We try to support local shops but they have to offer something in return.

There is a 24hr garage about a mile up the road from me which is also a Spar? shop. They bought out the nearby local post office/shop and although the people who run it are local, I try to avoid using it. One can make allowances on prices but this place IMO takes the piss. Unfortunately it seems to be a gold mine though although my mother has remarked she never sees the old faces that used to use the old shop - almost as a village meeting place at times.

Cromer has a few shops we use, the hardware shop is excellent, reasonably priced (often cheaper than B&Q, etc.) and you get friendly service from someone who knows what they are talking about. I could say the same for the electrical shop who seems to have everything I have wanted in that line - so far multimeter, a few metres of 2.5mm cable, junction boxes, ni-cad battery charger... I wish the computer shops were as good - I'd use them if they were...

One thing we have in this part of Norfolk that I feel we don't use enough are the farm shops and places on the side of the road - you can get some great fresh produce at very reasonable prices round here.

Just thinking vegatables, we got some carrots the other day - rejects - "misshapes" that taste fine at 8p per pound. My mum looked around after at prices - good carrots from a farm place - 18p per pound - carrots from the garrage -60p per pound.

Jon