I dislike hyper-
and super-markets! Why? Because I regard them as being at the heart of the
death of small shop-owners. In my small town we have just two super-markets,
both of which are situated quite some distance out of town and have ample car
parking facilities, whereas the (small) town centre has very limited car
parking (and is prone to flooding especially in the last few weeks).
So, I am
delighted to report that according to all the current financial data, the
largest four super-market chains have had a really tough time over the last 13
weeks, with sales down anywhere between 1.5% and 4.7% - THAT’S A HUGE DROP in
their profitability. I have seen this happening in my area; more and more,
people are moving towards shopping on a smaller scale. When I say smaller
scale, I mean not being trapped by the allure of “cheaper” prices, but
supporting the small shops. At long last, people are moving towards the quality
of what they buy rather than being seduced by scale (which often equates with
lower quality).
Our small town
is thriving; we have farmers markets where the food is KNOWN to be of high
quality (and prices only slightly higher), and where the customer is treated as
a person rather than a number when it comes to paying. Also, I notice a rise in
bartering. As an example, I did some work recently for a man who fishes for
crabs. He had just won a large contract to supply a considerable number of
tonnes of his catch to a company in another country, and he wanted a
photo-montage of a day in his life. I did all the necessary work with him and
the results are extremely satisfying to him and his customers.
He admitted that
he couldn’t pay me fully in cash (it’s a very seasonal business), but we agreed
to a percentage in cash and the balance in fresh crab (and lobster) whenever I
wanted one. To me (and him) this was a win-win game – ne has some super
advertising material and I have fresh crab and lobster when I want it.
“Small is
beautiful” as someone once said; I agree and long may it continue.
Until next time
(and eating very well),
Peripatetic
Scribe
Fully agree, P.S. I also dislike supermarkets as I think they are soulless places, only interested in making you buy stuff you don't need. I would love to know how much of the food produced goes to waste!!
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I am a small shop owner, so I may be biased!!
Michael Truro
Michael, thank you for your comment. I think we should start thinking small again - I know I can get better quality at a reasonable price locally and am not bothered by all that insane music that seems to a part of shopping - ugh!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more! I believe there is much more hope for the "ideal world" you so plastically portrayed in small close-knit communities than in cities which have sadly "lost their souls" long ago. Nevertheless, I also hope people living in cities will remember these fundamentals and resort to them again and the cities will thrive again soon. Human nature is so absurd - it has to destroy in order to build again. There are countless examples throughout our history. Thank you. Lucana
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lucana. Very valid points - I once heard the definition of a large city as a "conglomeration of lost-souls" which is often very apt.
ReplyDelete