The Poor Shop

When I started shopping in Tesco as a child all of those decades ago (long before the turn of this century), it was stacked high with 'the cheapest' produce on grubby pallets instead of clinical white shelving, this kept the cost down for the beginnings of the large scale 'discount retailer'. Anyone who used Tesco in those days was commented on to be "poor". Often insultingly  from youngsters but matter of fact by so called grown ups. I always refer to it in those long passed days as 'The Poor Shop'.

In the 1990s whilst investing in more outlets Tesco started to become cleaner and more streamlined. Of course their ever increasing buying power enabled higher margins to turn it into the investor behemoth that it is today.

So it was with confusion that a person said to me in the 2000s

"I bet you shop in Tesco don't you?" I answered that I do and they said that it was

"The Posh shop".

However much I tried to explain that Tesco was always the poor shop, they would have it only that this pristine store in their locality was the posh shop and therefore the whole organisation was 'the posh shop'

In the 2020s Tesco is no longer the poor shop, they have lost their competitive edge as German supermarkets make their presence felt with 'adequate produce' manufactured to just within the confines of food safety regulations where, incidentally, I do most of my shopping along with other equally good value retailers, happy that the difference between now and then (decades ago) is colossal in favour of quality and hygiene.

Millions of families have been raised on this produce, my own included, and it has served a large part of our nation (UK). Today though, and for years, I've seen scalping practices employed at Tesco to push prices as far as possible through the ceiling of inflation for the sole purpose of generating profit for those gamblers who risk their own and others finances on the stock market. They are responsible for keeping your food expensive. Tesco have lost billions to the newcomers though and the trend continues shown by the amount of new German originating stores opening and due to be built.

The point though is this, Tesco is now testing out the 'no till' shop where you can walk in, pick up your goods and walk straight out again. In that store you will find only the very best of the best produce designed to be twice the price whilst the majority of the rest of the produce (bendy, slightly soiled and misshapen and all) can be filtered out to the masses in not so urban areas which will maintain the discounted food for us masses.

This to me is reminiscent of the glaring disparity between societies in Demolition Man (Stallone, Bullock, Hawthorne, Leary). Sure it is fiction. It is also the continuation of a creeping privilege servicing and promoting those with more surplus income where they can trade without concern for price whilst the majority continue the battle of balance between income and outgoings, oblivious to what 'surplus income' is.

However much social engineering goes on over the years by grandiose shop keepers the masses (including me) continue to wash their veg, grow their own where they can and search out value over convenience. At least we are now being accommodated for in the larger stores with low stimulus hour. Before the current pandemic though the best time for me to shop was in the 24 hours opening store at night, it was wonderful.

LINK to news story - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58951984