SUPERMARKETS ARE ESSENTIAL
TO THE COMMUNITY

by Rex Needle

Reproduced from the Bourne Diary, Saturday 3rd January 2009

THE RECENT holiday season has demonstrated the love hate relationship we have with our supermarkets and also highlighted the fact that Sainsbury's has now become very much an integral part of Bourne’s commercial life and is here to stay. The car park at the Exeter Street site may be too small and the queues at the check-outs at busy periods can be exasperating but in a national retail market under threat the store has become essential to a large section of our expanding population.

Many people had misgivings when it opened on Friday 13th August 1999, the biggest single retail development in the history of the town, a controversial arrival because it not only involved the demolition of several houses and business premises but also the re-alignment of the road system amid protests that the work was pushed through by the local authorities with undue haste and without sufficient public consultation. There have also been complaints in recent months about the noise of delivery lorries unloading at unsocial hours but all of these drawbacks appear to have been overshadowed by the service the company is giving to the community.

But how handy it is to pop in and out and buy exactly what you need mostly at reasonable prices and although you may sometimes pay more than elsewhere, this outlet is conveniently situated and within easy reach of most who live within a five mile radius. It also offers a dependable service, always there, useful opening hours, well stocked and with a courteous staff ready to help. The appeal of Sainsbury's was demonstrated several times over the holiday when there were actually queues to get in and the wait at the checkouts lengthened as a result but most complaints were overcome by the convenience of shopping so close to home and a friendly atmosphere within.

It has become fashionable to criticise supermarkets, to compare the advantages of one against another, but the fact remains that Sainsbury's is a reputable and dependable company selling quality products that has won an affectionate place in the life of Bourne by offering value for money and, what is more important in a world that is fast becoming unreliable, it is always there.

The risk we run in depending on one store for our supplies is that it is not everlasting. Supermarket companies are far from being altruistic, their primary objective being to make a profit rather than serve the community, and if this fails then they will go the way of Budgens and Woolworths.

Nevertheless, within a decade, Sainsbury's has won its place as the main supplier of groceries to this town and is making valiant efforts to become involved with the community, allowing scouts, guides and youth sports teams to collect for their causes at the checkouts in exchange for helping customers to pack their purchases, as well as becoming involved in other aspects of life in the town. Customers feel secure in this knowledge, finding it a safe haven for shopping in an uncertain world. If we turned up one day to find it closed, then we should really begin to worry about the state of the nation.

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