Do You Use Your Local Shops?

[emmie]

i would like to but they are so expensive. I wanted a small tin of mackerel and the cost was 1.69
i know they have to make a living but i thought that was extortionate so put it back.

[carolegif]

The car is out of action, so I have had to use my local shops these last two weeks. I have found that apart from the lack of choice, the greengrocer was cheaper than the supermarket and the mini mart was dearer, but just got milk and bread there. Living out of the freezer until next week!

[EcclesCake]

A number of the places Ishop are in very moneyed areas, sometime I think s0dit but other times I take it one the chin.

I do snigger at the cost of the shipped in American products to satisfy them and their children, the prices are outrageous.

My local village in a really quite posh area is frequently cheaper than the local Waitrose......and much better.

[rsvp]

Yes whenever practical as I would hate it to close and believe in local enterprise. My local is brilliant and yes, a bit pricey compared to supermarkets (which I loathe anyway!) but is also a Post Office so if the shop is open then full postal and banking facilities are also available.

[emmie]

we only have the local Asian run shops, apart from the large supermarket. But i can't totter far, so thought local shopping would be ok, but they are not very competitive.

[Islay]

I get my main shop and pet food from Tesco, but bread, milk and odds and *** I get from the shop next door. Although I paid £2.50 for a tin of tuna and just about choked!

[Buenchico]

The only grocery shops in our small town (approx 5,000 people) are the two Co-op stores. So, although I do occasionally 'shop local', it still doesn't involve going to independent traders.

We've also got a local butcher's shop but I hardly ever use it as it can be very pricey. (e.g. T-bone steaks at around £50 per kg). They do have some lovely individual pies (at £1.79 each, unless they've gone up since I last bought one) but, given that I can get some nice pies from Asda or Lidl for around £1 each - or far less if I buy their 'cheapo' offerings - I still don't buy them very often.

There's also a nice farm shop on the edge of the town but it's very upmarket and pricey, with frozen main courses for one person (which might cost me between one and two pounds in Asda) typically £3.95 or £4.95. [I treated myself to a few over Christmas, as they're very good quality, but I definitely can't afford to go there very often]. Their cheapest cheese start from around £20 per kg, with some costing far more. You can get a feel for the place for using your mouse to pan around the image here:
http://tinyurl.com/gpvhy49

[emmie]

Buenchico
50quid a kilo, that's mind boggling.

[Eleena]

For papers & lager emmie, save carrying them.

[ExiledinNotts]

We are lucky M&S have built a food hall within easy walking distance so despite the cost we buy a lot of our groceries from there. The rest is done online with our local Tesco.

[emmie]

i have decided that if i am going to get out of this place, my flat that is, i will have to totter to local shops. The supermarket isn't that far but i overdid it yesterday and paid the price by having to sit down for the rest of the day. Other than large items are delivered on line.

[shaneystar2]

Yes .I like local shopping.We're lucky to have a nice High St with a variety of shops .I go to the butcher and bakers and we also have Morrisons,Iceland,Wilkos and QD. There are lots of other little niche shops and cafes,couple of restaurants,a pub ,newsagent and the library and it's all a few minutes walk away.
Having said that I do have stuff delivered from Sainsburys but it's mainly bulk stuff that's heavy or awkward to carry as we have no car and I'm hobbly like you.
Luckily Mr S is happy to run errands:)

[OldBather]

We don't have any local shops (not even a farm shop)
I think that it's great for those people who have the luxury of a local shop.Literally the nearest shop of any sort ( a Waitrose) to us is 10 miles away,and I don't think that could be described as local?I don't think that we are unique in this respect.

[emmie]

OB
do you drive or have to rely on the bus?

[OldBather]

I don't drive emmie,but my OH does (luckily) but Waitrose is a 20 mile round trip.We haven't tried online shopping yet,but have to save up our shop to get free delivery.Of course that still isn't local shopping.

[Arksided]

Yes quite often apart from the obvious like beer and cigs... more often than not for bits and bobs that I've forgotten to buy at Tesco If it's more than a few bits I make the effort back to Tesco due to the expense at the local shop.

[emmie]

you need to see if they would come out so far. With ours you have to spend 60 quid for a free delivery, which doesn;t help me at all.

[woofgang]

My nearest shop is a Tesco supermarket and that is about a 15 minute walk, the local village is 20 minutes, there is one bakers which is ok but I can make better in my bread machine, the only food shop there is a Waitrose. Its been about 7 years now since we had a local local shop and that was about a ten minute walk and not worth walking to.

[emmie]

we used to have a lovely Italian bakers, two local greengrocers, two butchers, and paper shop, now all those have gone, not good.

[Mamyalynne]

My nearest walk to shop is a Supermarket, I get most stuff delivered though.

Emmie, you'd be best going with an online supermarket shop using a delivery pass - I pay £6 per month for any time deliveries, with a minimum of £40 per order.

[mikey4444]

Yes, as much as I can. My Optician is the one here in the Village.
I use the local Co-op every day, and the Barber has been cutting my hair, man and boy(ish) for 37 years.

We are blessed with having a good old-fashioned Ironmongers, that are very rare these days. Its the sort of place with 15w bulbs in and lots of little wooden drawers and cabinets, where you can buy one screw if you want. I bought 2 florescent tubes for the kitchen yesterday morning and if you take into account the hassle and extra expense of gong to B+Q, they probably worked out cheaper.

We have a good sub-Post Office as well, where I can deposit money into my Co-op bank account, without traipsing into town. There are 2 good cafes and even a tea shop. We also have 2 chemists, but no newsagent any longer.

I am great believer in shopping locally....its use them or lose them as far as local shops go.