New thoughts on the supermarket issue

It's good to have fresh insights on this issue.

Apparently the argument that providing a supermarket here in Ulverston would save lots of people going to Barrow is a false one. Many go to Barrow because they work there or need to go there for other reasons.

So having one here is rather unnecessary except for the few who would alternatively travel there specially for their shop.

I notice that Sainsbury is being very underhand in its reporting.

They are quoted as saying:

“It was very clear from our recent public exhibition that many people would like more choice and competition and would welcome the opportunity to do their main food shopping in Ulverston, rather than travelling to other towns.”

What exactly does the phrase "many people" mean ? It could well be true but it could also mean that these people are in the vast minority.

When I visited their exhibition in the Lantern House, first they admited that very few people had been - two of us were the only visitors there for the last 90 minutes of their show.

During that time they made another misleading statement:

"We have had people saying that they would be quite happy to walk into town and shop in the town having parked in our store"

This could no doubt be true but it only requires two people to say this for it to be true.

I personally I can't believe many people would want to drag their shopping all the way back from town up Daltongate, can you?

For me the big issue is the one of having somewhere convenient and inexpensive to park.

No one appears to want to take on this issue and yes it's a hard nut to crack.

This is compounded by the problem presented by supermarkets that offer free car parking which then disuades people from using shopping in town.Yet the experience of shopping in Ulverston itself is by far a richer experience emotionally. This is the way that friendships are maintained and developed.

When you walk around the town centre you repeatedly see small groups of two and three chatting and catching up on each others news. Because a supermarket depends on attracting a large number of people then the chance of meeting your friends and having a chat is decimated. How often do you have a chat with other shoppers in a supermarket?

How often do people drop in for a coffee in a supermarket whereas in Ulverston many cafes thrive because they provide such a friendly environment. We have Poppies where you are almost bound to meet one of your friends and similarly : The Peace Cafe, The Rose and Crown, The Farmers, The Hot Mango, The Old Ulverston Tea Rooms with the plants stalls outside.

The great diversity of shops is the way people enoy the social interaction that this promotes and as far as prices are concerned this mix in fact leads to great savings  with the likes of Smith and Harrisons, Brocklebanks, The Cheap Shop on New Market Street all of which undercut larger stores and supermarkets.

What shopping in town does mean is that it takes more time. However there are many people who have this commodity in abundance and need people contact to keep them bouyant. Increasingly, sadly, people are out of work. I bet if you surveyed towns with or without supermarkets for levels of depression you'd find places like Ulverston would be far healthier and happier places. The thirst for the cheapest price is often a mistaken treasure both supermarkets and the internet rob us of people interaction and good friendships. All it needs for us to have remote learning and working more at home and we're moving towards not enjoying life because we are all cut of from each other socially.



I've just returned from talking to Ralph Spours who is a very reluctant listener. When you are aware of John Gray's philosophy you can understand why.

We are all basically selfish. So what's in it for Ralph?

He has a good business that is relatively untouched by the issue - there's a big market in selling property to people looking for ' the better life' in a town like Ulverston even more when times are difficult and there is unrest in the cities. He has a certain standing in the town with his close circle of mates at the Farmers Arms.

I was there to float the idea that the solution for Ulverston's Car Parks might not be through the councillors but rather for the business community to buy the right to run the Car Parks themselves and show that more money can be made with more enlightened businesslike charges which would then make money for themselves.

I got the typical reaction from some who is not used to new ideas: throwing up what he saw as an insurmountable problem - that of supervising the car parks. - You mean Ralph that you think that our car parks are supervised? I think local pressure would be far more effective a way of getting people to pay the charges. Isn't it time for us to take charge of running our car parks - after all don't we own the land in The Gill and Stockbridge Lane Car Parks anyway.

No I'm afraid Ralph is part of the Cap Doff brigade from the way Ulverston used to be run which illustrates that we're still thirty years behind the times.

So where does one look to find people who have the guts to take on a difficult problem that many shy away from. I must admit I don't have the simple answer which is rather depressing but calls upon me to find so fight from somewhere. But then depression is the order of the day when the drummed up hype for nothing in particular dissipates.

Does the example of towns like Wrexham work? They have set themselves the target of having their car parks 85% used and adjust the fees until they achieve this.

They have come to terms with the thought that car parks are designed to park cars and if they are not doing this something needs to change.