Aaarrrggghhh! small shops!

Faith_2

Lately,I have been trying to use small local shops as much as possible as I believe that in the long run it's better for us if they don't disappear altogether and leave us with just supermarkets.

So I started to use my local pet shop. I went in to buy some food for my cats and the first time it was ok, although I could only buy a small bag. When I went back, they told me they stopped stocking it as it was too difficult to get it delivered. Fair enough I thought and I tried a different but equivalent product they told me was just as good.

Just before Christmas, I went in again and bought some more food and wanted some cat litter. Now, I live in a flat and have 2 cats of my own plus one I foster so I have two litter trays and I know what works for me! When I asked for the litter I use, they told me they don't stock it as they don't think it's very good!

So, my question is: what's the point in trying to use small shops if you can't get what you want? Why can't they stock what customers want rather than what they think is good?

It's not great business sense really as consequently, I'm taking my custom elsewhere, where I can get what I want and what I think is quality stuff! It was the same with the butcher's. They closed down a few years back, but then their shop was always closed by 4 pm! What the point in that when most people don't finish work until 5 pm?


ps: I know this would probably be better in DT, but they seem to be discussing God and UFOs over there so... but please do move this where it should go Squeaky!

skintchick

I agree. We're always being urged to support local shops, but they close so early!! I don't get home till 7pm and I like to do my shopping in the week so my weekends are free for more fun stuff. Plus i often work Saturdays.

We have a local farmers' market, but it is on a Thursday morning! Well, how convenient!

It's nonsense really - they need to open when people want them to, and not when they want to.

wayne

they,re what they say they are..a corner shop they haven,t the space or money to stock a load of different brands.

soba

skintchick wrote:

It's nonsense really - they need to open when people want them to, and not when they want to.

I work in a shop that's open from 8am until 9.30pm. I think that if we opened 25 hours a day it still wouldn't be long enough for some customers! You need to remember that some small shops are run by just one person. Would you like to work from 8am until 7.30pm as you seem to be suggesting, and then try to find time for bookwork, warehousing and lastly find time for a family life? Thought not.....

henhog

I find that small shops are often more helpful than big supermarkets in someways - my local pet shop will get in my dry cat food especially for me, my local optician has met Tesco prices for instance. Also. I quite like it that when the kids go in the bakers they are given left over cakes at the end of the day and that people address me by my name and enquire about the family... it's worth making friends with the shop keepers. :xmassmile

Nile

henhog wrote:

I find that small shops are often more helpful than big supermarkets in someways - my local pet shop will get in my dry cat food especially for me, my local optician has met Tesco prices for instance. Also. I quite like it that when the kids go in the bakers they are given left over cakes at the end of the day and that people address me by my name and enquire about the family... it's worth making friends with the shop keepers. :xmassmile

You've brought back childhood memories for me, henhog.

On my way to school I passed a bakery shop. Often I would call in and ask if they had any stale buns (yesterday's unsold items) which I'd buy because they'd be really tasty and very cheap.

I use small shops now, mainly because they have easy parking outside with 1 hour free parking.

I particularly like the bakery (still like buns:D ), chemist, newsagent and bakery..........did I say bakery shop?:rotfl:

Helen_from_yorkshire

wayne wrote:

they,re what they say they are..a corner shop they haven,t the space or money to stock a load of different brands.

But the shop concerned were not saying they did not have the space for several different brands of cat litter .... what they were saying though is that they didn't stock that particular brand as they did not think it was very good !!!

This raises to questions .... do they have a cat and therefore do they know it's good and I wonder how much cat litter they do sell of the brand they do stock and how much they would sell of the different brand.

krishna

Helen_from_yorkshire wrote:

But the shop concerned were not saying they did not have the space for several different brands of cat litter .... what they were saying though is that they didn't stock that particular brand as they did not think it was very good !!!

This raises to questions .... do they have a cat and therefore do they know it's good and I wonder how much cat litter they do sell of the brand they do stock and how much they would sell of the different brand.

If they have limited space they will have to choose between brands. So if they think one is better than another then obviously they will stock that one. Having said that our local pet shop will order in large bags of the cat food we use if we give them a week's notice. In my experience smaller shops are more willing to do that than large stores. I have frequently been told by large stores that they don't know when an out of stock item will be in stock as inventory checking and reordering is all centralised, so they just get what they get when it arrives. And they are unable to order or reserve items for me.

Sometimes small shops also work out cheaper. e.g. if I want four half inch cross head screws for a small DIY job I can go to the local indepent hardware shop and get just that. If I want to buy the same from B&Q or Wickes then I have to buy it in THEIR pack sizes. Also my local independent hardware shop is much more able to provide me with advice on particular jobs, whereas people in the larger shops just shrug their shoulders or give poor/incomplete advice.

And when it comes to groceries I have found I have saved time and money going to smaller shops since:
* I rarely have to queue as long,
* I only buy what I need and don't get tempted into buying unnecessary things "because they are on special",
* they don't keep relocating stuff I use regularly (forcing me to roam around the shop for stuff),
* it is easier to find staff to help me if I need it
* they don't keep discontinuing my favourite products

Curry_Queen

henhog wrote:

Also. I quite like it that when the kids go in the bakers they are given left over cakes at the end of the day and that people address me by my name and enquire about the family... it's worth making friends with the shop keepers. :xmassmile

You've just reminded me of something actually which I'm quite embarrassed to admit, but then this is OS

As a young teenager, I kept my horses on a farm which also reared a few pigs. Now, the local bakery would give the farmer all the leftover bread, cakes and buns to feed to the pigs ... only I would intercept the delivery and pick out a few treats for the family that I could take home with me :rotfl:

sarahlouise210

Curry_Queen wrote:

You've just reminded me of something actually which I'm quite embarrassed to admit, but then this is OS

As a young teenager, I kept my horses on a farm which also reared a few pigs. Now, the local bakery would give the farmer all the leftover bread, cakes and buns to feed to the pigs ... only I would intercept the delivery and pick out a few treats for the family that I could take home with me :rotfl:

money saving at its tastiest !:snow_laug

SnowyOwl_2

Ha ha, Curry Queen you make me laugh! That reminds me of a little circle of neighbours I used to be in who shared cat-sitting duties during holidays and so on. One set of neighbours would buy in fish for their cat, cook it and give it to single guy who was cat-sitting. Of course the nearest the cat got to the fish was the fishy smell wafting from single guy's dinner plate. Sorry nowt to do with small shops!

A few weeks ago I was printing some college work and ran out of paper, so went to the local village and asked in the shops there for it. I may as well have asked for a spaceship...