PowerSwitch

and why it's an issue across the political spectrum


"...after the arrival of a big supermarket, participation in local charities, churches, campaign groups and even voting declines sharply."

(That's in the US)

"Moreover, supermarkets have become not only a monopoly, giving consumers a diminishing choice of food outlets, but also a monopsony, giving suppliers little choice of buyers for their produce. They have used this power ruthlessly, forcing down prices and increasingly dictating to suppliers what they produce, where they produce it and how they package it. The casualty rate for small producers, unable to survive on the supermarkets' terms, is almost as great as for small shops.

"The effect on wages and working conditions in the food industry is well known, but the effect on what is supposed to be a free market is less often considered. Eastern European regimes, dictating from remote, central offices who could grow how much of what, were once regarded with horror. Even western governments were denounced when they adopted industrial policies to choose "winners" and "losers". Tesco does that every day, and its suppliers have as little recourse to legal or political redress as a Soviet peasant."

Someone's donated a copy of "Tescopoly" to the bookshop where I volunteer, and I spent 1/2 the day at the till reading it...scary stuff and highly recommended reading. I only noticed later, it's by the chap from the NEF...

nef do a lot of good work.

(I was once on a permaculture design course with one of their peeps; it was his annual holiday!)

when I googled on NEF , I got the wrong NEF, National Energy Foundation, rather than New Economics Foundation. Very confusing and a warning to not use confusing shortened names especially as both organisationsappear to have some eco credibility. Not like the AA which for some relates to car ownership, and for others to do with dealing with drinking too much alcohol, but the context of the reference is usually pretty obvious.
I have also noticed that the Tescopoly book was published back in 2007, and it is a sad fact that it hasn't had a bigger impact given its importance. A lot has changed in 4 years, in particular the credit crunch, and small shops are starting to fight back, but still need more help.

rue_d_etropal wrote:when I googled on NEF , I got the wrong NEF, National Energy Foundation, rather than New Economics Foundation. Very confusing and a warning to not use confusing shortened names especially as both organisationsappear to have some eco credibility.

I often wonder why the Independent Police Complaints Commission are such experts on climate change. It may explain some of the policing in this country though!

These articles spell out the truth too. If you still use supermarkets after reading, understanding and taking in those, there's no hope.

correlation is not causation.

Tesco maintains its monopoly because the government hampers its competition and it avoids pissing off its customers. not exactly sovietism

DominicJ wrote:correlation is not causation.

Tesco maintains its monopoly because the government hampers its competition and it avoids pissing off its customers. not exactly sovietism

It hasn't avoided pissing off its customers in Brighton and Bristol. They tried to build a Tesco Express on our community garden on Lewes Road but local hostility was so severe that they eventually pulled out of the project altogether. Good job too, because if they'd built it then there would have been people standing outside all the time asking people not to spend their money there. Tesco knew this and that's why they disappeared with their tail between their legs.

UndercoverElephant wrote:

DominicJ wrote:correlation is not causation.

Tesco maintains its monopoly because the government hampers its competition and it avoids pissing off its customers. not exactly sovietism

It hasn't avoided pissing off its customers in Brighton and Bristol. They tried to build a Tesco Express on our community garden on Lewes Road but local hostility was so severe that they eventually pulled out of the project altogether. Good job too, because if they'd built it then there would have been people standing outside all the time asking people not to spend their money there. Tesco knew this and that's why they disappeared with their tail between their legs.

That proposed Tesco Express (on the Lewes Road comunity garden site) is next door to a Co-op; opposite side of the road there's a Spar store and less than 300 yards down the road there's a huge Sainsbury's supermarket. So it's not as if there is a dearth of supermarkets in that area...

DominicJ wrote:correlation is not causation.

Tesco maintains its monopoly because the government hampers its competition and it avoids pissing off its customers. not exactly sovietism

Within about eight miles of me there are 6 huge Tesco stores and lots of the Express stores. There must be places in the country where they have achieved total saturation and pissing off the customers isn't a major issue.

Fortunately I can get a lot of my food from other places, many of whom are seeing new faces on a regular basis. Maybe the British habit of reacting unfavourabily to the 'Top Dog' is starting to surface?

We can but hope. I'll also second 'Tescopoly' as a good read got mine from a charity shop as well so I feel pretty righteous especially as I took it back for somebody else to read. Didn't we used to have places to borrow books from once? I know WH Smith operate a magazine service

I'll get my hat and go.

SleeperService wrote:Within about eight miles of me there are 6 huge Tesco stores and lots of the Express stores. There must be places in the country where they have achieved total saturation and pissing off the customers isn't a major issue.

You'd think the UK was near saturation point from the big supermarkets; apparently not. I read in a newspaper last week (alas can't remember which one) that in the next 4 years the equivalent of a new Sainsbury's will be added to our high streets. Depressing.

An old one, but a friend put it on Facebook yesterday
http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2009/12/09/v ... tesco-430/

emordnilap wrote:These articles spell out the truth too. If you still use supermarkets after reading, understanding and taking in those, there's no hope.

Emor where do ye get the time to read all this stuff? Could you
maybe summarise the thoughts of Uncle George in a few paragraphs.

Who knows he may suddenly reverse his position on the subject.


Rain at last.

Roger Adair wrote:

emordnilap wrote:These articles spell out the truth too. If you still use supermarkets after reading, understanding and taking in those, there's no hope.

Emor where do ye get the time to read all this stuff? Could you
maybe summarise the thoughts of Uncle George in a few paragraphs.

Well, I just read the articles as they come out. There's a lot of stats and references in them. Why not just have a browse at one or two?

Roger Adair wrote:Who knows he may suddenly reverse his position on the subject.

Aye, folks are queer like that.

Roger Adair wrote:Rain at last.

Lovely. Barrels filling and not a moment too soon. We'll pay for the good weather yet.

Supermarkets give us cheap food by:

*Sourcing and/or processing overseas where labour is cheaper

*encouraging the factory farming of animals

*making farmers work harder to produce more but for less income (hundreds of British farmers sell up every year because they cannot earn an income from producing food)

Unfortunately, there is always a reason for a cheap item of food (and it may not be a reason we like to hear). If we value quality, diversity, animal welfare and our heritage we need to pay a realistic price for our food.

We need to spend our money on slightly more expensive food where it will do the most good – local, Fairtrade, organic and from small producers. This ensures the employment and livelihoods of people who follow sustainable practices, and you are helping to ensure the biodiversity of the planet.

Of course you can only do this if supermarkets haven't removed all choice from your locality!