Every little hurts?

I read a book, a while back, about the planning system and PFI issues, like Tesco financing and maintain roads and the like as part of planning agreements, in exchange for planning permission. It made me very angry.

The BRC page that you linked to is purposefully vague and makes far too many assertions that aren’t actually based on evidence of any description.

Thanks for the link, and posting a link to the other side of the argument. I’ll have a more in depth read when I’m not dosed up to the eyeballs on Beechams.

Posted over 2 years ago by Babb

Get well soon Babb.

I’m not familiar enough with out-of-town development proposals to be able to take an informed stance except by reading other people’s opinions. However, taking up your mention about independent retailers, I try to make a point of using “local” shops rather than super-markets except for the occasional “heavy goods” (a shed load of mineral water or some such), or where independent retailers are taking the mick: organic bin-liners for £2 a pop etc.

I guess it’s a little off-topic but my awareness of “Big retailers gobbling up land = bad” issues was probably raised in the media in the 90’s and that gives it the danger of feeling “so last decade”: the issue needs some spin (haven’t had a chance to read your sites yet). A similar topic is the growth in central/local/teeny branches of big retail stores which in urban centres are similarly driving out independent retailers (I have no evidence for this, just a gut instinct, but that’s good enough for George Bush so it’s good enough for me).

This almost seems like, having progressed on the issue of developing out-of-town sites to their satisfaction, big retailers are looking for a new high-growth area. I suppose they’re very different in their way (Tesco Metro is nothing like Tesco Megastore), but just the same there seem to be far too many of these faceless stores springing up at the expense of local retailers who carry with them more experience and dedication to their trade.

I reckon.

pass the beechams

Posted over 2 years ago by MarkE

If you want to do something positive then stop buying shed loads of bottled water.

Posted over 2 years ago by Spammed tipped with 2K

Thanks MarkE

If you want to do something positive then stop buying shed loads of bottled water.

I drink from the tap in my bathroom. It might give me worms but at least it’s honest.

Posted over 2 years ago by Babb

That BRC page is impossible to take seriously. Saying that independent shops aren’t being driven out of business, they’re just joining the larger stores like Spar and Londis, reeks of semantics to me.

Personally, I avoid supermarkets because they’re hell-on-earth. Also, my dad the farmer tells me off when I use my local Sainsburys. Doesn’t stop him worshipping at the altar of Lidl, though. Hmm.

Posted over 2 years ago by Floatykatja

What ‘other side’ of the argument? It’s the one we (the metropolitan intelligentsia, no less, chiv chiv) always hear. For the real ‘other side’, try the ever controversial Julie Burchill

Added to which, I suspect ‘Tesco’s ad men’ have nothing to do with a banner ad on the site – isn’t that all down to algorithms and that?

Posted over 2 years ago by esotericbadger

there seem to be far too many of these faceless stores springing up at the expense of local retailers who carry with them more experience and dedication to their trade.

Just as an aside, the little independent shop around the corner from my ex’s flat in Highgate became a Tesco Metro. The people who owned and worked in the shop were over the moon because they all kept their jobs but weren’t having to deal with the hassle of running the shop themselves. Sadly, from a customer point of view, it was a change for the worse, but it’s interesting seeing it from the point of view of the shopkeepers who are supposedly being run out of business.

playing devils advocate is fun although my arse is a bit sore from sitting on this fence

Posted over 2 years ago by Floatykatja

I bet no small, independent retailers are members of the British Retail Consortium.

Posted over 2 years ago by BraveNewMalden

Julie Burchill getting blasted.

Posted over 2 years ago by purpaboo

Not by any means universally, purpaboo, if you care to read the comments. Particularly Steinerite, for example. Also not by someone who knows what they’re talking about in the print edition

Posted over 2 years ago by esotericbadger

Why does it have to be either/or? Good local shops will survive and there are a growing number of people who can’t stand the supermarket experience to help ensure that. And who gives a fuck about what Julie Burchill has to say? Is she not a professional cuntrarian/cuntroversialist who just likes winding up Guardian readers with her ‘I’m proper working class me’ schtick and is way past her sell by date?

tony parsons is shit too

Posted over 2 years ago by Flashboy tipped with 1K

She was meant to have flounced off the Guardian over a year ago. But she can’t resist coming back from time to time.

Sounds strangely familiar…

Posted over 2 years ago by BraveNewMalden

Hang on, flashboy, was it not your thread that asked if the Guardian was ‘proper working class’ enough any more?

By calling her a contrarian (you spelled it wrong, by the way) you’re sort of proving my point that the accepted, established, position is that Tesco’s is evil, and the argument spewed by Burchill is ‘the other side’.

As to the fact it’s Julie Burchill rather than someone we’ve never heard of – rather irrelevant. Her arguments are decent ones that don’t often get an airing.

Edit – yay – the ad just appeared underneath.

tesco meat cheese bread supermarket special offer does that make it more likely

Posted over 2 years ago by esotericbadger

I rather assumed that Flashboy’s misspellings were intentional, EB.

freudian if not

Posted over 2 years ago by Floatykatja

Floatykatja – I know. I was being snide, which is still more clever than just writing ‘cunt’ whenever you can.

Posted over 2 years ago by esotericbadger

Mmm. Although the snideness got lost in translation, while the cunt stays on.

twas ever thus

Posted over 2 years ago by Floatykatja tipped with 1K

I never mentioned working classness. I think it was something to do with being left-wing. Me? I’m a fully paid up Guardianreadingchampagnesocialistmungbeaneatingwoollyliberalmiddleclasssurrendermonkey. Innit. I don’t think it is the established position that Tesco’s is evil. There are far more Littlejohn,Clarkson, Burchill numpties about than lovely people like us KCers. Also I said there was room for both. You know…choice. I thought you libertarian fellas approved of that. The point about Burchill is I don’t believe a word she says. I spelled cuntraversialist incorrectly too. So double nurr

thats how you spell nurr

Posted over 2 years ago by Flashboy tipped with 1K

I don’t think it is the established position that Tesco’s is evil. There are far more Littlejohn,Clarkson, Burchill numpties about than lovely people like us KCers

It’s the one we (the metropolitan intelligentsia, no less, chiv chiv) always hear.

We agree

Also I said there was room for both. You know…choice. I thought you libertarian fellas approved of that.

You correctly anticipate that we agree. Neither Julie or me are advocating banning small shops.

The point about Burchill is I don’t believe a word she says

As to the fact it’s Julie Burchill rather than someone we’ve never heard of – rather irrelevant. Her arguments are decent ones that don’t often get an airing.

To be fair, that was an edit on my part – in my defense, before I saw your comment.

spelled cuntraversialist incorrectly too

Yes, I know you did. How very clever of you. But it’s the contrarian bit (being “a person who takes an opposing view, esp. one who rejects the majority opinion, as in economic matters”) where you prove my point, so that’s what I was quoting.

First time I’ve quoted the dictionary in an argument, ever. I feel dirty. And I’m belming at you now.

Posted over 2 years ago by esotericbadger

Just for clarification I didn’t necessarily mean little corner-shops. I was thinking more of greengrocers, bakers, and butchers, who charge a perfectly reasonable price and provide a good service, but don’t have a 200 ft high pile of Andrex and oven chips conveniently placed nearby.

The other stores near me that are small and do well are the “organic” ones, which provide most of the day to day items I need in organic format (presumably that means something cool like covered in monkey shit). Of course there’s a premium for that which I sometimes refuse to pay, but there’s also a quality aspect. For example, the cheese counter is bloody fantastic. Then there’s the Italian deli a few doors down, just after the Polish bakery. Ahhhhh.

Also, by mineral water I meant carbonated water which is far worse because now I’m using extra energy purely to generate carbon dioxide. If you want to offset my footprint, Spammed, and do some good at the same time, stop breathing oxygen. Or stay on topic.

all about demographics and marketing

Posted over 2 years ago by MarkE

Or stop breeding.

Posted over 2 years ago by purpaboo