General Chat

Recently, finding myself in the position of wanting a couple of new deep freezers, OH went to a nearby Retail Park to the C...t shop to have a look at prices etc. We also wanted to buy our DIL a new fridge freezer. The C...t shop wanted £20 delivery charge for each item. The words of OH were on the lines of 'stuff it mate, I'm not paying that'
So we had a toddle up the high street in our town and went to a local, well established family electrical shop. We got £10 off the one for DIL, and £20 off each of mine. A saving of £50 in total and no delivery charge, with the promise they would be here first thing this morning.
And, so they were, just after 9.00, this morning, and then going back to the shop to load up the one for DIL, for straight away delivery to her house in the next town. OH paid cash on delivery, which the shop was quite happy with, and no deposit was required. Couldn't fault the service.Second to none.
Now I read in local paper this week that the T...co in town are seeking planning permission to extend their shop by another 75% footage, to take in the sale of clothes and electrical goods. This will decimate what is left of our already beleagured town. T...co end of town quite busy, but top of town, and once thriving market, dead as a dodo. We have two family owned electrical businesses here, but I fear this expansion by T...co, will finish them both off. Why do we have to be force fed all this 'modernization'. These large stores are ripping the heart and soul out of little local communities. Now I find that A..da, have planning permission to build a super store in the next township. I despair. And I bet non of these giants offer the service that the little local man does.
Rant over. Just expressing my feelings
Julia in Derbyshire

Julia,the problem is, these stores are so successful and can trample on the small family-run shops the way they do, because people use them.

Shoppers themselves prefer to use just one store, rather than spend time shopping around, sadly, yet it's always worth your while to do just that.

And while the majority of customers are willing to pay the £20 delivery charge on each item, these stores will continue to charge them.

Good for you for shopping around and getting a better deal AND supporting smaller, local shops.

I prefer the local small shops, there are some really good bargains out there plus you get a smile and a genuine thank you when you hand over your hard-earned cash:))

xx

i have never ever paid a delivery charge

i always haggle

I agree that some local stors do far better deals than the Big ones
Its always worth checking them out

I've haggled too, it's a bit scary but keep going, and push for a discount. I got a brilliant deal on a camera earlier in the year. It should have been £189. I got it for £169, PLUS a memory card PLUS a case and PLUS a spare set of batteries.

Ok only £20 off, but that's £20 I had to spend on something else.

Sadly it wasn't at a local store, it was Jessups, but still worthwhile haggling.

Thanks all for your replies. For me then, the moral of this story is, support your little local trader, who has been good enough for you all these years, and boycott the big boys.
Have a nice evening all
Julia in Derbyshire

Yes please do support your little trader...

...In the mid 1990's I with my then partner Donna owned a small thriving convenience store and newsagents some twenty odd miles from Lands End....one summer we realised that business had dropped off substantially and discovered that one of the leading supermarkets were at motorway service stations handing out money off vouchers and freebies. The prices the supermarket was charging was lower than I could buy wholesale. Within 18 months my accountant had advised me to close and I did so along with the village fishmonger, butcher and bakery...To those of you with local shops - remember: Use it or lose it