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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-07/the-enduring-legacy-of-the-humble-australian-corner-store/102057742>
'Ask an Australian to describe a corner shop, and the response will differ
sharply according to age.
A child of the 1950s may think of Formica benchtops, chrome milkshake frothers
and ice cream floats. A 1970s kid, like me, will almost certainly be able to
recall the heavy potential of a 50-cent coin, which 45 years ago would secure
an impossibly generous bag of lollies, laboriously chosen one by one and tonged
into the bag by a patient shopkeeper.
Or the allure of magazines and yo-yos — the sort of thing you'd nag your mum
for and never get. Or the thrill of being allowed to walk to the shop alone for
the first time.
If you grew up in the 1990s — by which time the corner shop was under heavy
lateral attack from supermarkets with their ever-expanding product range and
opening hours — you might recall the corner shop's brief and opportunistic
rebranding as an "internet cafe", its soundtrack the twanging, unmistakeable
and now-extinct sound of a dial-up modem trying to get online. (Google that if
you're younger than 40.)
And if you were born in the 21st century, you might wonder what a corner shop
even is.'
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
