[chicken]

mav, having spoken to you the other night I know exactly why you feel so strongly about this!

I give as much as possible of my business (biking and personal) to owner-operated companies. The service is generally much better, comments and complaints are dealt with quickly, I know my money is not being spent on expensive national advertising, and I like that the shopkeeper knows my name when I go in.

This, in my opinion, is one of the reasons for the decline in society in this country over the last twenty-odd years. Prices may have come down, but salaries more so (inflation-adjusted) so cost of living has gone up.

Sorry, my soapbox moment over!