What will become of our towns (UK) ?

Question

As Tesco and Homebase and other stores impose themselves on every town, more and more little shops are closing down, some which have been trading 100 years or more. I can think of 4 shop closures in my two nearest towns in the last month. What will happen to our towns as the superstores take over the market? Will they become empty and ghost like? Is it likely? Why are Tesco etc doing this, dont they feel guilty, are they not already rich enough?

Answer 1

IF there was a level playing field it would be a lot fairer, but often the large supermarkets have the local council's bending over backwards to accommodate them through business rates deferrals and cancelations, roads being built JUST to accommodate them, school playing fields being sold off cheap to accommodate stores (why should children get fit, they'll only be sat at a cash register all day when they leave school).

the small independent shops have to make a larger mark-up to scrape a living. The Supermakets aren't getting all the business advantage from the economies of scale alone. There is a hellovoa lot of corruption in the town halls. lots of "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" nothing on paper of course, but plenty of deals performed over funny handshakes in local lodges up and down the country. It's the suppliers to the supermarkets, who are squeezed harder and harder, that I also feel sorry for.

Answer 2

It's called evolution. Learn to live with it. We all used to live in caves and they were free and foreplay used to involve hitting the nearest female over the head with a stick and dragging her off now I have to spend a fortune on drinks and then spike them if I want to get anywhere.

The supermarket thing is being driven by simple economics.
Tesco buy enormous amounts from their suppliers so get massive discounts which they pass on to us. Smaller retailers can't afford to buy so much, so have to pay more and can't sell as cheaply as Tesco etc and make a profit.
We enjoy being able to do 2 weeks shopping in 1 hour in 1 place instead of queueing up at the butcher behind 2000 pensioners all talking about Gout and how everything used to be just fields etc etc, then doing the same thing at the veg shop, off license, bakers and so on.
Tesco et al feel guilty, I doubt it. Small retailers going out of business, I agree is unfortunate but not unfair.

Our towns and cities will all die and be inhabited by CHAVs, filled with Polish money laundering car wash's, Kebab houses, mobile phone shops, car accessory shops (for the Corsa boys), then hopefully house prices will come down, so Tesco can buy them all and put up a new supermarket.

The futures bright, the futures blue and white, striped and extra value.

Answer 3

It is a classic case of the poor being exploited. Money talks. Sad but true. I guess setting up a petition and sending it to your local counsellor may do something.
I am British and live in America. Here Wallmart is taking over but the government is stepping in to manage this somewhat.
Of course if the smaller shops could be competitive with the big shops, price wise, then people would automatically shop there rather than at big shops. If people do not want the big stores to take over they need to vote with their feet.

Answer 4

These companies have been doing this for years now. First they opened all the super stores outside of towns and smaller businesses in towns closed because of the lack of custom. Now they are opening up smaller branches in small towns and villages to take the places of all the small businesses, that closed due to them opening their super stores in the first place.
To answer wether they feel guilty,i shouldn't think so with the salaries the bosses pay themselves

Answer 5

Companies cannot stand still they have to push a head.They are a big culprit of the state of our high streets but not the only one.

The internet has not helped and although a lot of people say they do not like what is happening they still shop at the supermarkets and big out of town stores

Answer 6

all the little shops will wither and die, there will be a big supermarket war which morrisons will win... and ther will only be one huge shop to every town! choice will have been arroded...

the shops will be at the centre of the towns with al the houses radiating out and the poorer you are the further out you'll be stuck, having to pay more to get too and from the shop, keeping you in the poverty trap!

Answer 7

id rather pay supermarket prices than corner shop prices if they can't compete it is there own fault for charging so much for the same items - ok supermarkets may have more buying power but the mark up in corner shops is too high, but small speciality stores don't compete with supermarkets they close because of bad business not supermarkets and also blame the councils for charging extortionate rates for small businesses that they can't afford

Answer 8

It is due to public demand, people want easy access to shoping, all things under one store, which is where Tesco, Asda and Aldi to name a few are going. It is getting a faster world.

Answer 9

but these little shops cant offer good prices, i say welcome tesco!! and the people who ran the little shops can work in tesco and get health care as a bonus!

Answer 10

No they don't feel guilty, it's all about the money honey!