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Corporate business Vs The little person

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By *layfullsam OP   Man
over a year ago

Solihull

Do you line up for Maccy D's or search out a small burger joint ?

Do you go crazy for Costa Coffee or find a little coffee shop gem ?

Watching a tv programme on Route 66 where he attempts to complete the trip only using Ma and Pa's type petrol stations, motels etc which took me back to my own road trip and I've used lockdown to plan my next 66 trip.

Just interested to know who goes out of there way to support the little guy ?

Fully understand the big stores employ lots of people of which some use the Ma & pa's stores.

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By *layfullsam OP   Man
over a year ago

Solihull


"Do you line up for Maccy D's or search out a small burger joint ?

Do you go crazy for Costa Coffee or find a little coffee shop gem ?

Watching a tv programme on Route 66 where he attempts to complete the trip only using Ma and Pa's type petrol stations, motels etc which took me back to my own road trip and I've used lockdown to plan my next 66 trip.

Just interested to know who goes out of there way to support the little guy ?

Fully understand the big stores employ lots of people of which some use the Ma & pa's stores.

"

Going to be interesting to see just how much of Route 66 is doable now

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By *iaisonseekerMan
over a year ago

Liverpool

There's a romance to small independents although, ironically, they are often worse employers because they don't have the money that large chains have for safety measures, reasonable adjustments, independent HR departments etc.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I shop local always pop to independent eateries & shops.

It must be 10+ years since ive shopped in a supermarket. My groceries are from a local farm shop and meat from a local butchers, the main reason is i like to know where my meat has come from, i like it local and like to support British farming.

Pretty much everything i buy is from independent.

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By *layfullsam OP   Man
over a year ago

Solihull


"I shop local always pop to independent eateries & shops.

It must be 10+ years since ive shopped in a supermarket. My groceries are from a local farm shop and meat from a local butchers, the main reason is i like to know where my meat has come from, i like it local and like to support British farming.

Pretty much everything i buy is from independent.

"

Respect to you, love that you've not used supermarkets for 10 plus years.

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By *ang bang bangity bangCouple
over a year ago

Sunderland

It depends. We often use both.

It's frustrating that so many people demonise larger businesses and naturally assume they should be avoided. But do they not also employ local people?

Plenty of good small local places but also plenty of terrible small local places. We will go out of our way to eat in small local spots but we also won't make excuses for them just because they are small and local. Poor quality products and services are just poor quality regardless of who provides them.

A point in case was local cafe to us that shut about 6 months after opening. The final Facebook post complained about how bad it was that no one supported local and that everyone tried the place but didn't become regular. It never occurred to them that there are loads of successful local places near it, but they're successful because they're good!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Always support small independent businesses if I can whether it be a street food market stall or local butchers and bakers

People never realise it is usually the cheaper option, there is a beautiful delicatessen near me, it sells freshly prepared sandwiches and baguettes with meat sourced locally for a fraction of the price of a subway.

When the boys were small I used to make a point of taking them to the greengrocers, butchers and the bakery to shop. Took twice as long but the boys learnt so much from weighing out the fruits and veg, finding out where it was sourced from, Social skills and just appreciating where their food comes from. As adults they too are advocates of supporting local businesses

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

As admirable as it is, I don't think it's logistically or financially viable for many to support small independents for their weekly shop

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By *inky_couple2020Couple
over a year ago

North West


"There's a romance to small independents although, ironically, they are often worse employers because they don't have the money that large chains have for safety measures, reasonable adjustments, independent HR departments etc."

My local high street is full of independent traders. I can't get inside most of them because they have steps at the entrance. I can't get inside any of the local independent restaurants, only into the outside area (four restaurants within a mile). I once tried to take my team out for afternoon tea as a treat and when I asked an independent venue about wheelchair they just said "no" and when I asked about alternatives (e.g delivery entrance) they couldn't get me off the phone quickly enough.

Very rarely can a large chain type shop or eatery not get wheelchairs in but it's incredibly common at independent businesses unfortunately and stops me using a number of them.

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By *iaisonseekerMan
over a year ago

Liverpool


"There's a romance to small independents although, ironically, they are often worse employers because they don't have the money that large chains have for safety measures, reasonable adjustments, independent HR departments etc.

My local high street is full of independent traders. I can't get inside most of them because they have steps at the entrance. I can't get inside any of the local independent restaurants, only into the outside area (four restaurants within a mile). I once tried to take my team out for afternoon tea as a treat and when I asked an independent venue about wheelchair they just said "no" and when I asked about alternatives (e.g delivery entrance) they couldn't get me off the phone quickly enough.

Very rarely can a large chain type shop or eatery not get wheelchairs in but it's incredibly common at independent businesses unfortunately and stops me using a number of them."

That's a good illustration of my point - large nationals or multinationals struggle to argue they can't afford accessibility requirements but smaller operators don't want the outlay, overlooking the extra business it may generate as you've demonstrated.

Maternity leave is another area where smaller employers tend to behave less well, with some actively avoiding employing women of childbearing age and asking very intrusive questions at interviews.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I live in a rual area mostly mom and pop businesses I frequent. Love the charm of it.

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By *inky_couple2020Couple
over a year ago

North West

The amount of money independent retailers miss out on for not considering things like disability access is quite staggering.

Check out The Grocer, article entitled "Why industry should consider the ‘purple pound’ amid pandemic restructures"

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By *hatYorkLadMan
over a year ago

York


"As admirable as it is, I don't think it's logistically or financially viable for many to support small independents for their weekly shop"

Yep I generally don't have time to drive around visiting various different places to do my "big shop" so prefer to get it all in one hit at a supermarket.

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