Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 1,592
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Post by Aardvark on Dec 7, 2022 11:33:23 GMT 1
The last time I visited the UK that seems to be the trend. In any high street there are only fast food outlets, betting shops, pawn shops, charity shops, and pound shops. I'd say the only prosperity there is for the people collecting the rent.
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Post by norfolk on Dec 7, 2022 12:25:09 GMT 1
The " commerce" in our village was EcoMarche, which is a huge chain of franchises. When they built an even bigger one in the next village, they closed it and it was taken over by Casino , which is another chain . We don't have any local commerces, they all closed. Yes of course but one of the reasons they close is because locals find the same products cheaper elsewhere, usually in the grands surfaces. It’s a vicious circle. I find it better to avoid these small commerces closing by paying a bit more rather than watch them disappear for the sake of a few euros per week. |
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exile
Member
Massif Central
Posts: 2,188
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Post by exile on Dec 7, 2022 12:46:43 GMT 1
Our only truly local shop is the village epicerie.
It is very basic and very expensive for many items.
There is no fresh meat and precious little frozen.
It is a depot de pain but we bake our own.
Its vegetables are frequently restricted to what we grow ourselves and fruit is very limited - and then to long keeping items - so apples rather than peaches etc.
It has two varieties of cheese - when they are in stock.
It won't surprise you that it does not get a great deal of custom from us. It does however get a subvention from the commune, so you could rightly say that we support it through our taxe d'habitation - but what happens now I do not know.
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Post by spectrum on Dec 7, 2022 13:20:37 GMT 1
When we bought our land early 2004 the village had a Bar/ Shop/ Boulangerie, and a Boucherie, when we moved here they had started to close, a few years back the last to close was the Boulangerie, so no locals to help out.
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Post by specsavers2 on Dec 7, 2022 13:41:06 GMT 1
The épicerie knows what products are in demand and stock as they can.
Fair range but not a big shop, if the lady sees a demand for products she will stock it.
Obviously minimising any waste.
Butcher has just taken over the business from retrial of previous owners..
Shop fully refurbished and good range of stock.
Bit dearer than the supermarkets..
Boulangerie , long established and well used.
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Nifty
Member
Posts: 3,756
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Post by Nifty on Dec 7, 2022 14:33:24 GMT 1
The last time I visited the UK that seems to be the trend. In any high street there are only fast food outlets, betting shops, pawn shops, charity shops, and pound shops. I'd say the only prosperity there is for the people collecting the rent. Yup! Not forgetting who they are collecting the rent for. |
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Post by houpla on Dec 7, 2022 15:36:05 GMT 1
@ Houpla ‘ Fond of doubling the note,‘. ? Local French bar = a tab (note). When you go as a group, it can add up to quite a sum over an evening. The favourite scam in our local is to add a few petits rouges or whatever to the tab, on the principle that everyone is too fuddled to notice. (Wrong!) The other, more expensive, version is to get more than one of a group to pay the tab. That was perpetrated when I invited a group of friends to eat, who didn't know each other very well before the soirée and didn't realise that I'd already settled the tab when they were invited to pay individually. Apparently this sort of thing is rife in Dordogne and Lot et Garonne.  The only downside to living in an otherwise lovely part of France. It's much the same for the tourists. They're overcharged, swindled, treated with utter contempt and still come back for more. I wouldn't! |
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Post by houpla on Dec 7, 2022 15:39:42 GMT 1
The last time I visited the UK that seems to be the trend. In any high street there are only fast food outlets, betting shops, pawn shops, charity shops, and pound shops. I'd say the only prosperity there is for the people collecting the rent. You forgot the estate agents  And in France, hairdressers and beauticians, although lately even those have been shutting up shop. That really is serious!  |
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Post by houpla on Dec 7, 2022 15:48:20 GMT 1
It won't surprise you that it does not get a great deal of custom from us. It does however get a subvention from the commune, so you could rightly say that we support it through our taxe d'habitation - but what happens now I do not know. Ah yes, subventions....Our Maire is a whizz at obtaining them and giving them out. Especially to commercant(e)s who also happen to be conseiller(e)s  After the two failed attempts to keep a boulanger in the village, he's abandonned that idea. Perhaps the fact that the Tous- services and the bar are both also depots de pain didn't help? |
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exile
Member
Massif Central
Posts: 2,188
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Post by exile on Dec 7, 2022 16:18:24 GMT 1
In our case I don't have a problem with subventions but I can see how they could be easily abused.
Our commune is so small that the shop (which has a post office desk attached) is not in competition with anything within a 10km radius. While I can be critical about it not meeting our needs, for others it is certainly a lifeline and while we may not use the shop much, we certainly use the postal agency.
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The only downside to living in an otherwise lovely part of France.
And in France, hairdressers and beauticians, although lately even those have been shutting up shop. That really is serious! 
After the two failed attempts to keep a boulanger in the village, he's abandonned that idea. Perhaps the fact that the Tous- services and the bar are both also depots de pain didn't help?