When Something is Urgent

Joanna Blythman published her book Shopped: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets back in 2004. I read it a couple of years ago and it changed the way I do my shopping from that moment forth. It describes, in great detail, why we should shop elsewhere, why we should avoid the big supermarket chains such as Tesco and Asda, what it’s doing to the basic fabric of our society and why it’s so dangerous, not only for us here in the UK but the world over.

That was why I was so surprised, a short while ago, to see these issues being addressed on the BBC News channel. At last! I thought at first. Finally! And then I thought, But why only now? Why has it taken this long to address an issue which affects us all and which has been known about and written about for a long time? What held up the process of getting that research, painstakingly carried out by Joanna Blythman and investigative journalists like her, from the pages of books and newspapers to the screen? Who is trying to hide what, exactly? Who is being protected here?

The people who shop in these places are the very people the message about what supermarkets really are – big corporations trying to grab not only most of the market share but all of it – need to reach. But it is a sad fact that many of these people don’t read the books that are written about these issues and so the message doesn’t get across to nearly enough of them. It is only when the issues are addressed on national TV that people find out about them and by then, even if those who see it think, yes, they’ll shop somewhere else, most of the worst damage has already been done. The truth of the matter as I see it is that most people are creatures of habit anyway and think that them shopping once a week can’t make a difference to the way these corporate giants are run. If every single person thought, no, we’re not shopping in those big places, they would collapse and it wouldn’t take long.

So we need to make a stand against these giants. They need to know they don’t rule the country (though I wouldn’t be surprised to hear they wanted to do that, as well). Support your local farm shops and indies; the butcher who gives you the best cuts; the farmer who sells good quality produce at reduced prices; independent booksellers; local craftspeople who make and sell their own little trinkets or their handmade jewellery. These people need our trade more than the giants who ply the old adage, ‘We’re cheaper.’ Cheaper on certain products, perhaps. But at what cost?