There is a small grocer near my parents house just outside of Boston. The guys been there for decades and enjoyed the communities support especially considering there are Costco's, Wal Marts and other shit holes like that all around.
During the plandemic I went in there mask less and he gave me shit every time. It's like he completely forgot who I am, how long my family has been supporting him and just how much money I've poured into his business.
Eventually I just stopped going cause he pretty much without banning me directly, banned me.
My parents told me he's struggling as costs have soared and most people are shopping at wal-mart etc.
I ran into this just a few minutes ago leaving my parents house and he's all friendly and asking me shit like "where you been? we missed you!" yada yada...
I cut him off before he could go on with the fake pleasantries and trying to get me to come back. Told him without mincing words that he's never getting a dime from me again and that him and every other business like him deserve exactly what they are getting because when I tried to support him, he gave me shit in order to win the favor of a bunch of virtue signalling cowards in the store he assumed would remain loyal. And that now they are nowhere to be found as Costco has what he has but cheaper which is exactly where they all are.
He looked defeated and I walked away.
Not trying to sound hard or anything but I genuinely don't give a fuck about any of them facing hardship. If you're too stupid to take my money as I argue for to you have it, you don't deserve success.
It's identical to what my BIL up in Canada told me about the area the convoy was in. All the businesses that remained open against the suggestions of police made a killing and the virtue signalling faggots complained to the government later that they lost all sorts of revenue.
Fuck every single one of them. I have zero patience for these people. None.
This also doesn't take into account how terrified MA retail is because crime has rocketed and over Christmas, people were legit scared to shop in person so that caused massive hits to walk in shops.
In my neck of the woods, one small business owner told me that the city health inspectors had visited him 3 times weekly for the last few months, and the fine for having unmasked customers (i.e., not refusing them entry) was $5K. He had already been fined. So he was being an asshole about masks.
On the other hand, some other businesses seemed not to care. I discovered that for me the difference is whether I think we are united under oppression, or if I think they are willing oppressors.
You do what you have to do. But I like small businesses better anyway. But the equation has definitely changed. There are still businesses around that after local mandates lifted, have extra signs requiring masks anyway. I won't shop there.
For me it's the way they behaved prior to the QR codes. I remember vividly how they were begging for the government to implement them so that they could "provide safe spaces" for people while also being able to open.
Their little groups came together and pushed hard and publicly for it. Masks and QR codes.
Once that didn't help, they began the old crying game trying to act like victims.
Yeah, it's a mixed bag. But when they're both tyrannical idiots, I have trouble believing that small neighborhood grocery stores are worse than Costco. But I'm certainly remembering the ones that stood against the madness.
In MA, my fren you wouldn't last lol. This place is truly imo one of the worse areas in the US hardcore covidiots. Not even NY CITY was as hard.