Born and raised right across The River from Lula. I remember when Walmart was just Walmart--the Supercenters with groceries didn't exist yet--and there were many more grocery stores. Some regional chains and some mom-and-pop type places with charge accounts. There was a liquor store/grocery not far from my childhood home where my family had a charge account. My mom would charge to the account to get cash sometimes, and we had a good relationship with the owners. Then Walmart opened the Supercenter on the other side of town.
The groceries and "main street businesses" shuttered one-by-one as the Supercenter's bargain-basement prices claimed more business, despite the absence of public transportation in that little Delta town. Today the options are Walmart, the last regional-chain grocery store in the shopping center next to Walmart, or the dollar stores that regularly sprout up along the main thoroughfares in the area. The latter only carry freezer items, canned goods, milk and eggs--no fresh produce, except for the bananas, apples, and oranges next to the register if you're lucky.
The place continues to be a food desert, but this article really hits home. I've been to 50% of the places mentioned, and many more besides. The best fried chicken is always found in gas stations.
The groceries and "main street businesses" shuttered one-by-one as the Supercenter's bargain-basement prices claimed more business, despite the absence of public transportation in that little Delta town. Today the options are Walmart, the last regional-chain grocery store in the shopping center next to Walmart, or the dollar stores that regularly sprout up along the main thoroughfares in the area. The latter only carry freezer items, canned goods, milk and eggs--no fresh produce, except for the bananas, apples, and oranges next to the register if you're lucky.
The place continues to be a food desert, but this article really hits home. I've been to 50% of the places mentioned, and many more besides. The best fried chicken is always found in gas stations.