Save Me from Supermarkets! Part deux
Feb. 27th, 2012 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wishusI'm going to be keeping a blog closed to friends on this issue... really as a sort of aide memoire, so much of the content will also be hidden by links.
I recently tried to give up supermarkets and failed miserably. They are too pervasive, too convenient and I am too busy. But part of the issue was that if you are part of a household, decisions that affect that household need to be made with everyone's involvement.
My issues with supermarkets at the moment are:
1) patchy commitment to environment/waste/sustainability.
2)patchy commitment to local sourcing/ ethical sourcing.
3)reduction of service with the introduction of self-service machines.
4) disenfranchisement that these machines bring to those less able to use them.
5) some big chains' self-serving involvement with A4e and Workfare.
6)the negative influence of supermarkets on the high street and the decline of the small retailer.
7)the packing of value brand food items with low-nutritional ingredients, excess sugar and salt.
8)the influence of cheap alcohol on the survival of pubs (cool places I like to go, drink nice stuff and listen to bands etc)
9) cons on the shelf - inadvertnet or otherwise - such as 'rollback prices' that are not their recent cheapest, multipacks being more expensive etc.
10) poor labelling making it difficult to identify provenance of ingredients.
11) charities set up at zero cost to the supermarket, only the consumer.
12)the way I always end up spending more than I was planning to.
But N and I will try really hard to see if we can manage a year without supermarkets from March 1st, and you can follow the story here. There will be ups and downs, tears and tribulations, triumphs and smugness. If you fancy reading it, join livejournal, friend me and I'll friend you back, then follow the tag: A Year Without Supermarkets.
Wish us luck!
I recently tried to give up supermarkets and failed miserably. They are too pervasive, too convenient and I am too busy. But part of the issue was that if you are part of a household, decisions that affect that household need to be made with everyone's involvement.
My issues with supermarkets at the moment are:
1) patchy commitment to environment/waste/sustainability.
2)patchy commitment to local sourcing/ ethical sourcing.
3)reduction of service with the introduction of self-service machines.
4) disenfranchisement that these machines bring to those less able to use them.
5) some big chains' self-serving involvement with A4e and Workfare.
6)the negative influence of supermarkets on the high street and the decline of the small retailer.
7)the packing of value brand food items with low-nutritional ingredients, excess sugar and salt.
8)the influence of cheap alcohol on the survival of pubs (cool places I like to go, drink nice stuff and listen to bands etc)
9) cons on the shelf - inadvertnet or otherwise - such as 'rollback prices' that are not their recent cheapest, multipacks being more expensive etc.
10) poor labelling making it difficult to identify provenance of ingredients.
11) charities set up at zero cost to the supermarket, only the consumer.
12)the way I always end up spending more than I was planning to.
But N and I will try really hard to see if we can manage a year without supermarkets from March 1st, and you can follow the story here. There will be ups and downs, tears and tribulations, triumphs and smugness. If you fancy reading it, join livejournal, friend me and I'll friend you back, then follow the tag: A Year Without Supermarkets.
Wish us luck!
