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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that a sewing needle is not such an outlandish item to stock in a convenience store?

32 replies

Ormirian · 05/09/2011 16:19

I needed to turn up the hem on DS2's school trousers last night. And I seem to have lost my sewing box. I had thread but no needles. I went to the shop across the road assuming that since they have odds and sods of household bits as well as over-priced food and drink, that they might have a needle.

They didn't.

But the shop assistant didn't just say no, she said 'No-oo!' and rolled her eyes at me as if I had asked for a set of stocks or a mangle. Very odd.

In a shop that sells sticky labels and staples, surely to goodness a sewing needle isn't that unlikely?

Had to use wonder-web which is crap because it will come down in a day or so.

OP posts:
huntersmum · 05/09/2011 16:42

That does not surprise me - our local Co-op store did not have any form of writing implement on sale! I bought a birthday card there and wanted to write it there and then and put it in the post box outside - but could not buy a biro. I went to the little shop further down the road and they only had a pencil - in the end I gave up and went home for a pen. So no YANBU!!

MadamDeathstare · 05/09/2011 16:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ButHeNeverDid · 05/09/2011 16:48

YANBU about being annoyed at the rolling of the eye thing

YABU at the "over-priced food and drink" - convenience stores do not have the bulk buying power of the big supermarkets and have huge rents.

MadamDeathstare · 05/09/2011 16:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Ormirian · 05/09/2011 16:56

Hmmm....this is a branch of a well-known food service company who have massive buying power (I know because the company I work for supplies them) so I repeat the 'overpriced food and drink' comment. They are rip-off merchants.

OP posts:
ButHeNeverDid · 05/09/2011 17:11

Well from now on you should just shop at Tesco

nickelbabe · 05/09/2011 17:16

Shock ButHeNeverDid - that company is the sole reason that small businessses in this country will soon (this year by the way thigns are going round here Hmm ) will be nowt but a distant memory.

Orm - you've used the wonderweb now, go to a proper shop tomorrow and it'll all be fine. :)

Original poster
Ormirian · 05/09/2011 17:20

I don't go to the big supermarket beginning with T because they treat their suppliers like shit! Worse than the others (and beleive me that is quite hard to acheive). If it was a genuine small independent convenience store I wouldn't mind the prices, but it isn't.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ormirian · 05/09/2011 17:23

And nickel - I agree with you. We have this shop which is part of a chain and a small co-op a bit further away. But all in all we have lost about 6 small corner shops in this town in the last year or so. Most of the housing estates are without any shops at all now. And the ones that remain are all mini-supermarket ones.

OP posts:
ButHeNeverDid · 05/09/2011 17:24

nickelbabe - I was the daughter of a small shopkeeper.

So my comment was not serious - sorry - should have put one those emoticon thingys

Just fed up of people complaining about the cost of things in small shops. The rent and rates are crippling - that is why prices are higher than in Tesco and its ilk.

If you want the convenience of a corner shop - then you have to understand that the prices will be higher than in Tesco without calling them rip-off merchants. Very few of them are doing anything more than being able to keep one family afloat financially.

ButHeNeverDid · 05/09/2011 17:26

Orm - sorry - crossed post with your latest posts

Original poster
Ormirian · 05/09/2011 17:27

Yes but this is not an independent shop - that's the point.

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 05/09/2011 17:34

I was hoping you were joking ButHe Grin

:(
I'm feeling quite sad at hte state of the retail industry at the moment - I learned this afternoon that we're losing another shop in our high street - it's an independent chain (only a few outlets in the country), and it's been around since 1933. :(

ButHeNeverDid · 05/09/2011 17:56

Its the rents.

Small shops just dont have the turnover.

If your rent is say £1k per week you need to take £143 a day just to pay the rent! That is a lot of bars of chocolate / tins of beans.

Whenever I shop now, I am very consious that most of the money I spend is going on the rent and not the cost of the product.

fatlazymummy · 05/09/2011 18:54

I always use wonderweb anyway. I hate sewing and do it as little as possible. I think our co-op may sell those little sewing kits that have a couple of needles and a few strands of threads in different colours and that's the sort of thing I would expect in a convenience shop.

nickelbabe · 06/09/2011 10:53

it's good that you think about that, ButHe - but it's shocking how many people don't take that into account.

and don't forget, it's not even "take", it's "make" - if your can of baked beans costs you 20p to buy from the wholesaler, and you sell it for 43p, you've only "made" 23p a can.
to pay for your rent in baked beans alone, you'd need to sell 622 cans a week.

PissesGlitter · 06/09/2011 11:00

i work in a convenience store and just had a think
we dont have needles or thread either!!
now that you mention it i do think this is strange
we got taken over by another company recently and it has taken until now for me to realise that the little stand with those things on it has gone

ShoutyHamster · 06/09/2011 11:21

Yes weird- not totally weird but a bit weird. We have a PROPER convenience which stocks needles as well as other useful oddbods.

You should have got all passive-aggressive on her ass and asked whether the eye rolling was with pleasure at being given such a useful bit of customer feedback on what people actually want :) or was it rudeness? You'd be grateful if she'd clarify, just so you know whether to use the shop again :) :) :)

OTheHugeRaveningWolef · 06/09/2011 11:39

It's not that weird, when clothes are made in overseas sweatshops and sold for the price of a beer or two. I think lots of people don't need or think to buy needles and thread as they never bother to mend things - why would you, when a) you don't know how to and b) replacing it is so cheap?

nickelbabe · 06/09/2011 11:56

but you're not always replacing - especially for children's clothes - you're shortening hems or putting in labels.

Original poster
Ormirian · 06/09/2011 12:16

So you can only buy needles in a specialist shop nowadays? Strange to think that sewing has become a niche activity. Mind you I wanted a preserving pan recently - I couldn't find one in any of the local 'general' stores. So I guess that's a bit niche now too Hmm

OP posts:
midnightservant · 06/09/2011 12:22

Hah! And don't get me started on finding soufflee dishes (not ramekins, proper soufflee dish for a soufflee for four).

Now money is tight, I imagine more people might take up sewing out of necessity?

cantspel · 06/09/2011 12:27

Wilkinsons still sell sewing and knitting stuff so some stores do still stock this sort of thing

Original poster
Ormirian · 06/09/2011 12:27

Ooh, we've got an outlet village near us with a Wedgewood store - they have souffle dishes IIRC. But I must admit I don't think I've seen anything like that in a normal high street shop - not in my neck of the woods. Clearly souffle's are 'niche' too Grin

OP posts:
F1lthym1ndedvixen · 06/09/2011 12:34

our shop at the top of the road has recently changed hands from a small-chain of county-wide shops to a national chain of ';convenience store'. They had no plasters for sale, despuite the big stand with 15 different kinds of power-pain killer and condoms...no plasters! Again, i was made to feel like i was asking for the moon-on-a-stick!
Another time I realised that ui could buy 4 different varieties of febreeze but not tin-foil.....