Out of Business

The Hollywood Video in Rexburg is going out of business.
The Blockbuster went out of business a little over a year ago.

Actually, all around Rexburg there are empty buildings that have old, fading signs from their previous businesses peeling on them.

This I believe is because the community of Rexburg is too small to support so many businesses, and the other half of the population of Rexburg, the students, are too poor to support the businesses either.

However, we're not any more poor than college students in any other college town. So what I'm wondering is...why don't students in Rexburg ever spend money? Or what are they spending it on?

Granted, plain old groceries here are more expensive than they are in Utah at least, so that might be part of the problem. Another problem is gas is also more expensive here, and we tend to use it. We use it because there is one thing that students in Rexburg will spend money on: dates.

It is a common conception that if you want your date to be impressive or worthwhile, you have to drive half an hour to Idaho Falls and have your date there. Let's be honest, I enjoy the occasional date in Idaho Falls. I've ever heard of people who drive down to Salt Lake for dates (usually to propose :P).

What's funny about this is we have at least two concerts plus dances every week here, that are almost always less than $5/ticket. People complain that is too expensive, so instead they use that much in gas, (probably more) going to Idaho Falls, to the Texas Roadhouse then to the Idaho Museum of History (well, that at least would be my ideal date in Idaho Falls). Which costs probably $50 total. When a date in Rexburg would probably cost $20.

It must be the charm of escaping from Rexburg for one night...I'm not sure.

All I know is that I'm sick of passing empty buildings wherever I walk, and knowing that there is that many more unemployed people wandering around Rexburg competing with me for jobs.

The plus side is I will probably acquire a few more movies for very cheap today. :)