In a message dated 5/5/98 9:01:08 AM EST, [log in to unmask] writes:

> He was
>  of the opinion that if the store was too clean people
>  wouldn't feel they were getting a deal.

I love it!  There's a local bookstore (second hand and new) that prides itself
on a somewhat scruffy interior.  They offer the same stuff that B&N does, same
discount, same upscale cappuccino (in a connected storefront), but in an urban
environment, not a mall. It has unvarnished floors, Gerry-built shelves, books
stacked everywhere, but a database of every item they have on the selling
floor. If they don't have it on the shelves, they can get it for you in a
couple of days. The store is often packed.  I think there is a "scruffy
quotient" we miss if we spend too much time in manicured environments.

Mary