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Supermarkets - a benefit, a convenience or a curse?

Posted , 5 users are following.

georgeGG
georgeGG

Once there were a variety of shops in the high street. Now they are gone. Now out of town we have some supermarkets. Has this change benefited society? Are we more healthy and content because of this change? Can we put the clock back? Should we put the clock back? Can we use what is in our memories to benefit the young and their future?

mmmm! les us see.

4 likes, 39 replies

39 Replies

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  • GeorgiaS
    GeorgiaS georgeGG

    Posted

    I didn't want to be pessimistic and suggest that it's too late, so I'll be optimistic.

    There have been government initiatives to encourage people to plant fruit trees vegetables, berry bushes in our gardens, herbs in window boxes for those with no gardens etc.

    And programmes encouraging people to cook from scratch. More and more people are aware of the health benefits of organic foods. I think a lot of people see it our way and that's something!

    In the town near my village there's a butcher who owns a farm and his animals are grass fed and not pumped full of antibiotics etc; the only reason he doesn't call himself an organic butcher is because he'd have to pay a lot of money to get certified organic.

    His meat is the best I've ever tasted, and him, his wife and another man who works there love to chat with you and ask how you are over the counter! You don't get that in supermarkets. It makes my day shopping there! I haven't for ages but soon I'll go back.

    • tiswas24537
      tiswas24537 GeorgiaS

      Posted

      great georgia wish i had one near by love to get holdof some beef soup bones , we have only 2 butchers left here now we did have 4 but since tescos came we have lost 2 , the meat is local but cant be sure its fed on grass .. 

      and when we need to put labels on fresh chickens by law ,to state that you need to cook before eating ,i dont hold out much hope for the future of home cooking. i am a very basic cook no great shakes , but i do like my meat meat and 2 veg ,

      i prefer baking find that its rewarding even thou i rarely eat cake or biscuits .i keep meaning to have another look in my war time cook book but havent had the energy to be bothered .find it fascinating

    • GeorgiaS
      GeorgiaS tiswas24537

      Posted

      There's also a local market on Fridays and Saturdays and the cheese man used to sell the most gorgeous goats cheese that I'd buy every week. But one day he didn't have any and he said Tesco were sending scouts round to spy on what's popular, then they starting sourcing it and selling it cheaper so he couldn't compete!

      That butcher's is called TooGoods, and it really is good; hope they can stay for a long time.

      Sometimes I can cook and sometimes I can't through lack of energy, and when I do it's basic, simple healthy food like you cook.

    • tiswas24537
      tiswas24537 GeorgiaS

      Posted

      i miss spicey food but it kills me now ,i used to love the yellow and orabge peppers, and mushrooms in a sausage sandwich . yum yum sort of 50% bad and %50 good for you .kills me now . i love good thick porridge that you can stand a spoon up in ,but then i just have to have some good quality cream and a spoon of golden syrup on it  . yum

      cant stand goats cheese i have tried it the inational taste is fine but for some reason i started to feel nausea after a while same with goats milk 

      strange person i told you i was .

    • GeorgiaS
      GeorgiaS tiswas24537

      Posted

      I miss chilli, especially chilli one of my friends used to make with fresh ingredients from scratch! He'd get a bunch of us sitting roung the table to eat and It was always a happy occassion.

      We're all strange so you're in good company! lol

    • tiswas24537
      tiswas24537 GeorgiaS

      Posted

      yes my diet is so bland i cant even eat the onion family with out problems .

      so i tend to go to long between food and get bad anyway. 

      have you tried any of the following. 

      serrapeptase supplement .

       

      nutritional yeast its a deactivated yeast with a flovour like cheese and is low in sodium and fat, and full of b vits .

      and collegean supplements supposed to aid flexability in tendons and joints and puff up skin .

      iv tried the first one but not sure if it did me anygood or not .because its a pain when your taking several supplement at once because you dont no whats helping

      hope your having a good day.

       

    • GeorgiaS
      GeorgiaS tiswas24537

      Posted

      Though I can't do spices now I'm like an Indian woman throwing her spices in her food in handfuls, but with more cooling herbs like Chives, Parsley, Corriander, Sage, Basil etc, I chuck large amounts in. How are you with those kinds of cooking herbs?

      My food isn't bland, it can't be because it's an effort to eat every day. I need motivation to want to cook and eat it.

      I haven't tried what you mentioned but oils in my diet have given me younger looking skin and I'm quite agile when I move.

    • georgeGG
      georgeGG GeorgiaS

      Posted

      That is a small beginning. To follow your optimistic lead the more revenue we can deny the supermarkets the more their Group profits are reduced. If enough people made quality shopping their priority the tide could be turned. The spermarket big sheds could be turned into multiple outlet markets. Hurray for the small trader.biggrin . Seems you do not favour supermarkets.
    • georgeGG
      georgeGG GeorgiaS

      Posted

      That shows that it really is up to shoppers. Small traders canno compete against agressive cost cutting. Only a mass of determined shoppers comitted to buy from small traders and only compare prices beteen small traders and totally disregard the supermarket will the tide turn.
    • GeorgiaS
      GeorgiaS georgeGG

      Posted

      POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!! cool lol

      The revolution is here, I'd better get my Wolfie Smith berry on.

    • tiswas24537
      tiswas24537 GeorgiaS

      Posted

      and dont forget the great smelly afgan coats phew when they got wet they smelt like an old goat.
    • GeorgiaS
      GeorgiaS tiswas24537

      Posted

      No wonder; we were wearing dog! lol

      I loved Petuli oil on my leather jacket. It softens the leather. I still buy it and it has some amazing health properties. I can't say the same for Afgan coats though. eek

  • SteV3
    SteV3 georgeGG

    Posted

    Hi George,

    Good subject I see from you again! smile So, I gave you a vote as well.

    Yes, years ago it was just High Streets and towns - but the times have changed a lot. I'll give you just one example... Gloucester not far from me, 25 years ago we used to in to the town and do shopping, on the way home just on the town border was a Satruday and Wednesday market, we used to get fresh meat, cheese, etc and me and my wifes dad used to love Black Sausage, not everyones cup of tea but we enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Stilton Cheese, if I ate any my wife would not come close to me...lol It's a strong cheese, mould and crusty mould on the outside went down well with homemade pickled onions! Those were the days! And, that market was huge and held on a huge carpark, so there was plenty of room to park your car for free.. that was then...!!!

    Move forward 25 years....

    We have no huge Saturday or Wednesday Markets, those huge areas are now Tescos Extra, Dominos Pizza, Subway, McDonalds, Argos, The Largest B & Q store in the UK, Barclays Bank. This is all on just one retail park, and loads of parking for cars, but now you have to pay unless you have an EU Blue Badge which gives you 2-4 hours, before returning and going home or resetting the blue badge clock so you can stay longer!  Roughly 30 years ago there was hardly any Retail Parks, now that has changed to around 8 alone.. many of them have a McDonalds on them (theres 5 outlets in Gloucester), Subway (5 of them), ASDA (4 of them), Cinemas 1 but moved and now in the Queys with 10 screens), Tescos (I would take a guess at around 15), etc. All retail parks are on the borders of Gloucester, shops in the High Street, mostly boarded up. Crime rate: Would I walk through Gloucester town at night, not a chance! In the past year alone one guy was stabbed to death in a park in broad daylight, another girl about 20 was stabbed by her own boyfriend, last week a guy killed one 19 yr old boy, and put two others in hospital after attacking them with a machette!

    And guess what PM David Cameron made drastic cuts to the Police force!

    Would we shop in town? No!

    Would we shop in Retail Parks? No!

    We shop online because it is more convenient for us, besides I couldn't handle shopping every week! and delivery is only £1.00 which is less than it would take than our car.

    We don't do all shopping online, some is done in the village near us, for veggies and fruit, etc.

    Bread we get locally, from a shop a few streets away.

    The supermarkets attract people because of the prices, our local shop bread is £1.50 a loaf - if we go to Farmfoods it's 50p!! You can see why people tend to go supermarkets.

    Would I want it to go back to the old times - In my case, it would be more hassle than its worth. Back then I was able to walk to a degree, just not too far, over the years even standing in queue used kill my hips, legs and back.

    We tend to do everything online, but on saying that - I still go out a lot to doctors, hospitals, etc.

    Regards,

    Les,

    • georgeGG
      georgeGG SteV3

      Posted

      Thank you Les my friend. Thanks for the vote. It is greatly appreciated as are the kind words. Thanks for that very interesting analysis. There is much to think about in it.

      Your friend George

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