Village shop totally devastated

[Spinney]

I don't have many local small shops, just a Tesco and a Booths. The latter is a north-west operation (but growing!) and has always had a lot more in the way of local produce, so I shop there.

I do pop into Tesco now and then, and buy only the wine that is on offer at half price, and maybe an uncut loaf (cos their's is nicer than the ones at Booths!). Hopefully they make a small loss on my custom!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I don't have many local small shops, just a Tesco and a Booths. The latter is a north-west operation (but growing!) and has always had a lot more in the way of local produce, so I shop there.

I do pop into Tesco now and then, and buy only the wine that is on offer at half price, and maybe an uncut loaf (cos their's is nicer than the ones at Booths!). Hopefully they make a small loss on my custom!

It's probably the same stuff ... most of the big retailers get their bread mix ready made from the big industrial millers. all they have to do is bake it. You're much better off buying a breadmaker and buying proper stoneground flour online.

 

[darkstar]

At home our village has a butchers, but here in Liverpool i haven't seen one around. I'd bet on the fact that buying the foods I buy, i'd spend a lot more in the smaller shops, well thinking about it, there are only really convenience shops. There's a whole foods shop nearby which sells organic and healthy foods, which is appealing, but it's ridiculously expensive.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I thought that too, until I actually went into our local independent organic shop and was pleasantly surprised by the prices. I can appreciate that a complete lack of good local shops makes shopping in them, er, difficult, but that situation will only get worse the more we use the supermarkets.

 

[gemsno4]

I don't think that's especially true. Sure, you have a greater range of cheap stuff in the supermarkets, but a lot of it is crap quality. If you buy quality meat, say, there's very little difference in the price between the local independent butcher (if you're lucky enough to still have one) and the supermarket

Totally agree with that. Since we moved to an area with a butcher round the corner I have realised how rubbish supermarket meat is. It seems to be pumped so full of water you actually need more so the cost works out about the same. From the butcher bacon doesn't shrink even when fried to a crisp and 1 steak/chicken breast does for 2 so it is cheaper per kg.

But if we had a Booths I would be in there all the time. Like an upmarket waitrose without the prices to match. God I miss the North!

 

[Beardie]

I don't see the point in bulk-buying bread and milk anyway, as they're the items which go off most quickly. And before anyone mentions long-life bread and UHT milk, they were the last to go at our local shop during the fuel protests.