Over the years I've seen independent providers at various levels and I've visited the houses of happymaking hands.

Lately I'm starting to wonder whether my use of the scheduling convenience and (usually) predictability of the latter is deliberately turning a blind eye to the probability that I'm supporting large enterprises to the detriment of the friendly faces working on me.

Yes, the Kraft publicity brought this back to mind, but I've seen ads for years announcing "new girls every week" - that's pretty blatant.

So how do people feel about this? Is it as significant a problem and presence in Austin and Houston as the occasional police news releases make it sound? Should I feel guilty for more than not supporting my friendly independent businesswoman?