....© 2000, Kimit A. Muston
When I was a young and innocent child of only four and three,
My father offered tales of woe, while I sat upon his knee.
I scoffed and said I knew the score, I'd heard it all before.
Of environmental damaged worlds, extinct and never more.My father scoffed right back and said, be patient child, because
I mean to tell another tale of a different land of Oz.
Once upon there was a time of choice and competition,
When every corner market had It's own name and reputation.There was a Thrifty and a Hughs, A Lucky and Security Pacific,
There was even a Home Savings, where the service was terrific.
There was once an L.A.Times, so strong and independent,
But a Tribune knocked upon the door and now it is ascendant.There were many banks and many stores, supermarkets and Builder's Emporiums,
And now they have all gone away, gobbled up and in memorium.
They've been merged all together, with new names upon the door,
They've got new signs upon the roof, and new linoleum upon the floor.But the products seem the same, and the prices haven't changed,
Only Service has been dropped. which is where the profits gained.
And if you choose to be outraged and take your business elsewheres,
Good luck in finding a different store, where anybody still cares.So is this really progress? my father asked of me,
Are these mergers an improvement? and I wondered on his knee.
Is Rite Aide so much better than Thrifty used to be?
Does the Depot make a difference in the life of you and me?What have we lost in our mad rush, to merge and merge again,
If the last merge was so efficient, why does the merging never end?
There may come the day when just one store occupies the mall,
There may come the day when there is just, one mall, that's all.And then I was left to wonder, what would the mergers do?
With no one left to merger with, and no one to merger to?
My father nodded, I understood, He left me there to nurture,
Thoughts of the end of everything, Armageddon by merger.