That small town life must have been great as a kid. Maybe less great as an adult with all the gossip, but still, it sounds pretty nice. No, there are not really any basic needs stores that are small time here. There are a ton of artsy places and restaurants that are small, but you don't get essentials there.

I grew up with a family that worked at big chains. The only option to make good money was to go into management, which meant working lots of bad shifts. My mom wouldn't do that because she valued seeing her little kids. Damned if you do, or damned if you don't. It is the age-old plight of the poor.

It really is ridiculous that these places don't give discounts. And even worse, Publix (a Florida grocery store that has expanded into the SE) bullies its low-paid employees into giving up something from their paycheck every week to the United Way. I find the United Way to be a very sketchy charity, even more so since they are in bed with a big company like Publix. They actually have mandatory meetings to convince the employees.