h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sounds like the Co-op

"Where the needs of the shopper and the farmer/producer are put before those of the stockholders"

Aren't the needs of the shopper and the farmer in direct opposition?

The shopper needs all their stuff as cheap as possible, here, now, and the farmer needs as much cash as he can get and ideally for people to come and get the stuff from him to save him the bother of delivering.

I would like to see a healthy food shop, though. NOT a health-food shop - those are bastions of homeopathy and other contemptible woo. I wonder how a supermarket would go on if it had a policy of selling only healthy stuff... not very well I imagine.

I'd like to see a till that looks like a supermarket X-ray machine, with a trapdoor under it. You feed in all your shopping at one end, and it assesses it to see whether you're making healthy choices. Broccoli, fresh tomatoes, bit of garlic, porridge, jolly good, one bottle of wine, some crisps as a little treat, that's fine... next customer please.

Pot noodles, microwave pizza, an apple, Mars bars, twenty cans of Stella... no you don't fatty. Only the apple comes out the other side, and you need to go round the shop again, and shop healthily this time, lardarse. Or push off back to McDonalds.

I think if you set up a shop like this you'd make a *fortune*. Not everyone would shop there, of course - the tubbers would know they couldn't actually get their shopping out of the shop, so they'd go to Iceland or Lidl or wherever it is those people go. But can you even *imagine* the levels of smugness that could be attained by people who'd managed to get their entire weekly shop through the scanner without having anything held back? I'm convinced that there's a market out there of people who'd be more than happy to pay up to 25% more for their weekly shop, just so they could be smug about where they'd bought it.

And if you disagree, I have two words for you: Toyota Prius.

>>Aren't the needs of the shopper and the farmer in direct opposition?

And yet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB90b8xXYIk

>> I'm convinced that there's a market out there of people who'd be more than happy to pay up to 25% more for their weekly shop, just so they could be smug about where they'd bought it.

I think you may be right. They currently shop in the M&S food hall.

Mol

M&S? How frightfully plebeian.

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/giffnock/

Us *really* smug people grow our own food on our trendy allotments.

I'd like to make another vote for online shopping, It is blooming ace for the loins share of stuff.

I'm lucky to have a good collection of local shops, including and excellent independent greengrocer in easy walking distance for topping up on fruit and veg.

I tend to do 1-2 big shops from delivery getting all the tins/pasta/water/cleaning stuff etc and top up in between times for dairy, meat and veg at times when I am hgoing to be near apporpriate shop anyhow.

Getting your main shop done whilst having a turnout, or in the work canteed at lunchon my smartphone is flipping great!

FB

I sometimes do online shopping and yes, it takes less time, but it's not the same, you can't tell how fresh anything is. Avocados and mangos have to be just right, fresh fish must look 'bright', mundane packets should be well in date, even the lowly tin mustn't be dented (as they often are when delivered, yes I'm looking at you Mr ASDA) and so the time spent in the supermarket is not wasted, it's *invested*.

BTW, Lidl was unfairly dissed earlier, it's actually a great place for some very good value top-quality olive oil and cheese.

And I once got a really USB microscope there.

My mate calls that car a Toyota Pious. Quite apt.