Driving on Route 90 through downtown Union Springs is like driving into a ghost town - a row of old buildings, some 100 years old, where businesses once thrived.

I look at these buildings and can see where a drugstore, bakery or barbershop may have been. I look at these buildings and I wonder where Main Street America and Mom and Pop stores have gone.

Union Springs is a beautiful lakeside village. And the population is certainly large enough to warrant the business.

But nowadays large discount chains attract customers from greater distances by offering services such as one-stop shopping, 24-hour service and free parking.

Larger chain stores are also able to buy directly from the manufacturer and in large quantity, enabling much lower sale prices than a local wholesaler could ever compete with.

But lower pricing can be a bit of a ruse, as discount chains seem to have altered the definition of a “good buy.”

Sure, you can get a kitchen table for $100, but if it's made of particle board and it's going to collapse on Thanksgiving, who really made a good deal?

There is a world of difference between a bargain and cheap junk. And even when a bargain is genuine, the headache of crowded aisles, long lines and poor customer service isn't worth the discount.

“They just don't make 'em like they used to,” is more than expression, it's a fact. There aren't tradesmen anymore, only businessmen, and this shift has had a negative impact on the morale of the American workforce. Consider that any “non skilled” job can be outsourced.

And although the economy may be improved by corporate business, rural America seems to be vanishing.

And it's not just the retail chains; the Internet and home shopping channels have certainly had impact on small-town merchants. People can do all of their shopping at home with the push of a button. It's hard to be anti-progress or anti-convenience. But at the same time, I see a worrying trend in the quality of goods and services in America.

I guess I'm just a romantic. I like the idea of Mayberry, N.C.

I was sort of raised on it. As a child I ate penny candy from the general store and it actually cost a penny. A mechanic at the end of my road had a Coke machine out front that dispensed Coke in glass bottles.

It's a shame to see the era come to end.

Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com