Life without supermarkets....is it possible?

ninnoodle

I think it depends where you live. In the village where I live there are some excellent local shops, at local (rather than "artisan") prices too. There is a greengrocers that sells local farm produce, bags of things like soup mix, bird seed, local jams, chutneys etc - all much cheaper than supermarkets. There is a brilliant butchers that sells meat just as cheap as supermarkets. A local hardware shop that has most things you could need. I live in the centre of the village too so it is very easy for me. I do a monthly 'big' shop at the nearest Aldi, stocking up on tins, dried goods and booze, and top up locally throughout the month. That way it is cheaper for me when I also consider the cost of diesel of getting to a supermarket (or cost of delivery).
Appreciate it is not the case for many though.

pickledonionspaceraider

Blue_Doggy wrote: »

It’s not entirely the fault of the supermarkets, though. The small shop-keepers were also in part to blame. I remember, as a twenty-something shopping for one, regularly queuing for half an hour in the butcher’s while he chatted to the older women shopping for families. They were spending more than I was, and my custom was worth much less to him. I was working full-time, and I would think few if any of the older women worked at all (1970s, a different world!). Other shops were similar.

I’d like to think that those which have survived have better skills at dealing with people. And these days I’d probably walk out if I felt I was being kept waiting, with or without a comment.

Also, wholesalers offer bigger discounts to the supermarkets than to the corner shops, so it’s impossible for the smaller shops to compete on price in many cases.

Oh gosh yes!, I know what you mean. I remember miserably standing outside of shops in the 70s waiting for what seemed like forever for Mother to purchase some Pork Chops

I do feel for them , the small shopkeepers. Where I live there are few independent shops now, I have seen a butcher and greengrocer go over the last 12 months. I think the only independent is a card shop - which is always empty - I dont think it will be long before he is shutting up but at £3-4 for a greetings card when you can get one for half that in a supermarket, it is not suprising, but he has overheads, is stuck I guess in how low he can go eh

D&DD

I would love to have access to shops like yours do you know I don't even know where there is a proper old fashioned greengrocers local to me now. Croydon still has the market but that's about it!
I went to Epsom on 'market day' and there were three stalls...
I would probably have to go to Chiswick for a refill type store so no,sadly I have no choice here really but to use the supermarkets.

EssexHebridean

More recently than 12 years ago there was a "Year without Supermarkets"blog written by the Mum of a family in Oxfordshire I think it was - you can see more about that https://teampugh.wordpress.com - it made interesting reading but even at the time I remember thinking that it' a far easier thing to do in the sort of environment that they live in than where I - for example - am based.

The town I live in has 3 Tescos (one large, one regular sized and one "metro" type store) a sainsbury's and an Adsa, plus Lidl & Aldi. we also have Home Bargains and a B&M that has a small food section, plus each neighbourhood has a convenience store within it. In my immediate area we have NO independent butchers (Used to have one - it was pretty poorly run AND expensive and so inevitably failed), no independent grocers (we have a couple of mid-sized convenience stored of a NISA type model) and one bakers where the quality is, frankly, no better than we would get if buying from the supermarkets for a lower price.

I work on a bit of a compromise basis. We visit a farmers market ideally once a month where we buy nearly all of our meat - aside from Chicken (free range) and occasionally bacon I almost never buy meat from the supermarket. (If we had a Morrisons in town this would change). We make our own bread and rolls mostly, with occasional store-bought additions either from the supermarket or from our lovely local artisan bakery. We occasionally visit the farm shop for fruit and veg although this carries its own question marks as it is in the region of a 15 mile round trip so...) aside from that everything comes from a mixture of the various supermarkets though, generally depending on which vouchers they have sent me to tempt me to shop there.

I did for a while work on the basis of doing a "supermarket free" week once a month but the distance (both in terms of time and added mileage) to the farm shop put me off sticking to that in the end I'm afraid.

buildersdaughter

Co-ops are variable - I often read on here that they are seen as expensive. However, my 3 nearest Co-ops are 'supermarkets' and are much cheaper than the little local Co-ops.
The Co-op is almost the only supermarket I shop at, with occasional forays into Lidl and Waitrose when I drive by (about once every 4-6 weeks) for the things they do well.
I buy almost all of my food / household stuff at independent shops and markets. As this was an ethical decision we made, it is some years since I did a serious price comparison, also we are retired and it is part of our lifestyle to shop ethically, and live thriftily (whilst actually enjoying a lifestyle that many would envy). So I don't think my overall spend is more than the average. We did shop like this whilst still at work, but not when I had a growing family to feed.
As the question has been asked, I'm replying with what we do, but I know some would find our way of life boring, and some find it odd. It suits us, cooking almost everything from scratch.
We shop monthly at a local wholefood co-operative. We make the most of pulses (UK grown),and we buy sugar, flour,dried fruit etc. for home baking. We get tinned tomatoes & sweetcorn from there. We refill cleaning stuff there as well. We make this - like the markets - a trip out, with a 'treat' at a local cafe, and doing any other shopping we need (bookshop, cookshop, charity shop etc.)
We have an excellent farmers' market once a month, a bit pricey but I know it is cheaper than many of the 'posher' ones. Cheese, butter, fish, and some meat such as mutton.
Meat is from our local butcher + game from the local shoots.
Fruit & veg from a greengrocer who runs a retail shop alongside his wholesale business.
Eggs from the farm gate.
That leaves milk & cream from the Co-op + the occasional bits and pieces.

Hope this adds to the debate

Farway

Not possible round here, there is one greengrocer left, butcher ,baker etc closed yonks ago


There is a weekly market, ideal if you want you 'phone unlocked or a cheapish jacket, cheap tat, bin liners or fancy some unknown provenance meat off the back of a lorry
And that's it

pattypan4

local small shops for me, same as buses, use them or lose them

buildersdaughter

Farway, I'm sympathetic, I know a number of towns like that. I'm out in the sticks!

Prinzessilein

Not much choice for me....disability restricts how far I can go, I don't drive (and have no one to drive me anywhere) and the bus stop is about 20 minutes walk away (too far most days).

So, I am limited to a half dead (who am I kidding, three-quarters dead!) town centre...Tesco have just closed down, so we just have an M&S food hall for a main shop. (I have to admit, M&S are VERY good - and nowhere near as pricey as some think!)...there is an Iceland, and a couple of pound shops...the market has closed too, fruit and veg is either M&S or the veg-man who travels round the area and sells a somewhat limited selection (not always the cheapest option, but M&S is small and has even less choice)...both local independent butchers have closed...there are a couple of bakers...and if you are quick, there are open-today-shut-down-tomorrow East European mini-markets....oh and there is a Premier shop which os rather small and somewhat pricey

Relatives are coming at the end of the month...we might get a trip to Lidls!...get some Christmas goodies from their Favorina range!

the_cat

Well,I've made a (very small) start to changing my habits where I can. Bought some meat from the butchers yesterday and some fruit from the market and a needed extra from a market stall rather than a DIY superstore. Then did an online order for an out of date food place which had some good everyday offers on. Hoping it's good as I've not heard of this company before.
Also found a very promising box scheme locally for fruit/veg/eggs/milk etc to try when the fridge next runs down
I guess any help for the smaller traders is better than none, even though it will be hard to switch completely.