The shock troops have been released...

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The shock troops have been released...

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Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 9:04 am Post subject: The shock troops have been released...
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/4356946.stm Members of the Cornish branch of the Women's Institute have launched a boycott of out-of-town superstores. The 4,500-strong branch says the superstores are destroying trade at village shops - the "lifeblood" of local communities.

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 9:05 am Post subject:
Good on em! I saw this on local news last night and I'm tempted to join now

ele

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 9:08 am Post subject:
That's really made me smile

2steps

Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 5349
Location: Surrey

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 9:26 am Post subject:
good for them

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 1:16 pm Post subject:

but.... they say they want to get folk to use small towns with free parking.

But..

today I went to Witney - small town local shops, free parking and today, Farmers Market - Yippee ticks all the right boxes!

Trouble is its so popular that I drove round the two large free car parks for half an hour looking for a space, absolutely none! I nearly came home when I remembered to try the Sainsburys on the edge of town ( there's an irony in that isn't there?) and there I found a space and could walk in to town. Most councils don't especially want parking in the towns as they want a car free peaceful environment, perfectly admirable, but living in a village with limited buses (and none that actually go Witney direction) I have no choice but to take the car. So I did as the WI said but.. its not a perfect either.

i have no idea what the solution is...

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 1:35 pm Post subject:

What a great story - I wonder if the cost of their food will increase by much

Cost is one of the issues I cannot really argue when trying to get people to shop locally. Excluding having to pay extra for free range/organic/good quality etc.. and I understand that it is a catch 22 situation for local grocery shops but I went into the village last week to buy a large tin of heinz tomato soup (OH had a cold!!) the difference in price to the supermarket was 47p extra

Surely this means that where you shop to many is not a choice

I don't have any answers - just an observation

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 2:12 pm Post subject:

I think one of the major issues with using local shops that most people have is opening hours

most people don't want to have to do their weekly shop either on a saturday or on a lunch hour but to use a local market or local shops that is what you have to do

I still do a weekly shop in tescos for this very reason I don't have opporunity to got out during a weekday to get to the local shops and mostly weekends I don't want to have to do the food shop as I am doing other things

supermarkets are the only places which are then open when I can regularly do my shop

how to overcome this problem without a major shift in lifestyle I don't know

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 2:17 pm Post subject:

bagpuss wrote:

The major reason for that is that supermarkets open late not to make money but to prevent the local shops from establishing a competitive niche. In fact it's pretty well accepted that supermarkets lose money during unsociable hours.

Northern_Lad

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 14210
Location: Somewhere

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 2:19 pm Post subject:

bernie wrote:

What a great story - I wonder if the cost of their food will increase by much

I did a piece of business studies coursework about 15 years ago on the differences between lcoal shops, supermarkets and proper markets.

Markets came out the cheepest
Supermarkets most convenient for a single shop
Local shop (village) most extortionate and inconvenient opening hours.

Stacey

Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 8380
Location: Kernow

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 2:36 pm Post subject:

I think their point is that you can do the shopping in the smaller shops in the town. As the supermarkets are usually on the outskirts of a town we may as well drive the extra mile or so and shop at the local independent greengrocer, butcher etc. I don't think anyone could reasonably be expected to do a weekly shop ina village store.
Parking in Cornwall is also quite expensive (except in the really run down towns).

bernie-woman

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7824
Location: shropshire

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 2:45 pm Post subject:

stacey_guthrie wrote:

My next door neighbour is in her 80s and most weeks she has to do her weekly shop in the village - she has no choice but to pay the high prices. I take her to the supermarket when I am going if she wants to - but there is no bus or train that goes to the supermarkets either.

As I say, I understand that the supermarkets actual existence means that prices are often high in local shops but for the majority of us we have the choice - there are plenty of people who do not have a choice and either have to pay high prices in local shops or cannot afford to shop locally

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 3:07 pm Post subject:

Jonnyboy wrote:

I am not speaking about unsocial hours here though I am talking about evenings ie 5pm-9pm, after most local shops are closed!

I can't believe supermarkets loose money between 5 and 7pm, overnights probably but not early evenings!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45674
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 3:15 pm Post subject:
It's most definitely a conundrum, local shops need to work on profitability, and if I were one I'd definitely try and open between 08:00 and 19:00 weekdays

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 05 3:23 pm Post subject:

bagpuss wrote:

I don't doubt it, but at least you mighthave a choice outside of working hours if you want to put your shopping off until later on, as I said the supermarkets are prepared to lose money just to stop someone else getting a look in.

What I will say is that we normally do our weekly shop on a saturday morning - butchers, greengrocers, bakery and convenience store. It's a rather pleasent experiance as opposed to the hell that is the supermarket aisle.

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