Taking the Super Out of Market, Part II

OK, so Babe's trip to the market wasn't quite as successful as she would have liked. Far from being a bustling market full of sumptuous wares, the market in Stourbridge is some what dilapidated and, well, half empty. I remember going there as a child and picking up mallow filled ice cream cones from a shop at the back, near the stairs to the Car Park. This unit now lays boarded up. A shop just around the corner from it would sell a vast array of mouth-watering sweets, sits there - closed.

So, I did try and shop at the market. But, well there's certain things that only the High Street can provide. In total I spent £103.39 on hitting the tarmac shopping. OK, so even though I didn't look at a whole week last time that's still sounding like a lot more to me. Granted some of that was just down to having to make some expensive purchases. Ink Cartridges priced at £39.99 (although not bad considering you get four).

The only things I managed to get from the market were some cheese, some fruit and vegetables, some greetings cards and some meat. On the plus side the customer service element was superb in comparison to many of the big brand supermarkets. But, the environment wasn't pleasant, with a strong scent of tobacco loitering overhead and lots of over zealous biddies vying for the best potatoes. It's also a lot of hassle as I found I couldn't get everything I wanted from the market I ended up having to go to the market, a freezer shop and a normal supermarket. That also meant three trips back to the car. To top it all off the market wasn't any cheaper than the supermarket. In fact, for many purchases it worked out more expensive!! I guess the buying power of the big players means we get good deals, eh?

Maybe if I'd gone shopping when the fortnightly Farmers Market is in town I would have found more variety, although I still doubt it would be cheaper than the Supermarket. I think the only way shopping at the market would work is if you're lucky enough to live somewhere where the local market still reigns supreme. I know some areas in London still have amazing local markets.

But for this Babe on A Budget I think I'll be sticking with markets of the super variety.

Ciao for now!

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