Are local shopkeepers the answer?

[dotsno]

To what? World peace, the end of poverty? No, to bringing communities back together again.

One of my rather bizarre passions is local retailers, everything from little corner shops and independent convenience stores to local florists, butchers, independent coffee shops, antiques dealers, cake shops, whatever.. I think people have dropped out of touch with their local community and that, even in cities, small independent retailers are the glue that can hold communities together.

I spend a lot of time in a small mining town in the Rockies in Canada, and the sense of community is amazing - the population is only about 4,500 and, while a lot of people seem to know everyone, it's big enough to be able to choose your friends. But even the people in the mainstream bank recognise me when I've not been in for a year or so. I know on first name terms the people who own various stores and we have a good chat when we're out walking the trails and see one another.

Scotland has a lot of small communities, but even here living in the centre of Edinburgh I've found places where - if you go there enough - shopkeepers learn your name and you learn their's and you can strike up relationships (not *relationships*, just knowledge of one another).

So I just wondered if you identified with this and whether you lived in an area where there are small independent local retailers. Who are they? What do they sell? Do you know the owners or people who work there? With the rise in online social networking I wonder how we can bring offline communities together again perhaps through similar principles that work online.

Do you "shop local"? Can you identify your "locals" and have you ever got to know any of your local retailers - or their other customers - on a basis where you at least chat to them about something more personal or friendly than just what you're buying there and then?

The same applies to local market traders and farmers markets too...

[Gouldie0]

Hi Dotsno,

Living in East Lothian, just outside of Edinburgh local shops are the life blood of he community. The local shops provide many levels of service, the products themselves but also the social interaction.

A recent example is the closure of many of the local post offices in the towns and villages of East Lothian. Many of them were only part time but they gave parts of the community, mainly the elderly with an opportunity to interact and gossip whilst collecting there pension. Now in some cases they have to make a 10 - 15 mile journey to maintain this which with the public transport service in East Lothian is almost impossible.

Another gripe i have is the ever increasing presence of charity shops on our high streets. Now i agree with raising money for charity (this is something i do, i also work for free on behalf of a charity) but they don't offer anything to the local economy it terms of employment as this tends to be voluntary. There not shy in charging high prices on goods they've received for free and the proceeds go into the main charitable accounts. This isn't then ploughed back into the local economy.

I guess this boils down to your original question, Are shop keepers the answer? I would like to see more local shops opening in my area but is this likely to happen...... i would probably say no. I feel the general public would rather go to the big supermarkets where everything is under one roof which is more convenient and they can offer poor quality food for cheap prices.

We currently have a campaign in East Lothian called 'Shop Local', it's main goal is to raise awareness of the local services available. There is also an online community of local traders as well, East Lothian Buzz - east lothian social network, for east lothian events, information, business or fun

Hopefully things will change but i think things are only going to get worse. The recession has claimed many a big business and i feel the smallest ones don't stand a chance.

Kind Regards

Neil

[anned]

Absolutely

This is at the heart of what we do -alongside our work with schools.
We help towns set up "plastic bag free" campaigns -which whether or not you believe is a good thing in itself -it does bring communtities together.

We have a "Shop local" bag -and if anyone (from SBF) would like a free one, please contact me and I'll get it in the post.

I live in Linlithgow and we have set up a programme to consider the longterm future of the town Linlithgow Aspires – our town, our future – let's make it happen

The biggest challenge is to get residents to use the local shops rather than go out of town -and things like Farmers markets help. But it is a slow process.
We look at lots of other towns and there are many who are making a big effort to become more community minded - has to be a good thing.

[Edward]

Yes, and all very well. But are wee corner shops, along with motherhood and apple pie, just some nice folksy nostalgia thing that we are all expected to be not only in favour of, but to positively adore without question?

In Scotland anyway, I have had the experience of taking visitors into 'wee local shops' to be met with indifferent service from inexperienced, poorly paid and poorly trained staff, and racks of shelves stacked with garish garbage imported stock. In some of our smaller towns and villages I have indeed sometimes been faced with decent food in local small shops - but just as often I have been met with indifferent (and sometimes not especially wholesome) food lines, or lines that are exactly the same as those in large stores in the large cities - but at considerable mark ups

I can compare that with the oft' vilified 'big bad' outfits like the supermarket chain one that starts with 'T' and ends with 'O'. There I find a huge range of tip-top quality food stuffs at a highly competitive price. I find a store manager who is happy to negotiate dates on which local clubs can install their teams of young bag packers for fund raising. I can compare the small shop staffing to the trained and (mostly) motivated staff in large stores (and the large UK retail trade in general now offers an impressive array of career succession openings).

Small local shops undoubtedly have their place in some places, but much (most?) of the population would never now want to do without the existence of their large supermarket, DIY retailer or other similar amenity. The small shop niche is likely to increasingly become just that - a small niche. That will mean increased specialisation and far greater focus on some sort of USP to retain the custom. If that specialisation is sometimes about being a strong local community focus that that will all be to the greater good - but it will have to be worked at and not just the result of unquestioning nostalgia.

[Gouldie0]

With all due respect Edward, the big stores employ low wage and minimum skill employee's who are more the willing to give the customers poor service. In some cases, they can barely speak a word of English

How do you think they can maintain there profit margins......... They con the suppliers (dairy farmers for example), import from foreign countries where standards arn't the same (meat for example) and generally bribe the local councils into being able to place stores wherever they feel (especially in the case of the big store starting T and ending O).

Let me ask you, when was the last time you actually went into a supermarket and they recognised you as a loyal customer? When did they call you by your first name?

This isn't about nostalgia as you mention, i think we're all in agreement that times are changing but realistically does that mean there is no longer any room for the small retailers? I'm sure there's profits out there for many retailers, it's just that the big'uns tend to want more and more and become greedy. Just like the bankers in many ways, take take and give very little back.

I think Britain has lost it's sense of community and many communities are losing there identity. I think in general we've all become to busy to spend time in our local community and want more quick fixes i.e. large supermarkets with everything under one roof.

I think your comments reflect the attitude of youngsters who have no understanding of what a community is.

[Edward]

Gouldie, and again with all due respect, your somewhat heated and over-generalised reply rather bemuses me. Just a few factual responses to some of the points you put – I’ve been in small local stores where staff are evidently not native born British and speak indistinct English (and frankly if they provide good service that is irrelevant to me, so I don’t understand the point).

On ‘their’ margins, I was not aware that farmers are such dopes as to be ‘conned’ by supermarkets., and incidentally, we British are still struggling post-BSE to end some restrictions imposed by other countries on our meat. If you believe that a Council has been the subject of bribery in granting a planning consent I suggest you take that up with the appropriate authorities – especially as you seem to know that this ‘generally’ the case.

Last time I went into a supermarket and they knew my name? Well, let me see – ah yes that was two days when I went into the nearest one – but there again that was because the local employee lives local i.e. the supermarket is providing much-needed local employment.

You say that 'this is not about nostalgia' but your response, again with all due respect, develops into something of a nostalgic vision of a Britain that never existed… and your opinion that “your comments reflect the attitudes of youngsters who have no understanding of what a community is”, is frankly just hilarious, based on no actual knowledge of me (or seemingly of what you call ‘youngsters – leaving aside your implied and uncalled for insult, I’m more than happy to be mistaken for a ‘youngster’).

I think you and I should leave it at that. It seems to be that you have a great many grievances and a perspective of life in Britain that I suspect have far more to do with things other than small local stores as compared with large supermarkets – things that I don’t think I can help you on.