Do you use your local shops?

[Hellyon]

Part of my job is to try and promote the local town and I'm gobsmacked by the amount of local people who accost me and have a rant about 'empty shops' 'too many estate agents/charity shops' 'we used to have a really nice [insert shop name of your choice] but it's gone'.
When I challenge them and ask them 'where do you shop', or 'did you buy things in [insert shop name of your choice]' 'when did you last go in there and buy something' They all look at me amazed and say 'Oh I always go to Tesco'' .
I've just had a woman say to me 'If only we had a nice market that sold local produce, olives and fresh fish' I'd use it'. Silly moo, if she just walked 200 yards into the market she'd see she can get all three there.
So a plea from me 'LOCAL SHOPS - USE 'EM OR LOSE 'EM'

Rant over thanks for listening lol! x

[Jillius]

Our village shop has just closed down. It's very sad because we live 10 miles from the nearest supermarket. God knows how people without cars will manage.

[Gromit]

But people are lazy Hellyon, and besides, the telly tells them to go to Tescos.

[funnygirl]

My local shops are run by Poles and Asians.

They are open all night and even open on christmas day!!

You can never run out of food around here.

[B00]

I've tried to use my local shops, we're lucky enough (?) to still have butchers, greengrocers etc, however I've found their prices to be extortionate, and I've found myself going back to Asda and Tesco for my shopping.

Yes their goods might be better, fresher etc, but I'm afraid with my limited budget I have to think of my pocket.

[SKA]

our local shops are good, they alwasy round the prices down for us and are not too expensive!!

[Jillius]

It's also easier to get everything under one roof ! I agree with Boo, supermarkets are cheaper and the way everything has suddenly gone up in price I'm afriad we have to think of our pockets instead of being sentimental.

[mccfluff]

my local shops are sains, asda, m&s - that's at work, where i live its tesco's, they're taking over the world!

[RevFunk]

Apart from groceries I buy pretty much everything off Ebay lol

[ChuckFickens]

I would, but the slight problem for me is that I live a 5min walk from a Tesco extra superstore, so Tesco's is my local shop

Before I moved a little while ago though I did use my local village shop, as did pretty much everyone else in the village, and the prices in it were not that much more than a super market, the bloke that run it said that by only making a tiny profit on everything he got a lot more custom and therefore actually made a decent living from it.

[Jillius]

RevFunk, so do I !! I don't know how I managed without good old ebay. Fantastic. I have just bought a brand new 18' swimming pool for a fraction of what it would cost in the shops ! ( or even off other websites )

[Lakitu]

I don't use the local corner shop per se, it's really expensive so I'm better off sauntering a bit further to the supermarket but I am a supporter of the little man in that I buy all my meat from the butcher. Every 6 weeks or so I ask for a �30 pack, which contains all the meat I need.

I would use a greengrocer for veg but I find that expensive too, and the veg is mostly used for the rabbits, who really aren't bothered where it came from LOL

[RevFunk]

I will never buy clothes from a shop again when I can get them for a third of the price or less online.

I bought a shower curtain yesterday from the states 20 quid delivered lol

[Hellyon]

I don't have a problem with people using supermarkets Boo it's just round here it seems as if the ones' who do are also the ones who complain about empty shops. weird but true.

BTW our local supermarket is Waitrose with a TESCO about 4 miles away - a friend who keeps a close eye on prices and compares has informed me she now goes to Waitrose because it is in fact cheaper! I bought Fairtrade de-caff tea bags at the weekend In Tesco �3.15 and they are �2.69 in Waitrose so I reckon she could be right!

[Gromit]

There is a large supermarket near to me and I used to shop there mostly. However, I grew more and more dissatified with what I was buying. The Bacon (I tried many different brands) was always full of water, far too salty and tasteless. I now buy real bacon from a proper butcher. It is a little dear, but the quality is far superior. The same can be said of bread and fruit & veg. I have stopped buying those from the supermarket and find what I buy from a proper baker and greengrocer to be better and last longer.

[4getmenot]

I do use my local shops but that means using netto and superdrug, or woolworths all the rest are charity shops

[Octavius]

My local shops are a mini-Sainsbury�s and a mini-Co-Op and a butchers and I do use them. We have a farmers market but it trundles up in the village square during the day on Thursdays, which is a bit hopeless for those working.

If we need a �big� shop then we have to go further afield.

[redcrx]

what i cant understand is why charity shops are given rates free premises and yet if a start up shop wants to try and make a go of it they have to pay rates.

wheres the encouragement and incentives to get the independants opening?

I use my local sainsburys for main shop as we cant park near our town centre shops easily, but i will use the independents in town for electrical goods, childrens clothes and the like.

we are fairly lucky in that we have a town that does support a lot of businesses, at least until tesco open up at back of high street.

But my home town, where 4get still is, has nothing much at all. it doesnt even have a cheap large supermarket to blame it on, just very high rates!

[doglady]

I love my local shops. I use my butchers and bakers (even if it is simmons, at least it's not tescos) and 2 delis for different things. Can't beat em. Tescos for loo roll and kitchen roll and bleach etc. They don't tend to sell them in delis.