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supermarkets
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
Do you shop locally and support small businesses or do you use mainly supermarkets?
What do you think the effect of supermarkets have on local economies and small businesses, not to mention farmers?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5115990.stm
http://www.bananalink.org.uk/index.p...mid=52&lang=en
http://www.actionaid.org/index.asp?page_id=915
http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/featur...h/smarket.html
the only good thing i can see about them is they can be cheaper than some independant stores for some things, but the main reason people use them is for convenience of having it all under one roof and they can park their car outside. I find that generally its cheaper for me to buy my meat from a butcher and my fruit and veg from a greengrocer or the market, yet often i still find myself picking it up at the supermarket, cos im there already buying other stuff such as milk.
Ive been trying to cut down supermarket usage where I can, but old habits die hard.
What do you think the effect of supermarkets have on local economies and small businesses, not to mention farmers?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5115990.stm
http://www.bananalink.org.uk/index.p...mid=52&lang=en
http://www.actionaid.org/index.asp?page_id=915
http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/featur...h/smarket.html
the only good thing i can see about them is they can be cheaper than some independant stores for some things, but the main reason people use them is for convenience of having it all under one roof and they can park their car outside. I find that generally its cheaper for me to buy my meat from a butcher and my fruit and veg from a greengrocer or the market, yet often i still find myself picking it up at the supermarket, cos im there already buying other stuff such as milk.
Ive been trying to cut down supermarket usage where I can, but old habits die hard.
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments
Seriously though, I do prefer to shop for an hour in an evening after work, rather than spend my whole day off wondering round the locals shops. I think that supermarkets offer a more efficiant service, which means lower prices overall (there may be a few things you can get cheaper from elsewhere, but as a whole, it's cheaper to go to a supermarket).
I don't think a great deal about the effect on farms and such, but I know for one, I wouldn't like to go back to the days when 90% of the population has to work in fields just to feed everyone. I think that more efficiant production and delivery of food is inevitably going to reduce the number of farms and workers needed in these roles. And if there's already too many farmers (I don't know if there is) then they will obviously not be getting a good amount of money for their produce, because there will be loads of it around. Lol, that's the limit of my knowledge on the subject.:(
They delay payment, they force promotions on small suppliers and make them pay the cost of it... the list goes on.
I try and shop locally or at places where I know they wont totally abuse the farmers and suppliers but Tesco's dominance of everything is sometimes hard to avoid. The quicker they are forced into two or more seperate companies by the Competition Commission the better.
What is wrong with being able to buy everything under one roof?
There is no such thing as mon-fri 9-5 anymore and the local stores are not open 24hrs. There are different shopping trends.
Also, Sainsbury's and ASDA use a lot of local sourcing - meaning they use the local farmers and produce growers in terms of fresh food, and both sides are happy.
If you can find everything at one place, then you can spend less time shopping and spend more time either with your family or doing something you actually like.
Hell, I am tempted to do internet shopping...
I think that supermarkets have a massive potential to do good by local farmers and producers but mostly choose not to. Waitrose et al are going someway to addressing this but they do tend to be a supermarket more for the affluent.
I get all of my fruit, veg, dried goods from small and local greengrocers and the absolute wealth of ethnic foodstores around where I live. I love going to the farmer's market, too, SO much more interesting and satisfying than schlumping around under the fluorescent strip lighting in Tesco being invited to partake in the offer of treated, dyed and really unpleasant looking offers at the fish counter. I balked at the price of a turnip last time I was in Tesco, who are they trying (and seemingly managing) to kid? Also, 60p for a tin of chickpeas in sugared, salted water? You're alright, I'll buy a sack of them for a pound at my local shop, cheers :wave:
In terms of their relationship (or lack thereof) with local farmers and producers, I'd have to agree with CptCoatHanger that their potential to forge great, ethical and environmentally sound links with local farmers is far, far greater than their inclination to do so. It's really worrying, as it's an untenable situation for pretty much everyone - we can't go on transporting food halfway round the globe, ignoring our local producers and burying our heads in the sand forever. It's frightening how much people don't care.
Whichever is more convenient.
That's the last thing I use 'em for. Local offie is far cheaper.
occasionaly yes ...and i buy then.
the small offys are all but gone here and the bargain booze types just aint anymore.