Coronavirus UK: Are communities neglecting local corner shops?
- Libby Stables
- May 2, 2020
- 2 min read
After the news was crowded with stories of panic buying all over the nation last month, we were seeing scenes everywhere of ransacked shelves in supermarkets. What we wanted to know was where our little corner shops came into play-and why they were facing a battle of their own.
Hamstead Convenience store
When the idea of a nationwide lock down due to Coronavirus was only a possibility, people went into panic-mode and started flocking to their supermarkets to gather weeks and weeks worth of food.
Naturally, the amount of shoppers clearing the shelves left supermarkets struggling to get replenishment.
So for corner shops, it should be their time to shine. Little stock rooms full as usual ready to receive their local customers. But support in return seems to be scarce.
There have been accusations of corner shop owners raising their prices. Some believe that this is a calculated move in order to benefit from the current Coronavirus lockdown measures, due to which people are more likely to go to the nearest shop to them, the corner shop.
Rashid, a local to Acocks Green, had this to say:
"Most of these shops raised prices as soon as lockdown was announced... Personally, in future I will prefer supermarkets because they were more supportive and I also request my family and friends to do the same"
Not all opinions are shared, however, some community members seem to be very proud of their corner shops, praising them as the pillar of the community.
Not all small shop owners have been raising their prices, however. We spoke to the owner of Hamstead Convenience store, Raj Singh:
"I have been in the business approximately 9 years. This is certainly the most challenging period. Although some suppliers have [raised prices] I try to keep as low as possible as I have formed a relationship with my customers. It's hard but it will get to a point where I have to if I want to stay open."
Needless to say, our corner shops are important. They have been a part of our communities for decades.
It is clear that some of our corner shops have raised prices, and there may be reasons for that, such as their suppliers raising their prices and leaving them no choice.
We would urge our community members to remember that our small shop owners are also a part of the community, not all are opportunistic, some are staying open in these difficult times to provide for us.
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