Local shops still thriving for local markets

Originally, I had the impression that local shops, pharmacies in particular, were a thing of the past - especially in college towns where people prefer things to be quick and easy in places like Wal-Mart. However, when I walked into the B&J Pharmacy on Moore St in San Marcos, I realized that they are not a thing of the past at all.

When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was an elderly hispanic couple at the check out counter - the pharmacist knew them personally and referred to them by their first names. This is very different than the scenes one would encoutner in Wal-Mart where people are just another prescription number. This one event alone was enough to tell me plenty about the native people to San Marcos - it showed that there is a whole other side to this town than the college students usually experience...while we generally want Wal-Marts and convenient "everything under one roof" stores, older more traditional people still choose to stick to the original way of living and getting services/goods.

Some possible stories that could stem from this listening post could have to do with what would happen if they went out of business? How is it competing with Wal-Mart? Would San Marcos locals put up a fight if the pharmacy began to go under?

It feels like this was a huge issue when Wal-Mart first started to become a major "everything" store, but it has slowly faded out of the media in the past few years - maybe because people are getting used to the idea?