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Polis Report

One Combo, Please By Richard Sine First, it was a Wells Fargo branch inside Safeway. Then, it was Starbucks finding a home away from home within Barnes and Noble bookstores. In May, Chevron and McDonald's signed a deal allowing customers to have their Big Mac delivered at the pump. And last week, Wells Fargo announced an agreement to put mini-Thrifty drugstore kiosks in its branch banks. Certainly, the public can appreciate the merits of this latest venture; banking can be a real headache. It's not hard to imagine the day when a loan officer, clad in Bugs Bunny power tie and white lab coat, hands us our loan papers along with two Advil in a cup. Corporate America is constantly trying to make things more convenient for us little guys. They don't want us inconvenienced by traipsing across sprawling parking lots, making treacherous left turns between strip malls. In sweaty hotel ballrooms everywhere, management consultants are frothing up over the "synergy" created by these partnerships. Ever eager to grease wheels of commerce, we at Metro have a few suggestions for other convenient partnerships: Singles bars and family planning clinics; Post offices and gun dealers; Color copiers and check cashers; Bail bondsmen and international travel agencies; GM dealerships and personal injury attorneys; Shooting ranges and suicide counseling; Last, but not least: Newspaper printers and fish markets. [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]