# Businesses you wonder how they stay in business **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 29, 2002, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266 "2002-04-29T11:50:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/101 "2003-04-02T18:57:08Z")
The shortest lifetime for a store I’ve ever seen was Replay at Tysons Corner Mall. A European chain specializing in jeans, it opened and closed within a month. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/102 "2003-04-02T19:18:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I recently heard an ad on the radio for a battery store. Apparently, you can get every kind of battery ever made there. Gosh, I can’t wait to go! Well, if you’re looking for those AAA **A** batteries that go in laser pointers and apparently nowhere else, that’d be a good place for them… ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/103 "2003-04-02T21:23:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diceman \* > \*\*So this thread’s back, huh? The mystery drug store is still up and running, and I’m still convinced that it’s a front for the distibution of illegal substances. It’s the only explanation for how this guy can pay the rent. \*\* Most eastern/midwestern cities I’ve lived in seemed to have one or (usually) more of these. The substances distributed are, mostly, quite legal. Percodan, Percocet, Oxycontin… The _prescriptions_ on the other hand, are not. They stay in business because there is a street demand for prescription drugs, and they aren’t picky about verfying the 'scripts. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/104 "2003-04-03T00:26:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GIGObuster \* > \*\*Hi **Mauvaise**! Yes, I miss it too! ☹ > > And did you ever notice there is a **light bulb** only store in McDowell avenue? \*\* Right across Broadway from my office here in NYC there’s Just Bulbs, which is a godsend. Really. For a long time they were the only place to buy full-spectrum incandescents, which are an addiction for me (now GE makes a line that’s much cheaper). And I can find obscure bulbs, like the 2 watt jobbies that go inside a fab-fifties lamp I have. They sell all kinds of novelty lighting - strands of chili peppers, taxis, that sort of thing - which is fun. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/105 "2003-04-03T03:55:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Most eastern/midwestern cities I’ve lived in seemed to have one or (usually) more of these. The substances distributed are, mostly, quite legal. Percodan, Percocet, Oxycontin… The prescriptions on the other hand, are not. They stay in business because there is a street demand for prescription drugs, and they aren’t picky about verfying the 'scripts. Aha! So that’s how this guy pays his bills. Would I be correct in assuming that bootleg perscriptions are even more expensive than legitimate ones? ---
**Author:** ![nuthinboutnuthin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/96bed5/32.png) [@nuthinboutnuthin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nuthinboutnuthin)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/106 "2003-04-03T04:25:36Z")
Tuesday Morning??? I LOVE Tuesday morning! I also bought incredibly soft 500 count sheets at a bargain price. They have beautiful crystal. I have found Royal Doulton figurines, although not real cheap. BUT… I also saw…OH MY GOD… one day while browsing… the biggest \*^^^&%%%##@& ing SPIDER I have EVER in my life seen, OH MY GOD… it was running, no hell… it was galavanting across the floor!!!.. I mean to tell you it was almost as big as my fist… Havent been the same since and I am EXTREMELY careful of touching ANYTHING in there… I can only assume it was imported from some bigass Spider specialty company from overseas… Dont know where he went nor how many relatives came with him… ---
**Author:** ![Payne\_N.Diaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/107 "2003-04-03T05:27:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slice \* > \*\*Also, on the side of town where I used to live, we had two 7-Elevens _right next to each other._ \*\* Here in lovely El Paso, on Mesa Street, there was a Diamond Shamrock gas station/convenience store right across the street from…a Diamond Shamrock gs/cs. Or there was until the finally closed one. This may be apochryphal (sp?), but Don Imus’ brother Fred has a business called Auto Body Express that sells designer clothes and crap like that. Ol’ Fred got his start here in El Paso when he saw all the auto body shops in town and thought he could make a mint selling them paint and such. Well, when he went around to sell stuff he noticed that very few people at the shops were actually there to get their cars fixed. Turns out they were almost all of them fronts for illegal stuff. The clothes business got going when Fred realized he was selling more of the cool T-shirts they had made up, than they were selling paint. I don’t know what relevance this has on anything, just that some businesses really are fronts for bad stuff. ---
**Author:** ![shep\_proudfoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@shep\_proudfoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shep_proudfoot)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/108 "2003-05-17T15:13:30Z")
When I lived in Las Vegas in the early 1990s, one could stand at a 7-11 parking lot and see three others. 7-11s and convience stores must be a very, very profitable industry. SP ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/109 "2003-05-17T15:27:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DougC \* > \*\*Two places: > -I bought my latest (non-Hummer) vehicle from another place down the road, and the salesman told me that this is the only Hummer-only dealer anywhere in the country. \*\* Nope, they just opened a Hummer dealership here in KC a couple weeks ago. (surely you didn’t believe something a salesman told you!! 🙂 ) Funny thing is, I’ve only seen maybe 1 or 2 Hummers driving around town over the last year or so. Do people just buy these things and just park them in their garages?? ---
**Author:** ![mishaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@mishaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mishaa)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/110 "2003-05-18T14:29:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HelloKitty \* > \*\*Nope, they just opened a Hummer dealership here in KC a couple weeks ago. (surely you didn’t believe something a salesman told you!! 🙂 ) > > Funny thing is, I’ve only seen maybe 1 or 2 Hummers driving around town over the last year or so. Do people just buy these things and just park them in their garages?? \*\* We have a Hummer-only dealership in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I see tons of Hummers every day, mostly driven by women. They are the new “In” vehicle for soccer moms who drive $50,000 cars. It replaced the Lexus SUV and the little Mercedes SUV. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/111 "2003-07-25T02:37:07Z")
\*\*Pendleton Stores \*\*. Probably not big in warmer climates, but in Michigan, it seems every small to medium town has one of these woolen stores. And there is never anyone in them. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/112 "2003-07-25T05:05:06Z")
I once worked at a small fast-food-style taco place. The owner was very clear in saying that he had only bought the place for tax reasons, and planned to sell the buisness in a year or two. I’ve been told that towards the end, employees had completely given up on using the cash register, and would just pocket the entire day’s sales. It seems the owner just didn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/113 "2003-07-25T18:24:18Z")
In Boise there are two Texaco stations within an 1/8th of a mile of each other, both owned by the same franchise, called Jackson’s. One of them used to be a Circle K until Jacksons bought out all the local Circle K outlets. Since one of them was already a Jackson’s (Texaco) they apparently decided to leave both of them open. Up the road one mile was another Circle K which also became a Jackson’s Texaco. A few weeks later it became a Shell station, but with the Jackson’s name still on it. There was once a restaurant in town where there was only one item on the menu, a hamburger with fruit salad. I don’t know how long his business operated like this or if it’s still there. It isn’t listed in the local online directory, but it still may be there because when I read a story about the place in the local paper the owner said that he doesn’t even have a phone (with only one item on the menu I can’t think of what the need for having a phone would be in the first place). The mall here has several jewelry stores and they’re empty about 95% of the time. Same goes for the fur coat store and the organ/piano store. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/114 "2004-05-06T05:43:05Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > There are some specialty stores which make me wonder “The House of Knives”, “The Sydney Sock Shop”, and of course my favourite, “LETTERBOX WORLD”! I’ve been to the house of knives, almost bought some too except they didn’t have the specific model I wanted. Prices wern’t too bad. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/115 "2004-05-06T06:09:55Z")
> [@Payne N. Diaz](#): > > Here in lovely El Paso, on Mesa Street, there was a Diamond Shamrock gas station/convenience store right across the street from…a Diamond Shamrock gs/cs. Or there was until the finally closed one. About ten years ago, Diamond Shamrock here bought out another service station chain’s stores- and made them all into Diamond Shamrocks even if the were adjacent to an existing store. The business that makes me wonder is Wienerschnitzel. I once worked across from one that never seemed to have a customer, other than the ocassional panhandler getting a small coke and hot dog for a dollar. It’s been in business forever though. All that I see usually seem equally dead. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/116 "2004-05-06T12:20:43Z")
Fur Coat Storage Businesses ( I think there are two left in SE Michigan), I am convinced are now fronts for the Mob. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/117 "2004-05-06T12:35:27Z")
In some places, it’s cheaper to rent storefronts than apartments. I know a few people who rent stores, put some weird stuff in them and have weird hours, and they live in the back (illegally). ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/118 "2004-05-06T13:01:49Z")
There’s a place south and east of my house that sells only **leather animal-shaped footstools**. Not kidding. And a small tailor’s shop which is always dark and has a 1960’s dress in the window. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266/119 "2004-05-06T15:49:25Z")
> [@syncrolecyne](#): > > The business that makes me wonder is Wienerschnitzel. I once worked across from one that never seemed to have a customer, other than the ocassional panhandler getting a small coke and hot dog for a dollar. It’s been in business forever though. All that I see usually seem equally dead. Hey, I miss Wienerschnitzel! Every time we’re in El Paso, we stop by to eat there at least once. It was a popular hangout back in high school, too. It sounds like you were just near a bad location – the ones I remember visiting had plenty of business way back when. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/businesses-you-wonder-how-they-stay-in-business/106266.md?page=5)