The hottest TV star in Tucson, Ariz., has a Trendex rating of zero. Equity has never heard of him. But to housewives in a 17-story, 411-apartment complex called Tucson House, Joseph J. Gorman is bigger than Judy Garland. Gorman is a grocer whose market, located in the new $6,500,000 building's basement, is hooked into a closed-circuit television system that gives its built-in audience laughs, punditry and laid-yesterday eggs at a moment's notice.
The Tucson House shopper simply summons Gorman by telephone, then switches her set to Channel 2. Is the lettuce crisp? The corn ripe? She can inspect each item as closely...