Local Shops For Local People

[chrisp65]

From an earlier post, it got me thinking about ‘shopping local’ which gets plenty of lip service and everybody hears repeatedly how it’s a good idea. Yet, somehow, it’s quite difficult what with parking and not having stock and needing actual cash and a bag and, and, and…

So, in that we are all happily killing off our High Streets whilst complaining our High Streets are dying, is there anything that you will deliberately get from a true sole trader rather than actually get from somewhere cheaper or more convenient?

For me I have three obvious examples, an old school record shop, a tiny little bike shop with a current stock of about 10 bikes and a butcher that is further away than the supermarket and a pain in the proverbials for parking.

The record shop is an obvious indulgence in that you could spend a lifetime downloading and have access to plenty of music that way. But, I prefer to pay a little more, browse using their human algorithms and get a chance to bump into other people with eclectic taste I may not have considered. In fact, the music is an odd one because you don’t really have to ‘buy’ music or tv or film at all anymore. My nipper has just watched all 8 series (so around 100 episodes) of Supernatural without paying a penny. I use youtube and twitter to discover stuff, then go to an old fashioned shop and buy what I want in my little collection!

A local bike shop vs Halfords doesn’t really need explaining. I went in recently with a dead bike and he persuaded me a few replacement parts was a better investment on what was basically a good but old bike, rather than buying a new bike. I don’t imagine Argos online has a similar approach.

The butcher, well, I was in school with him. But going there involves doing the slow drive of doom looking for street parking. But once parked, look! Actual people I know that I can talk to, a bit like a supermarket but outdoors and the people are alive not catatonic.

Rather smugly, I like to think that my way employs a shop assistant, a bike nut and a butcher. The alternative employs an Amazon warehouse drone, a postman and makes somebody somewhere very rich.

[bickster]

Records, from Probe Records in the city centre

Cheese from the Liverpool Cheese company.

Booze from a couple of independent offies, one in Formby, one in Crosby.

Cakes and pork pies, sausage rolls etc from Satterthwaites in Crosby

Cakes from Daphna's Cheesecake Factory near Sefton Park

Used to use a local farm shop for some meat but it closed down (daft location)

Books from the local bookshop in Formby

And that is about it

[BOF]

Yeah it's a case of what I'd like to do versus what I end up doing. The notion of keeping the small corner shop alive at the expense of big bad chain supermarkets is appealing but often the selection is terrible and you can't get what you want. However I do make a point of getting fruit&veg from a fruit&veg shop rather than Tesco. Same with meat from a butcher. Spices etc I'll get from an Indian cuisine shop close to work partly because they've got more choice and because they're massively cheaper by weight than the supermarkets are for that kind of stuff. But alcohol is too dear in our off licences and you can't beat Tesco unless you go to Lidl and drink Nondëscprïptbrau. I don't bother with music and I have the movie channels.

[Jimzk5]

Fruit and veg from a proper grocers, its actually cheaper than supermarkets too, a bag of 10 pears from the shop I use cost £1, £1 in asda/Sainsbury/Tesco buys 4 or 5 pears, same with booze, 4 cans of becks vier in Sainsburys are £3.97, my local off license does 4 cans of proper becks for £3.50. Music however I tend to buy online through either play.com or therecordstore.co.uk

[bickster]

Ah forgot Mattas in the city centre for my spices etc.

[The Fun Factory]

In about 15 years time, all town centres will just be a row of coffee shops, restaurants, and places to pick up stuff you ordered on the internet. Oh and more coffee shops.

[Nigel]

..or a massive Tescos outlet!

[coda]

The alternative employs an Amazon warehouse drone, a postman and makes somebody somewhere very rich.

 

I've boycotted Amazon for a while and am yet to find a competitive alternative. A new book I wanted is £20 RRP. It's £16 in Waterstones and £8 on Amazon. I don't mind paying a little extra to salve my conscience but not double. 

[Meath_Villan]

I get my fish from the fishman in the local town (at a discount)

Meat from the meat wholesalers factory shop (Trade prices)

Fruit and veg from aldi or lidl 

 

Don`t really go to tesco anymore

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

Books from most local stores, which are mostly second-hand, but there are still a few independent books stores knocking around.

[dAVe80]

I'm guilty of going for the easy option, and getting groceries from the supermarket. In my defence, I hate shopping with a passion. If I can buy it on line I will, with one exception I'll come to in a moment. If I'm unfortunate enough to find myself in the town, I do like to use a local butchers, called Taylor's. Their meat is always of fantastic quality, and their pies are out of this world.  

 

When it comes to record shopping, I'm a strictly independent man, these days. I tend to mostly shop at Sound It Out, in Stockton (you may have seen the documentary about it), but if I'm in Leeds or Newcastle, I'll use Jumbo and RPM. If there's something I desperately want, I'll get it ordered in to my local shop. Other than that, I love to have a sift through charity shops, markets, car boots etc, looking for gems. I will buy on-line, but I'll only do so if that's the only way to get hold of a particular record. I'll always try to use an independent seller, or buy direct from the label or artist. I used to use Amazon, but I try and avoid them if possible, these days.     

[lapal_fan]

Meat from a butchers, or Makro

 

That's about it I'm afraid.

 

I do use Aldi and Tescos though.  

 

I actually prefer Aldis own brands of their food though, not sure why.

 

I like the thought, but it's inconvenient. I'm lucky, I've got 2 Aldis, 1 24/7 Tesco, 1 24/7 Asda and a Sainsbury's within about 2 miles from my house.. 

[dAVe80]

Oh and my local boozer is independently owned and run, and buys it's beer from independent breweries, which is nice. 

[maqroll]

In the States, Ye Olde Brick and Mortar Shoppes are losing considerable ground to websites. Online shopping has exploded. It's a lot easier to click a mouse than gas up the car and make five stops over the course of an afternoon or evening.

 

I hate to see Mom and Pop stores close down, but between behemoths like Walmart, and all the online options, I can't see much of a future in retail for the little guy.

 

Sad signs of the times

[AValon]

We have a van come round selling 'caught that day' fish and theres a supplier of farm fresh eggs once a fortnight, We do have a farmers market, but quality don't come cheap

 

Theres a local chain store, but you can get most local produced veg from a couple of smaller outlets. Its fresh produce and a darned sight better tasting that some of the sorry looking fare the supermarket doles out.

 

We also have a dairy cum bakery.

[bickster]

..or a massive Tescos outlet!

with a Tesco Express next door

[AVFCforever1991]

We have a van come round selling 'caught that day' fish and theres a supplier of farm fresh eggs once a fortnight, We do have a farmers market, but quality don't come cheap

 

Theres a local chain store, but you can get most local produced veg from a couple of smaller outlets. Its fresh produce and a darned sight better tasting that some of the sorry looking fare the supermarket doles out.

 

We also have a dairy cum bakery.

 

[Meath_Villan]

We have a van come round selling 'caught that day' fish and theres a supplier of farm fresh eggs once a fortnight, We do have a farmers market, but quality don't come cheap

Theres a local chain store, but you can get most local produced veg from a couple of smaller outlets. Its fresh produce and a darned sight better tasting that some of the sorry looking fare the supermarket doles out.

We also have a dairy cum bakery.

Cream pie a speciality! !!

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

Their icing is a bit salty.

[AVFCforever1991]

Bukkake cake