In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Shopping in my part of Umbria is far from pleasurable and luckily the other half is trained to do the supermarket shop at record speed. (We are fans of Eurospin Magione). The centre of Perugia is fine for browsing but has few essential shops. In order to buy most things we have to plan the morning trip and hope for the best. The non food shops, close firmly between 12.30/13.00 and 16.30 which frustrates me no end. If you see something buy it now, it won't be there next week and certainly never wait for the sales, hoping it will be reduced! A Bosch dishwasher is bought next to a tractor shed. A bed by a row of vines...oh and yes there's trillions of places that would be oh so useful if only we knew where they were. How these businesses survive amazes me. I have now told all my friends about the wonderful upholstery company which is down a track behind a block of flats...oh yes and there is a great haberdashers in the middle of a housing estate....
Shopping is far easier using the internet and even with delivery from the UK you can save a great deal of money.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Shopping centres (or at least the huge auchans/co op/oasi groups etc) will soon be the death of more and more individual family run shops. I remember not that long ago, there were hardly any shopping centres anywhere in Italy and now there's at least one in every medium/large town. Not that I stand in the way of progress as I use shopping centres myself but it is sad to see the number of small businesses close down in Italy as in the UK.
Equally, I remember in the UK (pre Tescos) that most villages and towns had a number of family butchers, bakers, fishmongers, post offices etc etc and now the ones that are still around are often called 'delicatessens' or a 'specialist shop'. I also remember when all shops were closed on Sundays and Thursday afternoons, although Italy has mostly kept to the siesta closing in the afternoon (not in shopping centres) and funny hours closures on certain days depending on where you live.
P.S. I'm not that old, I just have a good memory and my parents tell
me retail stories:winki:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Indeed, Biagio. I AM old enough to remember the days before Tesco and, yes, there were many, many small shops everywhere. In my own past business life, I actually had a couple of shops, so know the pressures that small retailers were under in the 70s and 80s. You wouldn't believe the council rates that we had to pay, to say nothing of town centre rents, even in those days. Goodness gracious me (it would have been Peter Sellers birthday today, by the way), town centres were very difficult to stay in and make any kind of a profit. The situation in Italy (and France, I believe) is still pretty good for the smaller retailers, leading to a good choice of product everywhere still, as well as a far more interesting town centre to visit. Long may it be allowed to continue, I say - although my predictions a few years ago that Sunday opening in Italy was only a matter of time seems to be coming true.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I have to admit that I don't like the big supermarkets, nor the way they have such a stranglehold on the consumer.
A big Tesco opened on the outskirts of a little market town near where lived in the UK. The butcher, baker, green grocers, off licence and grocers stores all closed within the year. The fishmonger was already a distant memory. Their place was taken by estate agents (suffering now), building societies, banks and charity shops.
Here, there are little jewels of shops. There is one near me, which sells hand made chocolate/s that are to die for. I went there one day and, though the shop was open, there as no one about, eventually I went and asked at the florist next door and she went upstairs and woke the shopkeeper, who was having a little nap. The shop was full of the most exquisite chocolates and liqueurs and there was money in the till, I can't somehow imagine that happening in the UK.
Another time we went to the local butchers and mentioned how lovely and cool it was inside. After we had bought our purchases the butcher said stay and enjoy the cool (there are seats provided for customers) My other half said all that was needed now was a cold beer - a joke- but the butcher said what a good idea and the son was dispatched to the bar and we, and a few other customers. had a little impromptu festa with beers and soft drinks all round. Again I can’t quite see this happening in Dewhursts.
I'm sure it will change as things always do but I'm making the most of it while it lasts.:smile:
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I went to a map and guide book shop in Via del babuino in Rome the other day to find it rerplaced by another Feltrinelli shop, very pleasant and all that but not the same and I get the feeling the rot is setting in! Mind you I was charged an arm and a leg for a can of insect repellent in an independent pharmacy nearby - watch it pharmacists you could become like UK.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Nielo;96252]
Anyway now I find myself going to one place to get jam jars, driving somewhere else to get plasters, then off somewhere else to buy bread and another trip to get vegetables and yet another place to buy meat. Once a month I do a trip to the big supermarket.
I find shopping here to be a much greater adventure and much more fun, but I don’t suppose all the driving around does much for global warming.
[/quote]I definitely think that your shopping experience is better than mine in North-West Europe.
I think you will find the UK has loads of independent shops too but they are not likely to have been passed down through the generations to the same extent as the ones in Italy.
I can think of a small shop in a small town in Abruzzo which sells beautiful household items. The Signora inherited it from her mother but her daughter who is 15 years old, is planning on going to study at La Spezia, Rome. What will happen then to these family run businesses if this is the norm???