The Peterborough Roundabout. Day One.
By Zak Normandin • Nov 16th, 2008 • Category: News
The New Roundabout In Peterborough Is Open For Traffic.
The new CVS in Peterborough opened for business on Sunday. With the opening came a steady stream of traffic into the shopping center shared by a half finished Shaws Supermarket. The recently completed roundabout which serves as the main entrance to the plaza has been a hot topic around town. Residents have complained that the traffic circle was poorly designed and sure to become a constant source of headaches…and car accidents.
The CVS project was put on fast track in order to be open in time for Christmas. Makes you wonder what impact this new addition to town is going to have on the local small business community. Corporate giants like CVS are notorious for undercutting mom and pops that can not compete with the their large volume pricing. Many of Peterborough’s small businesses have benefited from the absence of a full service grocery store these last couple months. I will be interested to see how much competition CVS brings to the table with their limited grocery selection. Truth be told, the CVS scenario is not all bad. CVS will bring new jobs to the area. Local construction workers have been employed nearly all summer at the site during its building phase. The store will also bring in much needed tax revunue for the town.
What do you think of the new development? Do you welcome the addition or are you unimpressed by all the commotion?
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Zak Normandin is an entrepreneur and web developer based in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. As the lead designer and creator of MonadnockReview.com, Zak has worked closely with local residents to create an innovative online portal featuring news, events, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment in the Monadnock Region. Zak is also the founder of Redwood Concepts, A web development company that specializes in brand creation and website design.
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The notion that corporate ownership is somehow automatically less caring about the communities they operate within, than the “locals” is, at the end of the day, an unproductive thought. This commentary reflects a basic lack of understanding of how effective businesses, whether large or small, operate. Effective entrepreneurs, both large and small, embrace change and view competition as a good thing, as you alludes to towards the end of your posting.
While it’s true that price leaders like CVS or Walmart cause local firms to take a hard look @ their operating model, there are other models which can just as effectively attract customers and provide a sustainable living for all those involved in the enterprise.
Specializing and having a “best product” type of business is one way. Another is to truly focus on customer service and then strive to have a very intimate relationship with one’s customers and their needs and wants. Both can be very effective against a business operating with a lowest total cost model.
If you re-read the post, you will see that I was not implying much of anything but rather questioning what impact this development would have on our community. The points brought to the table are facts: CVS, Walgreens , & Rite Aid are all notorious for undercutting small businesses to the point where they can no longer compete. This is the reason why there are virtually no mom and pop drugstores anymore. All of that real estate and business was bought up by the corporate giants.
Because I am willing to bet that you do not live here in the Monadnock Region, I will not expect you to understand the impact that a large drugstore will have on our small businesses. In a down economy where people are cutting corners wherever they can, I know that a big business like CVS will likely take some of the revunue from local small businesses offering comparable products. Unfortunately, a “focus on customer service” does not always keep customers. I have seen many businesses with superior customer service go out of business in the last year.
Zak Normandin
Editor
Zak.Normandin@monadnockreview.com
I don’t really think the roundabout was the safest way to do this. I am not impressed first of all that its very small. Also its right at the bottom of a large hill that i know people go beyond speed limits to go down this. I have watched 18 wheelers go through this and imagine how hard it must be, its just going to be a huge disaster