"I could buy fruit cheaper in Lidl's than from the fruit man," said the owner of a family-owned business in the north-west. Like other local business people, she is feeling the hard pinch of the large discount shops.
"People are very aware of prices, and you wouldn't expect anything else but for people to look for the best price," she said.
High overheads and small profit margins also make life difficult, she said. And because the hours are so demanding, “I’m
never at home,” she said.
She has noticed a generational change in her customers. Young people will come in for cigarettes or top-ups for their mobile phones, but only the odd bits and pieces otherwise. Older people, who have been coming to the shop for years – her grandparents started the business 60 years ago – have remained loyal.
"I know they can go somewhere else and get it cheaper," she said. "But they're just so loyal." At the same time, she said, that type of loyalty "is very limited."
There also seems to be a sense of responsibility when you talk about a long-time family business. “I’m trying my best to build on something,” she said. she said. "I just think it's sad that a lot of small shops are closing down."
The shop is finding new success in its deli counter, which serves fresh, prepared foods all day. She said that segment will likely become more of a focus in the future. “It sells the best,” she admitted.
In her grandparents' day, people would walk for miles to get to the shop. Like so many local, family-run shops throughout rural Ireland, theirs became a real social centre and a meeting place for the community. Even today, pensioners in particular tend to come into the shop regularly on a Friday to do some shopping and have the craic.
"There’s something nice about it,” she said. “You don't get that in supermarkets."
The full article contains 338 words and appears in Donegal Sunday newspaper.
