Remember the famous study with the kids and the cookies? "You can have one cookie right now, but if you sit for 15 minutes while I go out, I'll give you two cookies."

Kids able to wait, seeing the value in delayed gratification, usually grew up to have higher SAT scores more education, and better health than the kids who chose less for now.

Many of us are failing a similar test here in Lansing. We'll actually drive farther, at 56¢ a mile (says AAA), to save 15¢ on a grocery item, instead of the shorter distance to Lansing Market. Maybe that's one reason many of us struggle to get by.

So you save already by not driving to Wegmans or Walmart, not to mention saving driving time, traffic stress, and risk from idiots texting. You arrive at Lansing Market and park closer than many handicap spaces at the big stores.

When you buy at Lansing Market, you many pay a little more up front, which might be wroth it just for the convenience, great service, and mellow atmosphere, but you also get that second cookie: You're helping to keep a store we need in our community.

And a third cookie: With your financial support, our community grows stronger and more prosperous, because the money stays here. The alternative is the growth of mega marts that ship money out of our community by the truckload, and we all suffer.

I don't want Lansing to follow that trend. I like buying at home and keeping our money. I like those extra cookies. Dessert worth waiting for.

Jim Evans
Lansing, NY
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