heresmo

Supermarket vs Local Shops

Goochie

There is more to it than the free car park. The supermarkets can offer something that many high streets in the UK cannot.

ScoobyChris

Free parking is a big plus for me, especially if it's unrestricted. Sadly, however, even our surrounding out-of-town shopping centres seem to be charging for parking nowadays

All hail the arrival of internet shopping

Chris

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Holding up the traffic in a little Italian..........

devonutopia

Parking means little to me when it comes to shopping. Supermarkets simply offer convenience and everything in one place, as well as good prices.

If its something specialist though I'll make the effort to go to high street / local shops. I have found places like Makro very good for many non-supermarket items like DIY stuff - But the supermarkets are catching up fast.

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Jason - Only a Skoda.
Custom Fabia Bonnet Lifter Kits - £45! Click Me.
Cheesy bonnet lifter video to "raise me up" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnGECEi5Oc

See the mongrel's 260bhp Dyno Video!

Goochie

I'm awaiting the opening of Tesco - The DIY store

LittlePaul

Supermarkets are much more convenient. Wouldnt mind going to a local shop, some competatively prices, but when they dont have one thing Im after, I need to go to a supermarket anyway.
Free parking definitely over paid parking. The hassle of walking an extra street is lesser so than the hassle of buying and displaying a ticket.

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Black Magic Octavia vRS, cruise control, towbar, nokia NK-7W, PhatBox, bonnet lifters

Goochie

I think local green grocers often have nicer tasting, less glam looking fruit.

Octygone

It's all down to time .......if both you and your partner work then getting everything in one go in one place is important (and quicker) but for "special occasions" we buy some things (food) locally ...because they taste better

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matchmaker

As for Tesco - click

The only other supermarkets in Inverness are Morrisons (1 branch - they shut the other), and the Co-op (1 branch - they sold another to Tesco )

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Alan

"Darth" - Black Magic Octavia VRS with Forge DV, BMC CDA induction kit, Milltek cat, Supersprint exhaust, Xenons, ESP, cruise, parking sensors and Kumho 225/45/17 tyres Been to Star sufficient bhp & ample lb/ft All time low - 7.8 mpg

lozgti

We are making a big effort to support proper butchers and grocers.Even if it means having to carry bags further.

Gone back to using a milkman too.

Free parking please

devonutopia

Its been so long since I visited Exeter High Street, that earlier this month I felt like a tourist.... They'd knocked down one shopping centre/area and started rebuilding it... I felt like I was exploring a new town.

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Jason - Only a Skoda.
Custom Fabia Bonnet Lifter Kits - £45! Click Me.
Cheesy bonnet lifter video to "raise me up" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnGECEi5Oc

See the mongrel's 260bhp Dyno Video!

Moose

I'm with ScoobyChris, why leave the house? We all have internet here.

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Sunlight Silver MX-5 1.8 Sport

lozgti

Think these Science Fiction films are on the button.Soon we won't need our legs at all

KentStu

Generally we wander into town to get shopping etc. Will use local shops and supermarkets depending on what we are getting. Meat and veg we normally get from local farm shops / farmers that we know.

Edit: just realised that hadn't answered the quetion! As walking - free car park is irrelevant.

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Stu

Yellow Octy RS & '58 Morris Minor Tourer Owner .......... not a hairdresser

jonny boy

A 'free' car park would suit my sister. She pays £2,000 a year for the privilege of parking in Manchester town centre, then walks half a mile to work. What p*sses me off is the people who moan about walking a few yards to the shop after parking outside the doors.

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Jon.

JMK2

Also those who park in a disabled bay who shouldn't and don't have a badge

Have no probs paying a small amount, but for convenience have to use a supermarket. That being said, used local shops street market and Somerfield last Saturday - and it wasn't any more expensive.

But as I wasn't near a decent sized Tesco/Asda/Sainsburys/Morrisons didn't have a choice really.

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I would like to put something here, but just can't think what

kris_vrs_fabia

cant really complain, all our local car parking is free anyway, there is one multi level carpark that i use if there is nowhere else to park, but i usualy car at the council offices as they are closed on weekends.

johnjohnhealy

Ermm I think thats been done already! my local Tesco has a huge DIY department, they sell everything from drills/pressure washers to paint and paint brushes!!


I'd much rather use local butchers / grocers all the time, supermarkets just dont have the same quality meat etc, the problem is, the councill are about to introduce on street parking charges, so I for one wont be using the local shops any more.

If I want to park in a multi storey then fine i'll pay for it, but to park on the street that i've already paid road tax to use

As for disabled / parent & child parking, dont get me started on that, my views are very controversial.

Moose

As in they should then be forced to be disabled to see what its actually like?

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Sunlight Silver MX-5 1.8 Sport

Gwilo

What building does she work in to have to walk that far from car park to office around here? Shocking if you ask me!

Free parking personally. If i'm giving a shop or the local economy my business, i don't see why i should pay for the priviledge.
Failing that, I'll just walk five minutes down the road to Tesco.......

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robmawer

Chances are you probably do though...if you go to Tesco, they either rent or own the land on which you will be parking. To pay for this, it will be factored into the price of your groceries.
If you purchase at a local shop with no parking facilities, this cost isn't factored into the price, so you end up paying to a separate supplier - in this case, RMBC who IMHO are actually pretty reasonable when it comes to parking charges (relatively speaking).
So I guess the alternative would be for local businesses as a collective to pay the council to allow customers free parking, although this will then be factored into the cost of products which are already usually more expensive than those of a supermarket...


Rob.

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lozgti

Hasn't the whole of the recent argument been that local councils have created ghost towns by the strict enforcement of No Parking etc and 'assisting' all the big supermarkets by leaving people little choice?

They are now trying to say 'what a terrible thing to happen,save the shops,lets backtrack'

Gwilo

True, parking isn't exactly extortion in Rochdale, but at least I can get a space at the supermarket.
What i really objected to was when I only had ten-minute errand, spent 20 minutes trying to find a space and ended up at the top of Yorkshire Street in a piddly little open car park and having to pay for a full hour or 40mins.......
Maybe I should have just gone and parked on a side-street behind B & Q....

@ Lozgti.....
A degree of that occurred in Rochdale - lots of people seem to go to Oldham now instead, but that's because some of the shops just don't appeal that much - M & S is looking so dated, Littlewoods went the wall, Woolies looks grubby, mobile phone, charity and pound shops taking over the town centre.......no Starbucks either, so that's a big black mark right away.......

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ScoobyChris

Parent and child parking Wish more town centres had these in their pay and display car parks too as the marked spaces are tight at the best of times

Chris

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Holding up the traffic in a little Italian..........

pixi

My local village/town is so pants that I go into the main town about 5 miles away to do any type of shopping. I always park in M&S, it's convienient and I always get my fruit and veg and other bits in there anyway.

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