Tesco is not to blame for trade in Southam

I work at the Tesco store in Southam and, while I admit that this may make me slightly biased, I felt that I had to respond.

I agree that the number of the shops in Southam town centre are excellent and provide first-class, friendly service. However, a number of points were raised that I strongly disagree with. Firstly, yes, it is important to support local business. The key word here, however, is support. It is not just Tesco that is to blame for the demise of smaller stores in the area; if residents feel that these businesses must remain in the area, then it is their responsibility to patronise them. People choose to shop at supermarkets; the blame cannot be laid solely at the door of big business.

On a related note, perhaps more people would shop at Budgens if they lowered their prices. I accept that there are costs involved that affect this to a certain degree, but even taking this into account, they charge far to much for their goods.

I also felt that I had to defend Tesco’s charity and community support efforts. Our charity champion is a lovely lady who works very hard to do what she can to support local events, and while she can’t please everyone, the level of sarcasm aimed (indirectly) at her in this letter was completely unwarranted. To answer your correspondent’s query regarding the store’s taking part in the Southam Carnival, efforts were made by her to organise a float, but there was little or no interest from other staff members - and she obviously can’t do it on her own! - Rachel Sayers, Beech Close, Southam.