Prices in small shops vs prices in supermarkets

[Dorothy]

We bought something in a local shop the other day that was 60% more expensive than the same item from Ocado.

I don't take much notice of prices usually but when I was handing over the cash I thought to myself "hang on, that seems a bit much" (which is why, out of curiosity, I looked it up on Ocado when I got home).

Of course I realise things are going to be more expensive in local shops and I buy a lot of things locally, use them or lose them and all that - but 60% seems a bit like a ripoff. Is it?

[Huguenot]

It kind of depends upon a couple of factors - firstly the base price: a 60p hike on something that's 10 quid is only a 6% premium, which isn't a lot. On a 1 pound item it's a 60% lift which is quite a lot.

Certain types of products, especially daily commodities like milk and bread, are deliberately sold at a loss by supermarkets. This is because your regular purchase makes you price conscious, they want you thinking this way, and they know that local traders can't match the loss.

The supermarkets make the loss back up on higher end products, so sometimes the price on daily commodities might be higher in a local trader, but when you get to slightly more expensive products the local trader will be cheaper.

Wine is often like this. We get the idea that supermarkets are cheaper for everything, but with wine they tend to overcharge for donkey pee.

[Dorothy]

It was ?2.67 Ocado, ?4.25 locally. Not a food item.

[Applespider]

It's the fact that the supermarkets have taken over many of our smaller 'convenience' shops and still take the opportunity to charge you more than in their regular stores that annoys me. I understand that small traders don't have the economies of scale that Ocado/Tesco have but why should I pay more for something from Simply Food than I do in a regular M&S? Or more in Sainsburys Local than in Sainsburys DKH?

[Mick Mac]

Val's Stores are apparently leaving in a couple of months which I think is very sad. Their trade is very quiet since sainsbury opened. I like the shop a lot and think their prices are reasonable.

[Dorothy]

Is that really true about Val's? That will be such a shame.

[peterstorm1985]

Dorothy Wrote:

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> It was ?2.67 Ocado, ?4.25 locally. Not a food

> item.

It would be interesting to know what it was exactly. Local shops need to make a profit from a small amount of shelf space so a regular selling, or physically small, item won't need as much profit as something large or one that may sit on the shelves for months. I'm afraid we've got so used to the one-stop shop idea that the local shops sometimes feel pressured into keeping products on the shelves that aren't frequent sellers so they have to add a higher margin to account for that.

But if it's something you might buy often, it may be worth asking the shopkeeper why it was so much - it's always possible that it was incorrectly priced or their supplier is overcharging.

[daizie]

Yes come on Dorothy spit it out . A packet of '3' by any chance ?

[23e Heure]

It's not just the small shops that have high price items.

I went to buy some chocolate in WHSmith the other day. They charge 92 pence for a Yorkie.

Now I don't often buy chocolate bars, so maybe I'm out of step with the times but... 92p for a bar of chocolate??

Not a kingsize, just a regular ol'Yorkie.

[HonaloochieB]

92 pence for a truck driver-sized bar of sugared fat? Cheap at twice the price, says I.

[aspidistra]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Val's Stores are apparently leaving in a couple of

> months which I think is very sad. Their trade is

> very quiet since sainsbury opened. I like the shop

> a lot and think their prices are reasonable.

'Apparently'?

They are not leaving. Nisha is going on holiday to Sri Lanka for a month, and her cousin will take over the running of the shop for that period. She says there is no way they could be dragged away from ED.

Trade is down, but is still enough to get by.

Please don't spread rumours that could affect people's trade.

[Emerson Crane]

Small shopkeepers don't have the buying power that likes of Tesco, Sainsbury etc enjoy which is why they can sell items at far lower prices. Also most small shops aim to provide a more personal and tailored service than the big boys. Most customers apprciate this and become regulars. Having owned corner shops in the 70's and 80's I speak from experience. Keep your little corner shops going where you can, and appreciate what they bring to you and your community cos it won't take much to drive them all out of business.

[womanofdulwich]

my little shop is often cheaper than siansburys/tesco for special offer packs of cookies/frozen prepared meals that are branded.( ok mccains frozen chips if you are asking).

[Mick Mac]

aspidistra Wrote:

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>

> Please don't spread rumours that could affect

> people's trade.

Rumours....? We will see. She told me a rather different story. Lets hope you are right and I am wrong. I hope they will decide to stay but my post was intended to get her more trade and not less. We should all support our local independent businesses. Especially the friendly ones. But she told me all the shops in that area had been hit very hard since sainsbury arrived on the scene.

[*Bob*]

I have to say that our local shop is very competitive on pricing.

Unfortunately you have to order anything you want to buy three days in advance and there's a ?40 minimum spend - which can be a little inconvenient.

[Horsebox]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> aspidistra Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> >

> > Please don't spread rumours that could affect

> > people's trade.

>

> Rumours....? We will see. Lets hope you are right

> and I am wrong.

This was mentioned on the forum at the start of the year. I asked Nisha if it were true and she firmly denied it and asked me to post something to that effect (which I'm pretty sure I did).

Mick Mac, have you a reliable source for your info, because it's terrible news if it is true.

[oilworker]

This is the cheapest shop I know - Bingos are a penny-ha'penny each and the milk is actually free. Beat that!!

[Mick Mac]

>

> Mick Mac, have you a reliable source for your

> info, because it's terrible news if it is true.

She told me herself. But her 'husband?' did not seem so definite when I asked him the next day. It may not be in the public domain so apologies for posting it if people think its harmful but i had hoped to engender more business for her if it is not too late. I have gone out of my way to buy something there every day since!

[Dorothy]

I'd hate to see Val's go.

The ?2.67 Ocado/?4.25 locally item was a very small and commonly used stationery item in a shop that sells a lot of stationery! Tiny amount of shelf space and a long shelf life.

[Jeremy]

It is a little unfair to lump all local shops together, some of them provide better value than others.

At the end of the day you can just vote with your feet, if a shop's too expensive, don't go there!

[aspidistra]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> >

> > Mick Mac, have you a reliable source for your

> > info, because it's terrible news if it is true.

>

>

> She told me herself. But her 'husband?' did not

> seem so definite when I asked him the next day. It

> may not be in the public domain so apologies for

> posting it if people think its harmful but i had

> hoped to engender more business for her if it is

> not too late. I have gone out of my way to buy

> something there every day since!

I've been a customer of Val's / Nisha's for some eight years. They've had some bad shit since Sainbury's opened (e.g. several attempted break-ins, including someone cutting through their cables to try to cut off their alarm), and they are aware of a lot of bad shit happening in the Plough area during the same period (e.g. shop-keeper assaulted when going with takings to the bank), on top of the reduction in business for all shop-keepers (including the florist!). But she seems to be pretty firm that they are not going.

By the way, organic milk from Val's is no more expensive than Sainsbury's (which means Sainbury's, with its huge buying power resulting in rock-bottom prices, is making a heck of a lot more profit on it than Nisha is). They also have much nicer apple juice, usually a good range of different kind of chillies, and excellent range of spices (much cheaper than Sainbo's on that too). For such a small shop, they really have an amazing range of stock (flageolet beans, anyone? - you won't find those in Sainsbury's). You go in looking for toothpicks, not expecting anything, and find they have them in stock (and Sainsbury's, with much larger floor area, has none).

[HonaloochieB]

Dorothy Wrote:

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> I'd hate to see Val's go.

>

> The ?2.67 Ocado/?4.25 locally item was a very

> small and commonly used stationery item in a shop

> that sells a lot of stationery! Tiny amount of

> shelf space and a long shelf life.

To heck with Val's and Yorkies this has now turned into 'the guess the statinery item that Dorothy purchased game'.

I'm going to start with a large bottle of Stephen's ink. Blue.

[Mick Mac]

aspidistra Wrote:

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>

> I've been a customer of Val's / Nisha's for some

> eight years.

Good for you.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I'll raise you a pack of blotting paper and a pencil sharpener that can't be sold to under 18s.

[Annette Curtain]

Dorothy bought......

http://www.ocado.com/catalog/images-thumbs/47453011_M.jpg?identifier=38732407d38373b7309faf59f44d34ec?2.67 Ocado

How sad is that ?

N:-S