Topic: "Tescopoly"

[British Aisles]

Hi there,

I'd really like to invite your members to please visit my anti-Tescopolisation forum:

http://www.attheforum.com/forums/index.php?mforum=tesco

Thanks,
'British Aisles'
:)

[Robert_Brenchley]

There's a palaver going on locally because Asda have been planning a new superstore a mile and a half away, which is intended as part of a bigger development which will benefit the local community. Tesco's have now applied for permission to open a superstore opposite, which would kill it. they already have one just round the corner, which would be downgraded. As they already have one, which is long established and very successful, the plan can only be intended to kill the proposed Asda store. Their plan contains nothing for the local community.

This is classic Tesco; when I was a kid (this would be mid-1960's), ther was  a local supermarket down the road from where I lived in Oxford. Tesco's opened bang next door, put it out of business, and took over the space.

[Melbourne12]

Hi there,

I'd really like to invite your members to please visit my anti-Tescopolisation forum:

http://www.attheforum.com/forums/index.php?mforum=tesco

Thanks,
'British Aisles'
:)

I looked at your forum, and I'm afraid that I'm not enthusiastic.  The problem that you have is that Tesco, and indeed the other large UK supermarkets, aren't actually bad neighbours, and neither do they offer bad value.

If they pursued socially unacceptable policies, you'd have a lever.  But they don't.    They have recycling facilities, and they're clean.  The buildings are well-designed and not offensive to the eye, with ample parking.  Everything is well-maintained.  The quality is at least average, and the prices not outrageous.  The range of goods is astonishing.  The conditions of employment for staff are usually far better than many local retailers.

And remember that Tesco started out as a market stall, literally.  It's a small business that got big, but they still think in terms of the old market stall philosophy.  That's why they're successful.

You've posted this thread on an allotment site, so people here respond to Tesco by growing their own veg and sometimes fruit.  The quality of what we grow is far beyond the capability of Tesco to provide, but many of us pay more financially for our veg than if we bought it in a supermarket, what with the cost of plants, fertilisers, tools etc etc.  (Of course we also get pleasure from our allotments, but I understand that people get pleasure from retail therapy too  ;D ).

[return of the mac]

Social policies? Supermarkets have none, not just tesco. We owe the consistent failure of british agriculture and the handouts that farmers rely on because supermarkets want more profit- they control prices and irresponsibly too. Take milk for example- lots of hoohaa (quite rightly) because supermarkets give farmers a pittence for it- when they raise prices farmers see very unproportional increases in the money paid for their milk.

Supermarkets have destroyed british agriculture >:(

[Melbourne12]

.... Supermarkets have destroyed british agriculture >:(

I'm not wanting to be overly contentious, but this is quite clearly untrue.  You give the example of milk prices.  If you look at what the Milk Development Council are forecasting, the real downward pressure comes from so-called "commodity milk", used for cheese making and other industrial use.  Retail milk, that is, liquid milk for drinking and pouring, pushes prices upwards.  "Value added" drinks, like those aimed at young people, are especially effective.

And who promotes these flavoured milks and branded milks?  The corner shop?  I don't think so.  It's the supermarkets.

Now may I make a suggestion?  If you want to support British agriculture most effectively, buy British produce from your local retailer, whether supermarket or momma and poppa shop.

Buy British meat; don't buy Australian beef or Danish bacon.  Buy British fruit and veg in season; refuse French apples or Spanish lettuces.  Buy British milk and cheese.  And if the shop doesn't stock them, complain to the manager.  If it's a chain, email their consumer department.

Just as an example, my (extremely friendly) local greengrocer won't stock English tomatoes.  He makes more margin on Dutch.  When I need to buy toms I don't buy from him.  Morrisons stock English tomatoes, so they get my business.

[Robert_Brenchley]

What you can do there is keep badgering supermarkets to stock, and clearly label, British produce. You can sell it as environmentally responsible, since they don't use jet fuel transporting it, good for local economies, and even patriotic if you insist. Have a campaign, it can't do any harm.

[amphibian]

Supermarkets have absolutely destroyed British agriculture, and their policies are among the most destructive in the country. Farmers produce has to meet a whole range of pointless aesthetic standards that result in massive waste and mean farmers have to use huge quantities of herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers to make a living. Farmes do not like farming the way they do, they know it is destroying their land, but they have to make a living. Supermarkets reject over 40% of crops, purely on size and shape grounds. They also make farmers bare the cost of 2 for 1 offers. The rate of rejections is even higher with organic produce forcing the cost up massively. The total weight of crops destroyed, because of supermerket policies is astounding.

Their food miles are also appalling, with produce often shipped overseas just to be packaged and then returned to Britain before being distributed nationally, it is not uncommon for a vegetable to have travelled thousands of miles before it reaches the supermarket shelf, even when it is grown locally.

The varities they choose to sell, are typicaly selected for their appearance and longevity, rather than for their taste or quality. Their adherance t the sale of a mere handfull of varities has resulted in a widespread loss of vegetable varities.

The produce they sell is generally lower in nutrients and taste on account of the time it has spent between soil and plate.

I view supermarkets as one of the most peverse and destructive forces in economics today. When farmers are totally bankrupt they will probably move into the tenant farmer market and completely control the human food cycle, when this happens you won't get be getting any 'bargins' any more.

[amphibian]

My mate's family grows carrots in Lincs and she says they are sprayed seven times during the growing season  :o   When farms come up for sale in Lincs the spud farmers will buy them up, grub up the hedges and plant potatoes.  As hedgerows decline the monoculture increases and therefore more spraying.  Seems mad!

I hate the fact that supermarkets move in to towns, and the local shops who have probably traded for generations, have to shut as they can't compete.  I think they should be made to pay compensation or at least take over the local post offices which close and make life a misery for old folks trying to collect pensions or buy a flippin stamp  >:(  Grrr

My local Safeway ran the local (crown) post-ofice, but Morrisons have just taken them over and the PO has now closed, we are nowhere near a PO now. :(

[Derek]

The retail food supermarkets are not alone in damaging this Countries resources

The big retail chains of grey and white goods play the same games with their suppliers which has resulted in factories closing or moving production to third world countries

One day the powers that 'Govern' our Country will wake up and find what a precarious position we are in...I hope

It will probably be far too late by then..maybe it already is

Derek

[amphibian]

One day the powers that 'Govern' our Country will wake up and find what a precarious position we are in...I hope

Quite, I don't know anyone that is employed in a true primary industry.

[return of the mac]

Well we are all farmers of a sort :-\ , but unfortunately most folk in britain just buy and sell, and get rich :o