US: Bigger is better???

My husband works for Midlands Co-op and when they had a proper butcher section the meat supervisor could tell you where each of his pieces of meat originated, beyond country but down to the name of the farm & the name of the farmer. You still should be able to ask at any supermarket where their meat is from and they should be able to tell you...'should'.

In the shopping centre next to our flat there is a Somerfield(now owned by the Co-op Group), Farm Foods, a fruit & veg shop (independant), a Birds Bakery and there used to be a butcher shop but it shut down about a year ago. On the other side of the village there is a Co-op (Midlands) and a Tesco Express.

Everyone wonders why they won't build a supermarket here in our village. Several of the major chains have tried, but the council never permits it. Hence, most people like us who can't really shop on the high street have to drive to another village to do our shopping. On one hand, they are preserving our quiet village life and the high street here by not allowing it to go forward. On the other hand, they could build a supermarket in the industrial estate, away from the high street, which would open up more jobs in our village and keep people shopping right here, instead of driving to another village to do their shopping. I can see both sides of the issue, really. I think many people would be very happy to have a Sainsbury's or other reasonably sized grocery store here, rather than expensive small food shops like the Co-Op and the Tesco Express, where you can really only buy the basics. On the other hand, no one wants a giant Tesco or Asda supermarket here bringing in loads of people from other nearby villages.

I'm all for choice, and I think including a supermarket increases choice. I would be lost without Sainsbury's.

However, I think there is such a thing as too much choice LOL

You could argue that you shouldn't have to restrict choice in order to ensure small businesses stay alive. Either they can compete or they can't.

Personally, I would rather see another kind of shop open in that space. Epsom is full of pound shops and charity shops. We need more variety.

Another supermarket, we do not.

I can't see how one supermarket would hurt us here. Many, many people would continue to shop on the high street, mainly because of the social factor of walking around there and seeing people you know like my MIL likes to do. She will walk up and down the high street just for fun, most of the time! The high street is always crowded with stay at home mums and the elderly, so I don't think a supermarket a mile further away from the high street over in the industrial estate would really hurt anything. And it would keep business in our own village instead of everyone having to drive elsewhere for their shopping. Plus creating jobs for people here so less people would have to commute to work.

No, I'm agreeing with you. I think a supermarket where there isn't already one provides a great service and can be a real boon to a small community.


But we already have 4. I'd like a fishmonger that sells more than prawns and salmon LOL

Would it be too much to ask for a Central Market? 

What's that?

What's that?

It's a megastore - gourmet ingredients, lots of imported foods and hard to find stuff.  And a giant seafood display with every kind of seafood you could imagine!  It's a cook's dream come true!

Excuse me, I've just drooled all over my keyboard LOL

Excuse me, I've just drooled all over my keyboard LOL

I would be overcome with joy if it ever happened! It's the one place I always went to if I needed to find something particular that couldn't be found in most other places. And the one I went to in Dallas also had a wide selection of UK foods that are hard to find in the US - like clotted cream. So if there was a UK version, it would have to carry loads of awesome US foods, too.   http://www.centralmarket.com/Goods.aspx

I feel a petition coming on!