Do You Live In Tescoville?
The Rise and Rise Of The Tesco Menace
I have never shopped in Tesco, nor will I ever do so. Their attitude to suppliers, especially farmers, who they refuse to pay a fair price for products, their take it or leave it stance to workers in the UK and abroad and their general ‘we will open stores no matter what the effect on local communities’ policy really pisses me off.
In the UK you could be blind folded and dumped in any retail park and you wouldn’t have a clue where you were. Every town now looks the same with the ubiquitous McDonalds, KFC, Argos, B&Q et al. Tesco are killing the small businesses in every location they open a store. They are not satisfied with their large superstores, they are now opening smaller Metro stores in city centres. In Manchester city centre alone they have no less than 3 such stores within half a mile of each other.
The ‘Lords of the Universe’ who already have a 30% share of the grocery market and over 2000 stores in the UK, last year announced profits of over 3 billion pounds and will not be content until they have taken over every country and decimated every community. They already have a foot in 13 countries and plan to open stores in Portugal, Italy, India and Russia in the near future. They withdrew from France and Taiwan, where happily they didn’t receive the support they expected.
I know other store groups are very similar, but Tesco are the main culprits in this ‘lets take over the world’ policy and if people spread their spending around a little more it may halt their march for domination.
A website www.tescopoly.org with it’s slogan ‘every little hurts‘ gives a lot of information on their plans, exploitation and effects on communities.
That’s a very principled attitude you have Bill, I tip my hat to you.
Unfortunately Tesco have invaded my suburb of Leamington, and the worst part is they bought a public house, and applied for a change of use!
The community shops are only 100 yards away, and I feel sorry for them.
The first thing I noticed in Newtown Stewart, Scotland, is that it has an individual character. None of the bland multi-national superstores you see everywhere in England.
Tesco’s megalomania doesn’t stop at shopping, I heard they were going to build a complete ‘town’ with houses, offices, industrial units and of course a Tesco hypermarket! Don’t forget pride comes before the fall though.
John
[Reply]
[Reply]
Hi Bill, a powerful post, thanks for sharing. I do not buy any Nestle products for the very same principles (and there unethical activities in the third world in the main). And no, I don’t shop at Tesco either, even though a huge new one opened locally a couple of years ago. Give me the small independent retailers any day.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
[Reply]
[Reply]
Hello Bill!
I don’t know Tesco, but it sounds like a few superstore chains we have here in Canada and the States. I think they exist because people refuse to think and buy responsibly. What I mean is that people don’t take the time to know what they are buying, where it was manufactured and in the case of food to look at the list of ingredient. True it takes more time to shop, but it feels better because I know that my decisions have an impact. When products stay on the shelves we are sending a strong message and companies have to start listening to what consumers want. They want our money, let’s get them to serve us the way we want to be served.
[Reply]
[Reply]
Hi Bill, so i’m not alone in my dislike of tesco. Good for you to speak out mate.
I live in Aylesbury, which has a population of 165,748 (thanks Google) for that we have 2 major Tesco stores, 1 Sainsbury and 1 morrisons. Plus the smaller Metro stores tesco have dotted about, i think about half of our estates now have one.
Our high street is always having independant shops close down and replaced (eventually) with either charity shops or fly by night pound shops that are gone within a few months. Our market is always shrinking and the town centre is pedestrianised so the shops that are open are not getting the passing trade any more.
Tesco want it all and simply do not care about anyone but themselves. They’re now doing it all, credit cards, insurance, mobile phones, broadband packs, clothes, electrical goods etc etc. Remember they were green grocers when they started.
Thanks Bill, catch up soon, Barry
[Reply]
[Reply]
Here Bill, i had to pop back and let you see this:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tesco-Outlet
would you believe it?
They want a slice of it all don’t they
Until next time mate, Barry
[Reply]
[Reply]