To say go and support your local independent businesses

[Nutmuncher]

Just that really, retail is in absolute dire straits right now pretty much across the board. The big chain stores are better positioned to fight on through but your small independent shops in your local high street such as butchers, bakeries, antiques shops, homewards, art galleries, book shops, florists, coffee shops are all struggling and need our help no matter how small that may be.

That gorgeous tea room, cute card and gift shop, beautiful florist or dreamy book shop will be gone unless WE start using them as much as possible. Small businesses desperately need help and the true saviours will not be in the form of billionaires or politicians, it’s down to us to make sure they survive. Switch up your Starbucks for a local coffee, buy a bunch of flowers from your florist not M&S. Buy a print/ painting from your local small gallery instead of an IKEA picture, beautiful greetings cards can often be found in them too. I for one don’t want a high street full of vape shops, barbers and nail salons because they’re the only ones able to afford the rent on the units.

Your small switch up no matter how insignificant it may seem could make a huge difference to someone’s livelihood.

The big shops and chains, employ lots of local people. There's delivery drivers, cashiers, shelf stickers, cleaners, managers - a whole army of people that independent businesses can't employ on the same scale. These people need to make a living too.

The Amazon warehouse in the next town from me employs hundreds of people in a town where other employment is pretty scarce, and where people don't have money for tea rooms, butchers and artisan bakeries.

6% of the UK workforce works 9-5 Monday to Friday.

I have never worked a 9-5 in my life and don’t know anyone who does.

I think your perception of working hours is a little skewed - 94% of the UK workforce is not a random selection of OAPs shift workers and the unwaged.

No. Because i want to be able to do it without it being made into a struggle

https://www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/24880227.braintree-saw-average-11-permits-day-roadworks-year/?ref=socialflow&fbclid=IwY2xjawI6mVlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWLdH8rVCrYgURuG19Ry3mmoh_EsIOAdZ32Bhp7mACtvR_y74clpBpia3w_aem_s8AjrUvWbP5LP5qSOBxTRg

It's not really about being "rich" though? It's about having sufficient disposable income to be able to make those choices.

I haven't been to a tearoom/cafe in years, as that's a choice I can't afford. All of my books come from charity shops or car boot sales.
I recognise that butcher quality meat is superior to what the supermarket offers but, again, I need to make choices which align with my budget. I don't eat a lot of meat as a result.

My reference to privilege wasn't a criticism, rather an observation that an ability to make more expensive shopping choices isn't really available to those of us on a low income and/or tight budget.

Inspired by this, I made a thread to share suggestions for businesses that are easy to buy from here. Excuse the typo in the title.

Touching meat then touching the money and giving you change with meaty hands 🤮🤮🤮 this put me right off when saw it in our local

I'd love to support independent retailers, but it's a financial privilege I can't afford.

I stopped using the local bakery when the woman serving had bright blue acrylic nails that touched the food with no gloves. She was handling money and then the food without any basic hygiene.

I also had the shits one more than one occasion after eating there.

My working hours are 7.30-5.30. I don't count in those statistics. The point being, most people still work core working hours on weekdays. Many mumsnetters on here have pointed out the same - that the shops are never open when they have the actual time to go shopping.

But how many people work 8-5, or 9-6, or 10-6, or any other variation in between? I'd bet you it's a hell of a lot more than 6%.

The point being, that most people can't pop out to the shops during Monday to Friday, 9-5 hours, so when businesses insist on limiting themselves to those hours, they can't be surprised that they struggle.

Too expensive and not consistent enough.

Not helped by the fact it costs me a money of £3 to park plus a walk across a quite frankly grotty town centre to reach one or two not brilliant independent shops.

Why would I do that when I can order from amazon or go to the retail park where plenty of free parking and all the shops I need right there?

I agree with you OP.

If we want local high streets and small towns to thrive we have to try to shop local.

Going to a coffee shop is a treat for me (as I have an average wage) but I make sure I use my favourite independent coffee shop rather than any of the chains.

I also use the local florist and greengrocer as much as possible. Same for clothes. I mostly use charity shops or small independent shops and no longer buy from big retailers.

I find waiting for deliveries to be a pain and I would much rather walk into town and shop local and get some fresh air.

We also have a weekly market on Saturdays and it is possible to get fruits and vegs or bread at a very reasonable price there.

I went into a butchers in Harrogate a couple of days ago to buy a spice kit I saw in the window which I would like to try - £3.75 each. Go to Skipton next day and they were £3 in the butchers there.
Went online when I got home and they are £2.75 on the firms website with deals to be had. I actually found them at £1.99 to collect but not in my area.
I will never buy meat from the Harrogate butchers, I thought it was going to be my local butchers when I move there but not after that so I will stick to M and S

If you make the decision to open a small business, selling at a higher price, then you need to figure out who your demographic are and cater to them. The simple fact is that I can very rarely shop in these places, because in order to earn the money I need to spend there I have to work. If you are only open 10-3 weekdays and Saturday then I don't have time to go to your shop. Small business often seem to be their own worst enemies, there have been multiple occasions when I've been looking forward to going to a shop, only to get there and find a sign on the door saying they're closed for some reason, it puts me off every going again because I have a very limited amount of free time and don't want to waste it.

I've literally spent money in 3 places in person this weekend and they're all independents.

So I can afford the higher prices but why would I pay that? There's a lovely toy/novelty store near me with the stuff that you can online cheaper from Amazon. Why on earth would I foolishly pay more?

I don't care about fancy wrapping or handwritten notes if I buy something, why would I keep anything like that? If that means I have to pay more. I do support the local butcher as the quality is excellent and happy to pay more for that but anything else, if I can find it cheaper why wouldn't I buy it elsewhere?

You're assuming everyone has the time to make these privileged choices.

when I wfh I could just about go to a shop up to 9.40 when I’m starting work at 10am or from 4.15 when I’m on early. Local butcher isn’t open at those times days I’m free. There is a market but setting up or shut at those times. Butcher closes at lunch time.

Where did I (or indeed the OP) make that assumption, or demand that everyone do this? I certainly didn’t. Read my post again. I said “maybe think about…”.

I’m perfectly well aware that not everyone is in a position to do this. But some people might think they can’t go all in, but actually could make a small change, which is all I’m suggesting.

Just because some people are not in a position to support local businesses doesn’t mean suggestions to do so can’t be made.

The biggest problem I have is that me and my husband work full time and these places are only open until 5-6pm. It’s so much easier to drop into a large store that is open until 8pm in the week, particularly if we are also busy at the weekend.

For example if we are doing DIY on Saturday we would like to go and get the stuff we need during the week ready to get going on Saturday morning and that means we can’t use the hardware store in town because it closes too early in the week. If it was open late just one night a week that would be great but it’s not so we can’t use it.

Agree with this. I would guess a lot more than 6% have core hours of between 10 and 4. Daft thing to say.

The cafes and tea shops in my town are full of dogs, there isn't one which is dog-free. So I never go to any of them, chains or independents. I can have a tea or coffee for pennies in the cleanliness of my own home. When I meet with friends it is in our own homes or maybe out for a walk. One of my closest friends is allergic to dogs so cannot go in those places.

We have an independent bookshop, again you have to avoid tripping over dogs, so I order my books online. We have a hardware/ironmongers with a resident dog so I go to B&Q. The independent tile & interiors shop has two dogs who like to slobber over customers. I recently saw some tiles for our main bathroom in their window, then ordered them online. Well over £1k, but the shop could have gained my custom by keeping the dogs out of the way.

We have a gift shop but it is generic twee stuff and Jellycat toys, nothing I would want to inflict on a friend. No small children for whom I might buy a cuddly toy.

I buy all my cards online once a year, all birthdays and a few extras for occasions which might occur such as a death or a house move. They are far cheaper than the £3 or £4 the shops charge.

There is a clothes boutique but the owner is not welcoming at all. Face like a sour lemon, as they say.

I do go to the deli about once a year, mostly to buy jam making supplies. I also sometimes visit the haberdashers in a nearby town.

Great in theory but the reality can be hit and miss. My dh was attending an event at a literary festival in a nearby market town, so I decided to go in with him, have a browse then meet him for coffee at the end. Every independent coffee shop was shut, apart from one, where the woman behind the counter shouted 'we're only serving food' as soon as I walked in the door. I walked back out and ended up in Caffè Nero as it was open.
This was a Sunday morning and there was a literary festival in town -it beggars belief. Even the independent cafe at the festival venue was closed!
In my village, there have been a succession of coffee shops opened as hobby businesses around school hours which have not lasted, as they miss the breakfast/after school market. The last one seemed to think that all her customers were at the same life stage as her as therefore always toddler storyline and messy play tables on the go - great if you have a toddler, not so great I'd you just want a quiet cup of tea.

The time for this kind of initiative was 50 years ago. Independents were being forced out as far ago as the 70s and 80s with the identikit High Street chain stores, then supermarkets selling everything, then out of town retail park, and then the internet. It's far too late to turn back the clock. The damage is done. Ironically, back then, small independents prices were pretty similar to the chains in a lot of areas. People turned their backs on independents because of branding, and other things like self service, more different types of product in one place hence convenience etc.

Today's independents can't compete. Small grocery stores can't even buy a lot of their stock from wholesalers at prices cheaper than say Tesco, hence why so many actually get trolley loads of stuff from supermarkets, especially when there are BOGOF or other deals that their wholesalers can't match. Even when a small shop has a broad product range and competitive prices, they don't have the marketing budget to get the message across to their shoppers who often have the wrong impression assuming they're going to be more expensive.

Then other factors, such as high council car park pricing compared with free parking in supermarkets and out of town retail. Traffic calming/pedestrianisation of the streets where the shops are meaning they immediately lose a portion of car driving customers, etc etc.

The majority in our village will be closed today (Sunday).
I don't blame them for that but if I need to buy something today or will be working Monday to friday I will need to use a shop with longer opeing hours and that will probably be a big chain