Okay, second things first. The Daily Telegraph really has taken over from The Times as the bastion of crusty-establishment Olde England. In keeping with their interest in all matters Tory the paper lauded Carol Thatcher on her victory on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here show. The Telegraph report by James Burleigh and Hugh Davies (it takes two to write up a world event of this magnitude) included the following piece of impenetrable journalistic pomposity:
“Speaking afterwards to the programme’s presenters, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, Thatcher described her ordeal ….”
I’m surprised that they didn’t refer to the presenters as Mister Anthony McPartlin and Mister Declan Donnelly.
It is interesting to hear that manufacturers are getting extremely uppity about secondary retailing (where one shopkeeper buys off another, rather than following his regular lines of supply). A recent survey has shown that nearly forty per cent of small traders buy part of their stock from supermarkets rather than the more traditional cash-and-carry outlets. At the insistence of their suppliers the supermarkets are promising to try and stop serving secondary retailers such as these.
But why, oh why, for Heaven’s sake? I, like most booksellers, have purchased multiple copies of Harry Potter books from Asda at their loss-leading prices in the past. I’ve then sold them on at a better margin than I would have if I had bought them from a wholesaler. Why not? It’s straightforward trading. If Sainsbury sell bottles of Baileys for four pounds below the cash-and-carry price, then good luck to them. But why should they have to refuse to sell them to the owner of the corner shop who can then sell them to the public at a more competitive price.
If manufacturers really want a Great Britain where the public are encouraged to purchase their goods exclusively from the four or five major supermarket chains, then fine. I’m off. Surely there must be some law to stop restrictive practices and discrimination in retailing. I can understand a sign in a supermarket saying “SPECIAL TODAY - 50% OFF - LIMITED TO ONE PER CUSTOMER ONLY”. But for trade associations to go and actively seek legislation to outlaw secondary retailing? Bah, humbug!
