As I briefly mentioned last week dad likes BBC local radio. Given our locale we kept going between regions and I ended up hearing bit of BBC Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicstershire and Cambridgeshire.
They are all the same, same sort of format, same sort of programmes and very little Englander. On my own I'd NEVER listen to them, the phone ins are scary.
BBC Cambridgeshire had a piece on the residents of Ramsey resisting a new Tesco. It will reduce competition they complained and close shops to shut (I did like the local who said that those moaning would be first in the queue - how true). Now I like variety and a market town like Melton Mowbray had countless butchers and bakers and variety. Surely a good thing?
I began to question this on Thursday. Dad and I were walking into Bourne and I went into the bakers to buy two Jam Doughnuts to have with our morning drink. I had a £1 coin in my hand and the woman said £1.04. Now I really should have said you must be stark raving bonkers and walked out but I dug out 4p and we went and ate them.
Now they were nice but no better than any instore supermarket bakery. The next day in Morrisions Grantham they were 2 for 29p. I ask you? WHY SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHOP WHEN THEY ARE RIPPING YOU OFF? I'm happy to pay a premium but 3.5 times? I think not.
I don't understand farmers markets or farm shops. They supply supermarkets and yet it is more expensive to buy direct? The logic seems to be buy from us its fresh, but we'll actually charge you even more and make a wapping fortune.
I appreciate that Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Morrisons are restricting our choices but the alternatives seem to be ripping us off. I am not just talking of the 3 chickens for a tenner stuff that the likes of Tesco's offer but the free range stuff.
Perhaps I am misguided but whenever I look around a small town I realise how much more expensive everything is and wonder how those with families or the elderly cope? I presume they go to the nearest out of town supermarket.
3 comments:
It's a tough one Pete... On the one hand the supermarkets can afford to produce things so cheaply because they buy in such huge quanities compared to the smaller businesses that just cannot do the same...
So on the one hand I want to support the 'locals' but on the other as you say, it's just too expensive in some cases.
Personally grow your own is the way to go, certainly for veggies. My tomatoes taste 100x better than shop-bought, I never really believed it until I grew some this year.
I agree with Liz all the way. Sadly what you say, Pete, is root of the matter, and why supermarkets are really gaining dominance - they provide what people want, in a convenient "shopping environment" and, most important of all for most of us, at a price we can afford.
I'm certainly making all the effort I can to grow as much as possible, and when I've moved I'm looking forward to keeping chickens and growing even more fruit and veggies.
Understand what you are saying about the price being cheaper in the supermarkets, but not the quality in some cases, far better to buy locally when possible.
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