Retail Stores

I love watching the old television shows such as The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie. One reason I love them is because I enjoy watching the depictions of transactions in retail stores. Ike Godsey was a favorite retail store owner on Walton's Mountain and he regularly gave out credit. Harriet Olson hated giving out credit to the residents of Walnut Grove, while her dear husband, Nells, would barter for eggs or jam. The twentieth century certainly brought about a major change in retail stores. You would be hard pressed to find any store that works on credit or bartering these days.

There is no mistaking that the invention of bar codes and bar code scanning equipment took retail stores to a new level. Prices are now fixed. Eggs won't pass for cash and you can't leave a store without paying unless you want to get arrested! While this has certainly taken a lot of "friendliness" out of shopping for the consumer, it surely brought relief to the retail store owner who was trying to make a go in the business world. They were no longer put on the spot by a community member who was looking to haggle over prices, and most retail stores owners were never asked again by a customer if they could purchase on "credit." . . . unless it was a credit card.

Sometimes I do ache for the days of old when things were simpler. However, I understand that even the Ike Godseys and Nells Olsons of our former days saw hard times due to their generous spirits. Bar codes and bar code scanners allowed many of these retail store owners the chance to finally hold on to their wallets and make a decent living, without looking like the bad guy.

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