It's time to light the lights

How was your holiday? My Christmas went well. Saw the family, got what I asked for, and all that. And the weather was even good for driving home. My troubles didn't actually begin until after I drove back to Columbus this evening. Pulling into the parking lot around 11, I unloaded the car, surveyed the scene, and decided to hit the grocery store to pick up a few things. Nothing fancy, just milk, cereal, orange juice, and iceberg lettuce for my guinea pigs. I know what you're thinking- aren't the supermarkets closed on Christmas night? Well, I wasn't so sure. After all, movie theatres are open all day on Christmas, and last I checked food was still more of a necessity than movies, even for someone like me.

So I got back into the car and drove to the local Kroger. Everything looked OK, with the store and parking lot brightly lit, and even a few cars in the parking lot. But when I tried to enter, none of the automatic doors would open for me. Somewhat annoyed, I drove to the Giant Eagle a few blocks away, with the same result. I was getting a little pissed off at this point, but I tried to figure out my options. I could go out for breakfast, thus rendering the milk, cereal, and OJ unnecessary at this point. All I really needed was the lettuce. So I passed a Wendy's, and hit upon the idea of ordering a couple of sandwiches with extra lettuce. Alas, also closed.

On the way home, a thought occurred to me. Every place I'd stopped had been closed, yet their signs had been lit. Now, I don't know about you, but whenever I see that a business' sign is lit up, I'm inclined to believe that they're open for business. In fact, this isn't an idea I pulled from thin air- back when I was working fast food in high school, the managers were sticklers about the sign. The last thing we did in the morning before unlocking the doors was to light the sign, and the first thing we did after locking up at the end of the day was to turn it off. Makes sense to me, but obviously not to some people who run local establishments that carry lettuce and are generally open late.

Now, I understand the need to keep your business illuminated. Nobody likes to walk around at night, and even less so when you're walking by a darkened property. But the sign is a different story. A lighted sign doesn't illuminate its surroundings. Its sole purpose is to advertise the business to passerby. If the business is closed, there's no need to light the sign. Is the wasted electricity worth pissing off would-be patrons? I don't think so.