It is seen as the preserve of backstreet pawn shops and daytime TV adverts, but now selling your gold could become as commonplace as your weekly grocery shop. Tesco has added to its ever-increasing range of services by launching its own Gold Exchange and is seeking to take customers' unwanted trinkets off their hands.
Am I the only one who is fed up with fucking greedy supermarkets, of which Tescos is the worst? Don't get me wrong. That's where I do my shopping too. But, I'm embarrassed when I drive through my local town and see vacant premises where once there were thriving Butchers, Fishmongers, Newsagents, Fruit shops and small grocers. Don't tell me that Supermarkets are cheaper, because in many cases they're not. Of course they have greater buying power which also puts small farmers and companies out of business.
Not only are the greedy bastards content to have vast stores out of town, but now 'express' stores are popping up, which hit what trade there is for small shops that are left on the High Streets throughout the country. All this adds to their multi-billion wealth and now they'll have you bringing in your gold to buy some groceries to feed the family. It's fucking disgusting!
So what's the solution. Well, I see it as two fold. Firstly, we should shop more in small stores in the town centre. Now I know that is not always feasible for families with little time or inclination to shop around. But those of us with more time should make the effort. What is needed is some sort of national campaign. The problem is that the supermarkets have penetrated all the small shop federations and throw money about like confetti.
Secondly, our councils should be hammering the rates for out of town shopping centres until Tesco's pips squeak and stop them opening stores in town centres. But, I've no doubt a good many of the politicians will be in the supermarket's pockets as well, if not personally then for the money they pore into a town to get a store open, which I understand can amount to millions of pounds.
14 comments:
We are to blame DL, we like the convenience of shopping at superstores and make no mistake these guys are experts at getting us to part with our money. Customer profiling is key, they know exactly what loss leaders to carry and where to put every product in their stores. As far as Tesco goes they have already exceeded market share and still own a huge land bank where they can open other stores where they should be charged an excess tax for exceeding certain store density and market share numbers. The politicians may like to talk about their concern for the small shop holder but the truth is what they mean is they don't want a mega store in the Surrey village they have a second house in. Years back when I worked at an American bank, a customer was one of the massive US greengrocers and an employee said, "Second to not having Wallmart as a customer, the worst thing in retail is having Wallmart as a customer", in reference to the continual margin squeeze Wallmart put them under.
I thought for a minute I was reading the daily mail. What a load of pish you have written DL. I have to agree about tesco though.
I do my weekly shop in Waitrose because I'm a posh bastard! According to my mate - who shops in Asda - 'only rich people shop in Waitrose' which proably explains why they don't have shops oop norf.
Mind you, I own shares in Tesco. Good dividends...
Antonio, I know we are all guilty. My father had a fishmonger's shop when I was young which evolved into another wholesale export business, but at the time there were two fishmongers in our town of around 15,000 people, employing 10 people, of which 6 were the principle bread winners for the family. That didn't include all the rest of the shops. Now they are just kebab shops, sandwich shops and Chinese carryouts, all scrabbling about to get some money. But they'll tell you that they bring employment to a town. Pish! 99 of the jobs they bring are shite jobs at minimum rates on a till or packing shelves. The only one that makes any money is that fuckwit of a woman on the Tesco's ads. I also have experience of supplying goods to Marks and Spencers and yes all they try and do is to squeeze your margins and dictate what you can and cannot do. The politicians are as usual in the pockets of the supermarkets. It's time we had political parties funded by the state and then these fuckers couldn't be handing around contributions to control what the politicians do. They spend millions building leisure centres and I believe in one place down south, even a police station to get entry into a town. If you go up to the Moray coast from Elgin to Inverness is wall to wall Tescos stores, I've never seen such a concentration in my life, in fact in Elgin, not a particularly large town there are two!
Roberto, in what way is it pish, I ask? Explain yourself! I know you have a vested interest because you work for a supermarket, so put their side of the argument, please. HNY, BTW.
Greekers, as a patrician, I would expect nothing else. We don't have a Waitrose, but we do have a new Sainsbury, which is going downhill fast because they are £20 dearer than Tesco, who in turn are £20 dearer than Asda, where one does his shopping. I don't go to Morrisons because their stuff is shite and is just for people who like to eat pies and pasties, of which I am no longer one!
HNY to your good self too.
You should try Morrisons again, their stuff is far better than it was. Sainsbury's are crap, Asda is for scum and Tesco is the evil villian.
Supermarkets give people what they want, that's why they've grown. Town centres have stagnated because they haven't evolved. I don't for a minute believe that I could get the same stuff at the same quality for the same price in the high street. 'Shop local' and 'farmer's market' etc are for idiots with too much time and money.
Plus, why should I pay for parking in a shitehole like Kilmarnock when I could park for free and get everything I want at Silverburn, Braehead etc etc.
Roberto, I admit that when it comes to convenience, if you have a car, Supermarkets win hand down.
I personally like Asda particularly their finest range, so I must be scum, but being a thinner scum than I was I like to count my calories which I cant really do on home made stuff although we both like to cook.
You can often shop cheaper on the High Street an I'll tell you why. Supermarkets are obligated by contract to buy produce at a certain price. But if there is over supply the price in the wholesale markets, for instance in fruit will drop much lower than the supermarkets are buying and because small shops are more flexible their prices reflect this. Look at the pound shops for instance. They are buying goods that are over supplied cheaply by the container load and end up selling stuff cheaper than you lot. Same with Semi-Chem.
Morrisons are getting better but the one in Ayr is too small, there is little choice and the aisles are too close together, it makes me claustrophobic. Killy is better but the customers smell.
Always the same modus operandi. Undercut the competition and say shoppers now have greater choice. When competition goes bust then up the prices to cover any short term loss. Close fish counters etc if they're not profitable but re open again if a local independent tries to start a related business as it may reduce footfall to the supermarket. Sorted.
Wullie, dead right. They just don't want opposition on a local level. I would love to see a campaign to boycott them. we went in unbeknown to us when our new Sainsbury opened on it's first day and it took us 45 minutes to get out of the car park. In fact I phoned the police to say I'd been kidnapped, of course they did fuck all, but it relieved the tedium for me to watch my wife's face while I explained it to this fuckwit of a constable. Anyway, now you have no problem getting in or out because no bastard goes there. It was a one shop wonder, too fucking dear.
I live in Exmouth,Devon and its no different here.
With an approx. 60'000 people living here,we have the joyful choice of one large tesco and TWO express stores!with pretty much NO competition.
Council keeps denying the likes of Asda but are letting Tesco expand their main store.
My biggest gripe,is that fuel is up to 5p ltr cheaper just 8mile away but Tesco insist on setting the dearest prices here,with smaller forecourts having to follow suit.GREED
I see Tesco as the next J Bond world dominating villian.
It always ends in tears...
HATEGREED, welcome to the blog. It's the smarmy way they try and sell all this shite to us on TV, with the woman that looks like Mrs Doubtfire and the fuckwit Jamie Olivier making out that the Supermarkets are in it for us. Tesco soon sharpen their ideas up if Asda get in. You'll see the petrol prices drop then!
judging by the BBC news today regarding 'world food prices at fresh high'say UN and
rioting over food prices etc.
Maybe its only a matter of time before these market giants kick the ass out of it all and are left only with slave made clothes and electronics.
HATEGREED, I forecast there would be food shortages this time last year. Too much worldwide land is being put to Agricrops which don't feed anyone. As oil runs out, as it will because, peak oil production was in 1972 and the oil reserves are dropping at 8% per year, whilst demand is rising by 30% per year, the Supermarkets will have had their day. It will cost too much to import food and what we eat will have to be grown locally. That is why I am looking for a house with some land. Most agricultural land in this country has been poisoned by years of fertilizers and pesticides, so yes the Supermarkets will have their day eventually, unfortunately the result will be starvation for the rest of us or at the very minimum most of the 3rd world.
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