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The Lost Supermarket: The Quest For Fresh Foods

The Lost Supermarket: A Breed in Need of Replenishment

A continuing decline in the number of neighborhood supermarkets has made it harder for millions of New Yorkers to find fresh and affordable food within walking distance of their homes, according to a recent city study. The dearth of nearby supermarkets is most severe in minority and poor neighborhoods already beset by obesity, diabetes and and heart disease.

The supermarket closings — not confined to poor neighborhoods — result from rising rents and slim profit margins, among other causes. They have forced residents to take buses or cabs to the closest supermarkets in some areas. Those with cars can drive, but the price of gasoline is making some think twice about that option. In many places, residents said the lack of competition has led to rising prices in the remaining stores.

“Many people in low-income neighborhoods are spending their food budget at discount stores or pharmacies where there is no fresh produce,” said Amanda Burden, the city’s planning director. “In our study, a significant percentage of them reported that in the day before our survey, they had not eaten fresh fruit or vegetables. Not one. That really is a health crisis in the city.”

This is a much larger problem than it appears, there is already a health crisis of the poor urban neighborhoods as they are already at higher risk for disease due to living conditions, but now the removal of fresh foods completely from one's diet could be devastating. A supermarket closes down and another two fast food restaurants open up. This is just another subtle affect that the dependence of foreign oil and inflation is causing.

Toxic Waste In Your Area?

http://www.toxicstargeting.com/toxicmaps/queens/

It is pretty scary to know about having such dangerous things in and around your neighborhood. Sometimes I guess you are better off not knowing. Anyways for the curious prepare to get a sinking feeling in your stomach. I'm glad to say that I did not see any waste sites around the schools in Flushing.

Could January be the best time to shop for new Christmas lights?

Could January be the bets time to shop for new Christmas lights?

Because it sure is clearance time!

Well I know most of you who are reading this probably have not taken down their current Christmas decorations, however if you ran short or chose not to decorate this year because you didn’t get around to buying lights with the mad rush of Christmas presents for your friends and family, now is the time to buy. After searching for a mere 30 seconds I have found a website which seems to have everything on clearance. Although I do not know the quality of the lights, I can sure say that the prices look awfully good.Please remember I am not affiliated with any of the websites or stores that I mention in this post.

Over at www.christmasdepot.com they are having a “monster sale”. I took a quick peak at some LED lights I was interested in buying this season and the price has dropped from $16.50 to $5.78.

If you feel more comfortable with a well known store, one that you can physically visit, Home Depot is the place to go. HomeDepot Although when most think of Home Depot they cringe at the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on supplies and tools for home renovations as well as a mix of having what ever you are looking for being “out of stock” and the usually poor customer service. I certainly know I think of all those things as well as walking out of the store in a frantic race to get out of there, anywhere safe from all the items that are almost what you were looking for and oblivious customers pushing carts loaded everything from power tools to 2 X 4’s. Anyways I’m getting off topic here aren’t I?

Most of the people who I have come into contact with, prefer Lowes over Home Depot. But unfortunately there are no clearance sales that could be easily found on there website.

Good ole Sears has all your basic decorations for Christmas time on sale. ( Just like everyone else because they are already making room for Easter stuff.) The lights did not appear to be that great of a deal to be honest but all that other stuff that Mom loves such as Bath towels and wash cloths etc. Also for all you craft sale people, this could also be a good time to stock up on decorations and other household décor that could make great gifts once put into gift baskets. Myself only knowing this because my aunt has made a nice chunk change buying low and selling cheap however in large quantities could be a good business idea for any household mom who is looking for something to do that’s time consuming, relatively cheap to start up and there is no rush to complete your goal as you have another 11 or so months until the Christmas season gets back in full swing and Bam! What cost you roughly $10.00 to put together and 15 minutes of your time just paid itself back at a minimum double what you spent because next season the stuff will be back at full price.

Walmart, the conqueror of the retail industry has already sold out of most of its online stock. However if you have a Walmart in your local area its worth the trip. (Like you weren’t going to go anyway.J)

Amazon.com at first glance did not appear to have any great deals, after a few revised searches I was destined to find something. Most of the stuff you may see they’re really not your traditional lights; but hey there is always a chance to stand out in the neighborhood by having something no one else has.

Kmart the Faux Pax of retail actually has some good supplies you could use next Christmas season. From my own experiences, the suction cups work nicely when hanging wreaths and the shingle clips and similar models make the possibilities where you can string along lights endless.

Kohls, surprisingly was a major flop. I have a local one in the Fresh Meadows area over on 188^th Street and Horace Harding right off the LIE. If you get off at Utopia. They were certainly lackluster when it came to holiday clearance supplies. Yes I know it is more of a clothing store, but they do sell the occasional decorations. (I bought a group of snowmen for a co-worker there, relatively cheap to boot.)

Even Macy’s is having a 50% off sale on its holiday items. The real kicker with this one is that even at 50% off they still make 200% profit if not more. Anyways that is besides that the fact and if you like more expensive “higher quality” stuff (then you probably would not be reading my Blog in the first place) then Macy’s may be the place for you.

Well all my resources that I could think of off the top my head are spent, hopefully I have saved you some time and energy by reminding you to prepare for Christmas early can always alleviate stress later on. If you are not satisfied with my links, please email me and let me know or if you have another great site for cheap decorations. We appreciate all those who write comments on our Posts, both local and distant please feel free to do so.

Very truly yours,

Mike