Do any of you ever pay over the odds to safeguard local services?

amibovvered

I order 5 pints a week (just slightly less than I actually need in an average week) and half a dozen eggs from my milkman. I buy any extra milk (including that needed over Christmas or other holidays) from the supermarket. The eggs are actually bigger and cheaper than the supermarket but the milk of course costs more, but I feel that our doorstep service is something that should be preserved for the elderly and housebound. My order won't make my milkman rich but I feel I'm doing my bit in helping to keep the service going.

I also buy odd items from my local grocer/newsagent/post ofice when I go in to get a paper or use the post office. Again, they cost a lot more than the supermarket but I don't want the shop to close because it is used by locals without transport - I can get to the supermarket but it is much harder for them.

What do the rest of you think - do you ever forego money-saving in support of local services?

RAS

Hi

yes

I usually buy bread from my local organic food shop; it costs more (although nothing like as much as a multiple as iut used to be) BUT it last two or three times as long before going off. So I usually get to the end of the loaf before the end of the loaf gets mouldy. Buying supermarket bread was cheaper but cost more in the long run.

I also buy most of my books from my local bookshop. I can get them cheaper on amazon but only if I am prepared to spend Saturday morning retrieving them from the Sorting Office, or pay extra to get them delivered to the PO. The big advantage is that I can pick them up when it suits me, they get lots of random things I ask for and do most of the hunting for me.

lostinrates

amibovvered wrote: »

What do the rest of you think - do you ever forego money-saving in support of local services?

In the longer term it might well be money saving. when the supermarkets have no competition prices can zoom.

We have a local milkman and are considering swapping to him...not just because he is local but because the milk is too.Food miles would be amazingly low.

we have usually tried to support local ethical food producers...via local butchers etc. This is partly a social choice, partly and environmental one and partly one of welfare issues.

BUT....I moved in summer. I haven't yet found a butcher with a good supply of local, free range meat.

I've been going to local tradesmen and getting rather alarming quotes. Just had a quote from a very upmarket London firm at about 60% of cheapest local firm, with better benefits and after sales and excellent service.

I'm all for supporting my community if my community also supports me: charging 50% more for a worse service with lower overheads means that the local suppliers are not treating their customers that fairly IMO!

milliemonster

I don't buy milk from our milkman because he doesn't turn up until late morning and I need milk for when I get up not half way through the day!

I do buy bread locally, although I do make a lot myself, we have a 'deli' shop that sell gorgeous bread but at £1.50 for a small cob, it's not cheap and certainly not something I could buy at that price everyday, the only other shop that sells bread locally is the coop which I don't necessarily support as being 'local' as they are just another national chain.

I do use our local butcher occasionally but the staff they have are so unfriendly I don't go in very often!!

angeltreats

I would love to support my local butcher, but unfortunately they are very overpriced (I mean in comparison to other butchers, not in comparison to Tesco etc!), almost all their game is frozen, and they don't sell free range chicken, because apparently the demand for it isn't there. I do however buy all my eggs there because they have free range eggs from a local farm. There is a butcher in the town where I work and everyone raves about them so I'm going to give them a try, as I would dearly love to stop buying my meat in the supermarket.

I do use my local post office as often as I possibly can. I pay all my bills there, buy my car tax etc even though I could do it all online, because so many post offices have closed down and I don't want ours to be next.

Sewsosew

We try to support local business. We buy bread,cakes and biscuits from one of our two local bakers. Our local ironmonger can get most of the things that the big stores have and usually slightly cheaper. We may have to wait a few days but it's worth it. Conversely we stopped doorstep milk delivery as the service became unreliable, we were often charged for things we didn't get and the price went through the roof. When we stopped it more that a year ago we were being charged 65pence per pint and the bills were consistently wrong. Now we buy 4 pint bottles at £2 for two at Morrisons and freeze them. No contest.

milliemonster

that reminds me actually we have a small DIY store that have been going since before I was born (and I am 38 now lol!) and they are fantastic, much cheaper than B&Q and they will sell one nail or one screw if that's all you need whereas you have to buy these kinds of things in big packs at B&Q, hubby thinks they are fab! so we always support them

OrkneyStar

We are fortunate that we have some local shops- baker/general store (small), butcher, wool shops, paper shop, electricals, small Coop, another branch of same baker (just opened), outdoor wear shop, couple of hairdressers, bookshop, petrol station/shop. I have be so glad for them recently when I have not been able to drive through to Tesco (went on bus but only got what I could carry!). Normally I do try to shop in local shops when I can, things are generally more expensive but surprisingly they can sometimes be cheaper for certain things!

kezlou

I used to have milk and an organic veg box delivered but now its far to expensive.


I support the local butchers, i go a halal butchers as its the closest to me to buy mince etc as its £2.99 for a kilo of minced beef, its freshly prepared in front of you which i think is fab.

On a tuesday i normally go to the local market which generally has low prices.

We make our own bread, cakes etc so i don't tend to buy them, also our local bakers i.e greggs is rubbish.

I use our local postofficefor parcels etc, it doesn't do car tax, but its good.

I use our corner shop only for milk and emergencies as its far far too expensive. Instead i would walk to town and use Sainsbugs far cheaper and better quality.

For me it is about money saving as such more like affordability.

v8monkeyboy

I use the local Post Office as much as I can, and also the shoop that's attached to it as they usually have good deals on lots of things.

I also use the local butcher in the next village (1.5 miles away), as it's family run and has passed from father to son, and now to daughter over the last 250 years :j. I would rather go without meat than buy it from a supermarket as the butcher's meat is reared by them and slaughtered locally. They also smoke lots of their own bacon, cheese and make their own salamies. They are proper craftsmen (?) and can prepare any cut of meat, no matter how obscure.

Apart from that, I also support the local farmer's market where I get my chocolate, organic chicken, local honey, fresh veg, and sometimes localish wine. I get my fish fresh from Grimsby every Wednesday from a fish delivery man who buys it fresh from the trawlers every morning.

Yes, they do cost more, but I feel the quality of the produce is so worth it. I would rather have less of their products but enjoy them more , than have cheaper things.

I understand that not everyone has a choice regarding whether to spend more or not, and know that I am lucky to be in this postition.

T xx

saveabobortwo

no cant afford to pay over the odds to safeguard local services but do try to do what i can afford and use our local village shop as much as i can afford however i do worry about the local shops as noone they are handy and wouldnt want to be withput them also worry about the village not being able to afford xmas lights as i think this boosts morale in a recession .and worry about our local farmer and his family keeping going actually i worry about everyone sometimes too much.