Vocal Voices

Another twee Ameircan import.

We should all take time out to shop locally one day a week, so the thinking goes. Yippee, all problems solved!

In my location the local shop is a Co-op and combined PO... I go there every day.

My next local parade, two bus stops away, has a butchers, a deli, the rest are estate agents, banks, an opticians, a few evening restaurants and take-aways.

The next local shop is...... ASDA.

Am I missing something?

Not really something we could do here. We have a McColls with a Post Office inside. McColls has a very poor choice...mostly cakes, biscuits and sweets. I can't say that I've ever seen any fresh fruit or veg in there. Next to that is a chippy, and next door to that is an Indian restaurant. Further along the road is a rat infested chip shop and a 'corner' shop in which all of the stock looks old and dusty and certainly isn't very inviting.
Just off track a little, considering that there have been so many new homes built around here in the last 5-10 years, the shops are abyssmal.

Two miles in one direction you come to a town centre where local shops are few and far between, likewise in another direction where Tesco have just opened up a big store a few weeks ago and then 8 miles in yet another direction you come to the county town.

my local shop up a big hill is an offlicense
never any fresh stuff
or its a taxi to coop and a pub
or taxi other way to morrissons
so havent a choice really
its a small seaside town
were 3/4 shops are tatt shops
and 1/4 are closeddown which doesent suprise me
no wonder i shop on line

A few years ago the government tried to help the small supermarket owner by saying that only stores under a certain size could stay open late on Sundays, etc.
The result was that the big supermarkets went out and bought up the little supermarkets. Sainsbury's bought out Jacksons, and Bell's Stores. Tesco have bought several pubs round here and converted them into Tesco Express stores.
Asda went out and bought Netto.
The country has been run for the benefit of big business for years and I can't see that changing.

The biggest problem really is that local food shops simply cannot be competitive with the supermarkets, and the supermarkets, as WM has pointed out, are so thick on the ground, it's hardly any extra expense to go visit them.

And the local Co-op currently has no celery .......

I have a moderate sized Co-op about half a mile one way and a huge Sainsbury's about 3/4 of a mile the other way - I'm afraid Sainsbury's wins most of the time! I don't have any little independent greengrocers or butchers or the like anywhere near me

We are very lucky on the lane where I live as we have a butchers, Co-op, bakery, newagents and general store, at the bottom of the lane on the main road we have again, Co-op, bakery, hairdressers, general stores, P O, so don't do too bad really if we get snowed in.

Saying that the Town Centre is dire. Although we have the usual Boots, M&S, Waterstones, Wilkinsons, and one or two decent clothes shops the rest of it consists of Money Shops, Betting Shops, Charity Shops and to be honest I usually go to the Trafford Centre or Manchester itself for shopping.

Kathy

Forgot to mention it is a very long lane - at least 1 mile and we live at the top end.

Kathy

My mum and dad used to live just off a road that was full of small shops - butchers, greengrocers, PO, bakers and a small Co-op and a small Iceland all within five minutes walk from home. They didn't drive and it was one of the main reasons why they chose to live there

The area I live in has umpteen local, independent shops within a 5 minute walk of my home that I frequently use.

There are two hairdressers, a barber shop, 4 chip shops, 3 chinese take-away,indian take-away and Indian restaurant, 2 fast food delis, butcher, 2 newsagent, 4 grocery shops, bookmaker, 2 opticians and a strange shop that sells everything from batteries to toys to mops. The last shop is one I rarely use as it is always locked and you have to ring a bell to be buzzed in. You aren't allowed to carry a bag around the shop and have to wait for the owner to buzz the door open again when you want to leave

The local shopping centre has closed a lot of the smaller, independent shops and these have been replaced with bookmakers and pawnbrokers.

Within a five minute drive we have an Asda, a Morrisons, an Aldi, a Lidl, a Tesco and a Sainsbury.