I’m torn. As a rule, I quite like Tesco. Yet mum is in vanguard of a campaign to keep Tesco out of Sheringham. The locals want them kept out as Sheringham is one of those few surviving towns without a major supermarket. Therefore, the town centre is thriving with traditional butchers, bakers, and candelstick makers.
Not only do Tesco want to come in, they want to knock down the fire station and community centre, moving them from their handy town centre locations to the every-so-slightly less handy edge of town. The OAPs who use it, just need to walk another half-mile up hill to get there. The exercise will do them good. And I’m sure the council flat tennants will think the same when they’re moved out too.
In return, traffic will flow even slower in the middle of town, and several back streets will benefit from becoming rat runs.
Of course everyone with cars in Sheringham currently use the Safeway 3 miles down the road in Cromer. And Cromer town centre is all the poorer for it.
Maybe I’m painting a one-sided picture (nice use of mixed metaphor). On the other hand, everyone will benefit from cheaper shopping, and Tesco will helpfully stock every line the town’s other shops currently carry, negating the need for their existence.
But I do use Tesco myself. Well that and Co-op and Waitrose, and occassionally Safeway, Morrisons or Sainsburys. I’ve even been known to pop into Asda.
What should I be doing? Where should I be shopping? I know the answer is probably Palmers Green Farmers Market, and my favourite organic food supplier, but then I do have to pay for my groceries myself out of my hard earned cash. And Tesco does sell some awfully cheap paperbacks (even if most are simply awful).