Supermarket warning from America

Saturday 14th June 2008, 10:00AM BST.

CHAMBER of Commerce members had the chance to see a film this week illustrating the dangers of supermarket giants in small communities.

‘Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price’ was screened at the Arts Centre.

The film was created by Robert Greenwald and featured the stories of families and communities impacted by the introduction of Wal-Mart stores in America.

David Warr, who chairs the small business committee at the Chamber, said that the film outlined the Chamber’s concerns about the JCRA view that a third supermarket in Jersey would be beneficial for the economy as it would bring down prices.

‘I think we have created awareness with the screening, and the film showed the tragedy that has befallen rural communities in America,’ he said.

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1
Butterworth S P

June 13, 2008 at 3:38 pm

A warning none too soon. Supermarkets and lower prices, for how long and what about the rest of the small town shops, they cannot afford to pressurise their suppliers like the big supermarkets do. Result in the end? Higher prices and ghost towns in central shopping areas. One does not need to look far afield to see the affects of such.

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2
D Hardisty

June 13, 2008 at 6:11 pm

Not everyone can afford to shop at M&S and the cost of food at supermarkets such as the Co-op, Checkers and Safeway have sky rocketed lately. Higher rents as well as the introduction of GST has killed off the small family run corner shops, so bring on another supermarket competitor, it’s desperately needed. This isn’t America…This is Jersey!

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3
Mark

June 13, 2008 at 6:45 pm

While i do agree to providing cheap food i do also agree that a sense of caution has to aired.

If you were to have a Tesco they would not just sell food. While we get cheap food and goods the highstreet suffers and closes down.

What would my wife do without a town centre to spend her money. sorry MY money!

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4
Mrs Taylor

June 14, 2008 at 12:22 pm

It’s disgusting the prices that the supermarkets charge for food.

The bread from the bakery is £1.40 and it tastes like the rubbish that you get in the uk for 24pence !!!!

I now get my bread from m&s because i prefer not to eat cardboard in the morning!!!

Another thing £9.11 for baby milk at checkers. In the uk it’s £6.30

Let us bring tesco over, then maybe checkers, la riche etc will start to charge REAL prices.

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5
Gary

June 15, 2008 at 8:31 pm

Introduce another supermarket and it will be the final nail in the coffin for the town market I suspect. Get rid of a couple of the ‘super’ markets that we have that are run by fat cats that line their own pockets by all means. Most seem to have embraced GST with glee as it means they can bump up their own prices a little by wrapping it up with having to administer the cost of GST. Perhaps I’m being cynical, but I suspect prices have risen by at least 5% – 3% GST, 1% adminsitration charges and 1% extra profit for the fat cats. Luvely jubbly. The small shopkeeper can’t do that, or certainly not so easy and those in the central market probably just scrape by on a living like most of us. Those that run Jersey, and are running into the ground, are just just loosening that plug, bit by bit and eventually we’ll all just drown in the Channel while they’ll have swanned off to bermuda ‘on holiday’!

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