Where is everybody?

[sooty2]

Excellent post! 

[Miss Marple]

Seeing as you think MIA is a lost cause you certainly use the information.

It is well known that supermarkets strive to undercut local traders to fight off competition, they lower their prices and then when they put the said shop out of business  there ceases to be competition so  they fix the price, also they use loss leaders to get people in.   Once a town centre starts to lose shops shoppers would be more reluctant to use a half empty shopping area  and Just do a one stop shop.
I am sure you know this already so I hope you just dont want me to put it on here so you and Davey Boy can pick holes in everything I say.   Have you watched the video yet ? There's a women on there who talks a lot of sense 

[Tricky]

I think you'll find I was asking a question MM.


But, working on what you tell us..

MIA state that they have over 7000 signatures of shoppers who are opposed to a supermarket. A figure that is rising all the time.

These individual signaturies are people who have signed the petition on Market Street etc.

Why would these people whose feelings are strong enough to sign the petition suddenly stop shopping there.

(genuine question)



armed with that information about potential footfall.. I might look at opening a shop myself!

[Miss Marple]

Exactly.. plus over 7000 people who will not change their shopping habits.

Surely the local shops are safe?

. You have assured us they will be safe, so both myself and the shop keepers will sleep well tonight 

[sleepless]

So supermarkets dont' sell lighting or clothing or have their own cafe or dry cleaners etc?  OK - will settle for losing Greggs, Bargain Booze, two greengrocers, Superdrug, the stationers, newsagents, Boots, printshop, butchers, delicatessen, two florist shops, two hardware stores...  Maybe the shops in Marple who have the NO posters in their windows are just being perverse?

[Tricky]

Exactly.. plus over 7000 people who will not change their shopping habits.

Surely the local shops are safe?

[heather]

lets have a look at the shops it wouldn't affect the dentist, the cafe,the light shop, wallpaper shop,Paul Howard's,the wool shop,the art shop, icing on the cake,clothes shop,this is  just a small proportion, but when you look at market street as a whole we have specialty shops that a supermarket wouldn't affect, because Marple is special people would still go to specialty shops.

[JMC]

MIA. have members of every age, watch the videos , newspaper reports and the like.   I always think it's so funny when people refer to MIA members as middle class, middle aged etc it's silly to stereotype people and if you only knew you would find it funny too  

Well, silly or not in your mind, we are all allowed an opinion surely, to make a suggestion as to why more members could not attend at a certain time? Those factors mentioned could affect who could make the meeting. I have read many reports (not seen the meeting one yet but intend to view it when I can).

[Miss Marple]

I have first hand experience of similar situations in Hyde and in New Mills. In the former, where I lived for a while, since Morrisons and ASDA set up shop (close to the centre of town), smaller food shops have fallen by the wayside. There are now no independent butchers, bakers/confectioners or proper grocers' or greengrocers' shops .....

I think the owners of Hibbert Family Butchers on Clarendon Place (just over from Morrisons) may be surprised to hear this. Similarly with the owners of the bakers/confectioners, The Cake Shop, on Bennett Street.

Harry that's two in a town.  I used to live there and there were lots  of independent traders Hyde is nothing like it used to be ! Ask the people who come to Marple to shop in our small shops  or better still ask my family who live there they are so angry of the demise of their close community and local shops

[Miss Marple]

TBF to everyone, Yes, No or on the fence, 6pm on a week night was an awful slot for the meeting

'No' still managed to outnumber 'Yes' by close to 100 to 1 

Could that be because on the whole they are alot older and retired/around more in the day or a business only open till 5? (No offence intended on either side). The YES campaigners that i know of have young children or work at that time. Many people don't get home till at least 6.

MIA. have members of every age, watch the videos , newspaper reports and the like.   I always think it's so funny when people refer to MIA members as middle class, middle aged etc it's silly to stereotype people and if you only knew you would find it funny too   

[sleepless]

If people have done their shopping at the big new cheap supermarket, what is there left for them to go into Marple to shop for?  It is not in the supermarket's interest for people to shop elsewhere - for anything - and they will do their utmost to close down any competition.  This idea that a big store will bring more shoppers into Marple town centre doesn't make sense.

[Harry]

I have first hand experience of similar situations in Hyde and in New Mills. In the former, where I lived for a while, since Morrisons and ASDA set up shop (close to the centre of town), smaller food shops have fallen by the wayside. There are now no independent butchers, bakers/confectioners or proper grocers' or greengrocers' shops .....

I think the owners of Hibbert Family Butchers on Clarendon Place (just over from Morrisons) may be surprised to hear this. Similarly with the owners of the bakers/confectioners, The Cake Shop, on Bennett Street.

[My login is Henrietta]

 would be great if they all came to shop at the new supermarket when its built and then they visited the other shops in Marple .what a boost for trade  

But would they?

I have first hand experience of similar situations in Hyde and in New Mills. In the former, where I lived for a while, since Morrisons and ASDA set up shop (close to the centre of town), smaller food shops have fallen by the wayside. There are now no independent butchers, bakers/confectioners or proper grocers' or greengrocers' shops and the market, once a fantastic source of anything you could possibly need has dwindled to a shadow of its former self (and the market has always been cheap so it isn't a case that the supermarkets have priced them out of business). There is now one greengrocery stall where there used to be three. Both wet fish stalls have closed. An excellent cheese and dairy produce stall which also sold chickens and other poultry folded shortly after Morrisons moved in. A long established bacon and cooked meats stall has gone and the bread and confectionery stall appeared to be struggling along when I was last there.

And in New Mills, which I visit regularly on business, a similar slide has been taking place. Since the Co-op moved out of the centre of town traditional shops have been closing down.

In Marple's case, it's a safe bet that those people who say that a big supermarket will be a good thing because it will be cheaper than the Co-op will be disappointed. I'd put money on the two of them getting in cahoots and fixing prices as has happened in most places where there have been "competing" supermarkets.

[amazon]

OP writes 'If 7,000 people have signed a petition against the supermarket where are they all when it comes to turning out to show their support?  Or are they all sitting back and thinking somebody else will solve the problem for them?'
No, they're in Hyde, Glossop, New Mills, even Salford and Harpurhey, which according to MIA is where many petition signatories live. The 7,000 isn't all Marple residents, that's for sure! 

  would be great if they all came to shop at the new supermarket when its built and then they visited the other shops in Marple .what a boost for trade 

[HWL1973]

TBF to everyone, Yes, No or on the fence, 6pm on a week night was an awful slot for the meeting

'No' still managed to outnumber 'Yes' by close to 100 to 1 

Could that be because on the whole they are alot older and retired/around more in the day or a business only open till 5? (No offence intended on either side). The YES campaigners that i know of have young children or work at that time. Many people don't get home till at least 6.

Well I didn't get out of my office until 6:30pm on Wednesday, in Birmingham