Supermarkets are all very well but give me a sole trader any day of the week
◆ They may not be open all hours but small businesses have their distinct charms
When people say they loathe shopping I struggle to comprehend what they are feeling. For me the opportunity to wander round my favourite retailer, preferably an independent store, is the perfect way to pass some time.
But I have to confess it’s probably in the blood: my grandfather and uncles ran a family butcher business for decades and the first half of my dad’s working life was in retail. Childhood memories are sprinkled with time spent in shops – oh, the joy of being allowed to use the oldfashioned till when the shop had closed. No contactless payments in those days.
I’m old enough to remember when a Saturday shop wasn’t a trip to the nearest supermarket, it was going round the town centre visiting the butcher, the fishmonger, Lipton’s for tea and cheese and Masseys for the tinned goods. There was also usually a stop at the nearby market stall to pick up fruit and veg.
Everywhere you would go the shop owner or assistants would engage you in conversation, asking about family members or just passing the time of day.
It’s all changed now and, even though there are friendly supermarket staff happy to chat, all too often they are being replaced by self-service tills where we’re being rushed through with only an automated voice to thank us for visiting. I’ve never ordered a supermarket delivery, much preferring to wander round the aisles. Even during the pandemic when we had to queue outside until it was our turn to go in, it was my preference to wait.
In fact, online shopping has never been my thing. Yes, there are occasions when I’ve done it but I’d much prefer to go into a shop, browse through some rails and try something on rather than order from a tiny image on my phone only to discover it’s really not suitable.
A recent experience of trying to return an online order confirmed my dislike: I spent ages tracking down the boxes in the retail park where you could leave your parcel... only to have it returned to me two days later. I really don’t know what I did wrong. Falkirk recently ran a competition to find the best-loved local business in the town centre and it was great to see the response. We all need to love our independent retailers more if we want them to survive.