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

ubamother

have a daily pinta from our local milkman
use local butcher and greengrocer in my town - butcher not always cheaper than supermarket, but worth their weight in butchery knowledge and quality of meat
local butcher doesn't do FR chicken so get from a fabulous farm shop about 8 miles away
will try our local ironmongers etc. first before going online/to a big shop, but the price has to be comparable, less potential travel saved

juliapenguin

Nowadays yes - when I was a struggling single parent I couldn't afford to, but now I'm married again and my son has flown the nest I try to support local businesses as much as I can. I particularly try to support independent shops - we have a little Tesco round the corner but if the ethnic grocer/greengrocer over the road sells what I'm needing I try to buy it from him.

I'm also very lucky to live near to Chorlton in Manchester - those who live near me will know the joys of the Barbakan baker/deli and Unicorn, the vegan cooperative. Both shops seem to be thriving, in spite of being more expensive than the Morrisons nearby. My feeling is that a loaf of Barbakan bread with some of their cheese and maybe a few olives is such a delicious treat that it's as comforting as getting a takeaway or having coffee and cake in Costa, but much cheaper.

ceridwen

Yes - as far as possible - because I know that the multiples are just holding down their prices for long enough to "demolish" the "opposition". Also - I want to support people I know/make sure my community remains a "living" one/etc..

charlies-aunt

We support our local milkman, market, post office, tack shop and farmshop.

We find them to be within a few pence dearer/cheaper than the supermarkets but the customer service and quality is much much better and the cost of driving to the supermarket negates any savings.

Linda32

We use our Milkman and Post Office. We only buy and need 3 pints a week for OH's weekday breakfast and the odd cup of coffee. (I have black)

We don't use any on-line option that can be done at the Post Office. We wouldn't want to loose that.

seafarers_wife

i dont have a milkman as i dont use anywhere near enough milk to justify the cost. i use about a pint a week sometimes 2 if im baking or cooking with milk.

i only use my local butchers for meat, the only thing he doesnt do though is turkey mince so im stuck with the supermarket for that. his price for meat is so much cheaper than the supermarket and is happy to keep things aside if he doesnt have it in when he gets the next delivery.

i dont use the local greengrocer or florist, as they are in the one shop and the few times ive went in the veg looks wilted, the fruit looks bashed and the flowers look past it. ahve been in at various and different times of the day and it never looks fresh.

always use the local post office as they are really helpful and the postman will leave packages at the post office if your not in so that you can pick them up. no idea where my sorting office is actually as always gone to the postoffice.

the local dentist is a rip off, so i support another independant dentist in a village about 15 miles away. his prices are pretty close to nhs prices and can always get an apt with him on a day and time thats convienient.

whenever i buy a newspaper or a magazine i always go to the independant shop rather than the co-op or spar, they do stationary as well and the cost of the stationary is very reasonable (it actually works out cheaper than the post office)

my local hardware store is amazing as well, they sell everything it seems and are always happy to give advice and like another poster mentioned they are happy to sell just 1 of something rather than a big pack. they are also happy to put items aside for you as well, i asked them to put a snow shovel aside and they did even though they could have sold it 10 times over by the time i went to pick it up.

although i live in a small village it has a surprising number of essential shops and most of them are pretty good and reasonable prices compared to elsewhere, so i do try and shop local where possible for everyday household items, im not fussed about things costing more as im happy to pay for the convience of being able to walk and get it or have it delivered rather than needing to go into town or to a shopping centre to pick up the item i want.

amibovvered

Sewsosew wrote: »

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.

:eek: Wow - that is expensive! I just paid my milk bill tonight and it is 53p a pint. Must admit, I might have thought twice if my milkman charged as much as yours!

SailorSam

On the cab i use to do between 150-200 miles a day so spent a lot on diesel and always used a local garage. A big Tesco opened but i stayed with the local garage, eventually he had to pack in he lost to much custom, so i then followed the crowd to Tesco.

seraphina

If the business makes an effort then yes, I will. However, I've lost count of local businesses that bleat about how evil supermarkets are stealing all their trade, and yet they (for example) refuse to open later/earlier so I can actually use their services when I'm back from work (Hint to thick "businessmen": if I'm working, it generally means I'm being paid and have some money to spend...).

We have an excellent local butcher that I use wherever possible (we are mainly vegetarian) and the local shop/post office is open all hours of the day, and therefore get my business whenever possible. And our local store is stocked with *useful* things - you can get tonic water, gin and ice cream along with a pint of milk and a loaf of bread:D

suzybloo

Where possible I buy local, I use the local farm shop, the local fish shop, bakers,etc as I cannot stand Tesco operating with so much profit and still hiking the prices sky high. The farm shop is all produce from around our area, the fish is landed at Arbroath which is about 30 miles away, the bakers is a small local one, our local meal shop sells all types of dry goods from cereal to flour which I use dailly. I use the independant Pharmacy rather than Boots, and the local butcher gets our trade as the meat is from a catchment area around our neighbourhood, and you can specifically ask where it comes from and you get an answer, and any help on different types of meat. For specific foods like porridge oats I use Scotts as they are milled near to us, for blackpudding/haggis we buy direct from Stornoway in the Hebrides, I buy Mrs Bridges jams etc as they are made locally and use local produce, we even buy workwear made locally which is made by Hoggs of Fife. Yes these things may be slightly dearer however if it is helping the local economies rather than lining the big boys pockets I am all for that