Rip Off Petrol in Tetbury

[Devils Advocate]

Pegi,

I too think of myself as a member of the Tetbury community, but am struggling to remember which shops of the pre-Tescos era went out of business directly due to the arrival of Tescos. My recollection was that the greengrocers was gone long before Tescos got here (they retired I think) and the butchers on London Road closed not because of competition, but because they couldn't get people to work from 4 in the morning on close to minimum wage. Not sure about Phillips bakery, but suspect that too was more due to retirement than competition. Other shops that have come and gone over recent years have largely been of the "interiors" variety - not in competition with Tescos, but in competition with each other in a limited market place.

I could go on about this for ages, but I won't. I know the Chamber of Commerce try hard to encourage people to shop in town. It's a shame that they can't do anything about the ridiculous parking charges (yes, I know there's a free carpark on the railway yard, but it's not ideally placed for the elderly or parents of young children!)

Pre-Tescos we all used to get in our cars and drive to Stroud or Cirencester for our weekly shop. Now we stop off in Stroud or Ciren on our way to work for cheaper petrol!

Tescos is a terrifyingly powerful corporate beast, but they've given jobs to local people, and if they can bring cheaper petrol to us then that's a good thing.

There's a lot of "them and us" on this forum. Maybe the need for cheaper petrol could be the one thing that unites us.

[newishtotetbury]

I think the need for cheaper petrol is becoming increasingly pressing. I drive an unleaded car and have to commute to Cheltenham everyday, therefore petrol prices are becoming critical for me (and many others in similar positions), and shopping around is a must.

120.9p a litre was the price at Texaco today. Yet 10 miles away in Chippenham, at the weekend, I got petrol for 115.9p. The difference cannot be justified by distribution costs etc, it is yet another example of profiteering in Tetbury (and please don't answer with comments about free market economies preventing any concept of profiteering - oil prices are leading to a global crisis and therefore the market needs some controls)!

My car, by my calculations, currently costs about 15p a mile to run. Therefore the run to Chippenham and back costs about £3. My car takes 60 litres and the 5p a litre saving will save me £3 so the trip to Chippenham will do nothing but break me even. But I would rather do that than give my money to a garage that is growing rich off the difficulties of its customers. An extreme view perhaps, but one that I think is becoming increasingly common. Only by such boycotts will businesses like Texaco also feel the pinch and respond accordingly.

As for food,: Tesco is a leviathon that is often held to be responsible for the decline of rural communities in Britain. This is often true but in Tetbury I think that's a little unfair, as alternatives exist. It's up to the consumer to make the effort. We buy all our vegetables from Middle Hall Farm in Eastington. It is, believe it or not, significantly cheaper than Tescos, all the veg is grown on site and is fresh and in season. I am fortunate to pass it on my way to work but will (and have) make the journey regardless. Meat comes from the butchers, because although slighly more expensive it is of way better quality than Tesco's. Fish comes from Williams in Nailsworth or the Wednesday fish man in the market (if we're not at work). I tried fish from the chefs table in Tetbury but to say they charge a premium is a vast, vast understatement (£30 for 2 pieces of salmon, 2 pieces of Turbot and some haddock!!!). The quality of this fish is, again, superior to that of Tesco's and is therfore far more than just a conscience choice. Finally milk is delivered nice and fresh from the milkman (Dairycrest in Stonehouse).

Also we grow our own lettuces and herbs in an old tin bath in the garden (acquired from Top Banana "Antiques"!!). I know this may appear as a little Simple Life smugness but it is easy to do and we have a tiny garden!

I accept that not everyone is in a position to make the choices above, but most are and choose Tesco's instead. As do I for toilet roll, detergent, toothpaste etc etc. To then complain about Tescos, when those alternatives exist but you've chosen to ignore them, is somewhat churlish.

Come on people, there are local businesses out there supplying good quality produce, you just need to make a little effort to use them! And that effort is more than repaid when you know which field down the road your Sunday roast tatties came from.....

Sorry all...rant over!

[john]

Completely feel the same about the fuel, but what can you do! The Shell on the Nailsworth Stroud Road seems to stay consistent.

In defence of the Chefs Table, I have been there a few times and chatted to the owners (i think) and their fish is bought in small quantities from day boats in cornwall and comes up by delivery that evening. I am sure other large supermarkets do not hold the same values - mass trawlering of fish. I also agree the quality of their fish is superior and hope we continue to see new business coming to Tetbury.

[Lorraine]

I think the expansion of our Tesco's is a wlecome opportunity, firstly having a wider range of goods that all can afford i.e how many Tetbury residents regurlarly shop at Overider and Highgrove?? Secondly it will bring down the unemloyment stats. Lets not grumble about growth in our town but welcome it.

I would also like to add that the lads cleaning our vehicles are doing an excellent job, shame to the locals that continue to claim benefits etc.

PS Born and bred in Tetbury -grand old age of 41, never want to leave!!!!!! Maybe have a small house one day in the south of france

[Webmaster]

The Texaco garage is now remarkably cheap - 113.9 for petrol is very good at the moment. Not sure if diesel compares so well, but it seems to be a big change from a few months ago.

[ak]

Funny how not many have commented on recent low prices?

[Mrs Epsilon]

I know now that petrol has come down so much we're all a little bit less sensitive to differences in price between locations, but it's interesting that Tesco Tetbury is 3 pence per litre more expensive for unleaded than it is at the Tesco on the outskirts of Gloucester. It's also cheaper to buy petrol at the Shell in Nailsworth instead of Tesco in Tetbury...