet paper by the forklift pallet. These days, we can barely afford to fill up our SUV's to drive to the outlet store for our monthly groceries, so how are we supposed to pay premium prices for boutique toilet paper in Alameda?

Clearly, it's impossible for anyone to support local businesses and still get everything they need without going bankrupt. It is beyond the Alameda Daily Noose and me how an ignorant little twit like Miss Diamond can lambaste all of us good, honest bargain shoppers for not buying anything in Alameda. Just because she has the luxury of being able to buy "good-quality products" doesn't mean that the rest of us should have to. Any "bargains" that she finds can't possibly be as good as the bargains that we get by driving that extra mile outside Alameda, which can't possibly hurt our tax base, because everyone is already doing it, so what's the problem?

Miss Diamond lives in a fantasy land. She thinks everyone should be forced to buy everything in specialty shops for twice the amount they would charge elsewhere. The Alameda Daily Noose and I bet she doesn't even practice what she preaches; in fact, we're 100% positive that we think we heard from someone who's pretty sure that a friend might have said that Miss Diamond has an entire basement stuffed full of bulk products from Sam's Club, while she expects the rest of us peons to content ourselves with shopping locally. What a filthy rotten hypocrite!

You know what? If that goody-two-shoes Miss Diamond doesn't like the way we shop in Alameda, then she should go live someplace where people already shop the way she wants them to!