The Small Shopkeeper

[Givuzagame]

Does anyone care that our hight streets are disappearing?
The "shops to let" is apparent on every main road and still the supermarkets keep coming - not happy with their "superstores" but encroaching on the high street with their "express" stores.
(In the 60's/70's this was the size of a standard supermarket)

I don't mean to sound like a dinosaur, but....

The supermarkets may be cheaper now, but what about when they have full control and we have no choice.....It is all very "much of a muchness..."

Smaller shops are friendlier, offer services that the bigger stores do not.
They know their customers....

A prime example is being able to pay the congestion charge in good old fashioned cash.
Some larger stores are now even refusing to take cheques. They will no doubt eventually refuse cash too.

We still have a butcher, greencrocer, newsagent and a late shop, and a well known supermarket who opens reasonable hours but but Sainsburys have recently opened an express store...so lets see what effect it has on our high street...

How have these stores been allowed to have such a monopoly?

Are there any support networks/groups for the small shopkeeper?
If not, there should be!

[saint-luco]

i totally agree, i used to do all my shopping in the big supermarkets but when the high street started to turn into charity shop alley, i started to ue the local shops only going to a supermarket if i have to, these shops offer a personall service where the shopkeepers know the produce they are selling, and will give advice on how to cook or prepare, worth their weight in gold i think