They paid minimum wage. Their prices were far higher than Walmart or even the chain grocers. They offered no insurance or retirement benefits. Only one or two employees made enough to support a family.

The owner was the county Democrat chairman and he was crooked as a snake. He was on the board of a local "small family owned bank" and on the board of a large Baptist Church. If you wanted a contract with the church or the bank you had to give free work or large discounts for work at the family store. He traded on all sorts of insider information gleaned from our US Congressman and state officials.

I once heard a phone call he made about an interstate spur which was planned for the area. My boss and his friends bought up lots of property along the proposed route. The route got changed and left them with a lot of land that was suddenly not a huge money maker. On the phone call I heard he was screaming at the Congressman's aide - asking him "What the hell am I paying for?" because they did not get the final route.

Oh, and by the way, his partner in crime - another small businessman who also was on the board at the bank and the Baptist Church - was the county Republican chairman.

I am much happier and employees are doing much better dealing with Walmart.