Avoiding supermarkets; what are the alternatives?

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Avoiding supermarkets; what are the alternatives?
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shopgirlsue

Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 197
Location: Nr Shaftesbury

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:20 pm Post subject:

bagpuss wrote:

Do you have a local butcher?

The butcher is in Shaftesbury but I'ld have to make a separate trip to go there so it doesn't seem sensible from a petrol/pollution point-of view

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:21 pm Post subject:

bagpuss wrote:

Do you have a local butcher?

And fishmonger?

We get fish from a mobile fishman but you really do have to be a regular customer or he will stop coming because it's not worth his time and diesel coming into the village every week for people who may buy fish from him once a month, which, sadly, is what most other families in the village do - all enthusiastic when they first move into the village and then moan that he doesn't come when, three years later, they decide they want something, NOW. But in any case, all you have to do is ring him, so if there is one in your area, it's worth investigating his/her number.

ETA - same goes for the butcher, it's always worth ringing them even if they don't offer delivery, just to make sure they know there is a demand for the service.

Last edited by Rob R on Wed Dec 22, 10 3:24 pm; edited 1 time in total

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:21 pm Post subject:

shopgirlsue wrote:

bagpuss wrote:

Do you have a local butcher?

The butcher is in Shaftesbury but I'ld have to make a separate trip to go there so it doesn't seem sensible from a petrol/pollution point-of view

If you're going to Shaftesbury, can't you also do the rest of your shopping there rather than at the supermarket? It is presumably only a seperate trip if you're still also going to the supermarket.

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:23 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

There are other brands of blackcurrant cordial.

And you can, I believe, get ribena from some of the ethnic shops down on Mill Road (I think I saw it in Al Amin, an excellent independent grocer).

Do you think he would drink them though!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:24 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

There are other brands of blackcurrant cordial.

And you can, I believe, get ribena from some of the ethnic shops down on Mill Road (I think I saw it in Al Amin, an excellent independent grocer).

Also easy as pie to make.
In fact probably easier!

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:26 pm Post subject:

bagpuss wrote:

cab wrote:

There are other brands of blackcurrant cordial.

And you can, I believe, get ribena from some of the ethnic shops down on Mill Road (I think I saw it in Al Amin, an excellent independent grocer).

Do you think he would drink them though!

Well if he doesn't then you've cut that expense from your shopping bill. I guess it brings in to question whether GlaxoSmithKline meets with your ethical approval. Addiction is never easy, though.

shopgirlsue

Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 197
Location: Nr Shaftesbury

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:31 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

shopgirlsue wrote:

bagpuss wrote:

Do you have a local butcher?

The butcher is in Shaftesbury but I'ld have to make a separate trip to go there so it doesn't seem sensible from a petrol/pollution point-of view

If you're going to Shaftesbury, can't you also do the rest of your shopping there rather than at the supermarket? It is presumably only a seperate trip if you're still also going to the supermarket.

No 'cos I can't get anything else in Shaftesbury the health food shop and Waitrose are in another town (which doesn't have a butcher anymore). There is a greengrocer but it's not very good.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:33 pm Post subject:

bagpuss wrote:

cab wrote:

There are other brands of blackcurrant cordial.

And you can, I believe, get ribena from some of the ethnic shops down on Mill Road (I think I saw it in Al Amin, an excellent independent grocer).

Do you think he would drink them though!

He has a serious Ribena habit. Its a little un-nerving sometimes. I wonder whether aversion therapy would work? Maybe beat him on the head with a bag of frozen black currants or something?

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:35 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

bagpuss wrote:

cab wrote:

There are other brands of blackcurrant cordial.

And you can, I believe, get ribena from some of the ethnic shops down on Mill Road (I think I saw it in Al Amin, an excellent independent grocer).

Do you think he would drink them though!

He has a serious Ribena habit. Its a little un-nerving sometimes. I wonder whether aversion therapy would work? Maybe beat him on the head with a bag of frozen black currants or something?

apart from the odd glass of whiskey though it is pretty much the only flavoured drink he consumes

paul1963

Joined: 15 Nov 2010
Posts: 2161
Location: No longer active on the forum

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:41 pm Post subject:

nats wrote:

paul1963 wrote:

bagpuss wrote:

Its probably the non food items which are more difficult than the food items

So what about

toilet paper
toothpaste
soap (I know you can make your own but not everyone wants to)
washing powder
cleaning fluids

Madame Paul's hair dye, sanitary products, elmlea, booze.

Hair dye I can't help with, but a moon cup, real cream, and wine merchants?! Mind you having said that we'd go broke if we bought beer and cider from wine merchants....

Thanks Nats, Madame Paul is a mooncup devotee, it was more for the littlun who is just starting the journey (it'd be really nice to be able to find an alternative for her that would evade any peer group pressures into the bargain - I'm still looking).

I used to get wine from my buddy who was manager of threshers and sadly we don't have them any more, I do occasionally use the local shop for wine though. You know, I will ask my farm shop if they get cream (I imagine they can).

T.G

Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 7280
Location: Somewhere you're not

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:47 pm Post subject:
I miss the old style individual stores, I like shopping in Glossop it's full of them. It's such a shame that more towns don't have that style of shops. Around here you have either the towns or nothing, not much of a choice.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:48 pm Post subject:

cab wrote:

bagpuss wrote:

Daily Bread, its at our end of town, and its great for nearly all of those. And best of all, when you empty out your cleaning fluid, you can take it back for a refill.

And our toothpaste normally comes from Boots.

The only one of those we get from the supermarket is toilet paper. Dunno why we've never bought that from Daily Bread. Will investimagate...

Boots or superdrug would be easy to get from, if not small local pharmasist, like Lloyd the chemist.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:51 pm Post subject:
Boots do ribena too, I seem to remember.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 3:58 pm Post subject:
The Co-Op owns one of our local chemists. If that's an anyway better option.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Wed Dec 22, 10 4:03 pm Post subject:

paul1963 wrote:

You know, I will ask my farm shop if they get cream (I imagine they can).

After requests on here for raw milk, I have found there are many more small dairies than I ever imagined, so used, are we, to hearing about the big processors. I would be suprised if there isn't a local supply, particularly for pasteurised.

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