| Product: |
Corporate chains vs independent retailers |
| Date: |
03/01/05 (267 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Help the independent shops/markets and get fresh produce
Disadvantages: Independents can be more expensive
I am following in the footsteps of other Dooyoo'ers who have brought this questionnaire about corporate foodstore chains v the little independents so, here are my answers:-
Q1: If your food budget was £100, how much would you say you currently spend in big retailers – eg supermarkets? Explain why you spend so much or so little there?
At present I usually spend around £65 each week in Asda. There is my husband and myself but I do tend to buy the odd item for the grandchildren too. It doesn’t matter how much I vary the food it always seems to end up at this magical figure. Then I may pop into the local shop during the week for the odd item. However, I do tend to stock my freezer every 3 months and also go to Makro for some of my household cleaning items when they are being sold on special offers so this all adds to the weekly cost.
Q2: Are you aware of any food produce(s) made in your area specifically?
There are various farms producing organic meat, chicken and vegetables in the vicinity but they do tend to be quite pricey. However, it has been on my mind that when my meat is used up in my freezer then I am going to one of the organic meat farmers (in the New Forest area) and will purchase some beef even though it is a bit more costly.
Q3: Within the shop or shopping place where you spend the greater part of your food budget, can you find those area specific produces which are not mass produced? Do you buy any? Why?
Well, there is an area for organic fresh produce which is easily found. I do try and buy organic vegetables but the cost of organic meat is just ridiculous in supermarkets. I also try and taste unusual food but sometimes this can be difficult as hubby likes plain cooking!
Q4: Have you ever been to a street market around your area? If so, what did you like/dislike there?
There are various markets around the Dorset/Hampshire area but my favourite market is at Salisbury. It is held in the centre of the town every Saturday and the fruit and vegetable stalls are fantastic. The food is cheap but good. I marvelled the other week when I bought a bunch of organic celery and it had dirt around the base. Fresh, earthy produce. And the taste of this celery was fantastic – like it used to be when I was small. I bought 3 butternut squash for £1 and they were great. In Asda they are sold by weight and I surmised that the 3 I had bought from the market would have cost about £5 in Asda as the supermarket sells the squashes by weight. It takes us about 50 minutes to drive to this particular market (at a leisurely pace) but it is a lovely day out. I also got 3lbs courgettes for £1. Can a supermarket beat that?
Q5: How far is your nearest supermarket? How far is your nearest frequent street market?
My nearest supermarket (Safeway) is about half a mile from my home but the nearest regular street market is 3 miles away.
Q6: Have you ever bought bread at an independent baker? Do you have any independent baker nearby? What do you think of these?
Yes. When I first moved to Dorset there was a fantastic little baker’s shop around the corner. It was the only shop in that particular street. The baker’s oven was fired by coal – it was very much an old-fashioned bakery but the bread was absolutely gorgeous. When my in-laws visited us for their holidays they would always buy bread and cakes from this little bakery. Sadly, the baker had to retire (I think he was about 80 years old and was getting tired) and the shop has now been converted to a house. There is a family bakery called Bennetts and they have several shops in the Dorset area but their bread just cannot match the quality of the coal-fired oven of the old baker I loved so much.
Q7: Do you eat ready meals? If you do, is it for convenience, taste or other reasons? If you don't, why don't you?
I try not to eat ready meals these days. Firstly, because they usually taste quite horrible and, secondly, they are expensive. It is actually false economy to keep buying these. When buy something expensive that tastes rotten? On the rare occasions that I eat a ready meal then it is purely for convenience. Perhaps I am in a hurry, been to work and need to go somewhere in the evening so something quick is needed.
Q8: Do you eat together as a household, or separately?
Not so much these days. Sometimes my husband will have his dinner sitting on the sofa watching TV whereas I may want to sit at the table and read my daily paper. I don’t mind doing this but not every day. Some days we sit at the table, have our meal and a conversation. However, when my daughter visits with her family then we can sit down and have a meal altogether.
Q9: How do you do your food shopping? Online or offline? Why is this?
I have never, ever tried to shop online. Firstly, because I think it is time consuming anyway (a relative spent an hour choosing her food online only for the system to crash at the crucial point of ordering) and I like to see and feel the food I buy particularly my fruit, vegetables and meat.
Q10: Do you eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day?
I most certainly do. I always have a supply of fresh fruit on my desk to nibble at during the day and I always have fresh fruit and vegetables at home. I think it is so important to eat these five portions to help maintain our health. I always wash the fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating.
Q11: Are you on a diet? What sort of diet? A lose weight regime? An allergy regime?
Sad to say that I am still on my diet (Slimming World) purely because I was overweight, not by much I hasten to add, but enough that I needed to lose a bit of weight.
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