Store increases its stranglehold on town
I AM constantly amazed by the attitude of the town's 'favourite store' to the residents of Sleaford.
I am baffled by the fact that I can purchase goods for one price in Sleaford Tesco and yet find them slightly cheaper in the Lincoln and Boston Tescos.
More visibly at a time when all other suppliers in Boston, Grantham and Lincoln (including Tesco) were dropping the price of petrol to as low as 99.9p a litre, the Sleaford branch stubbornly kept the price per litre some 3p higher.
They did run a promotion where vouchers for 5p off were given out if you spent £50 in store but this is of little use to single persons who would not reach that amount in a single transaction.
The store's advice for them to bulk buy is ludicrous.
On the day that the price of oil was at its lowest for some many months and the £/$ was at its highest since last October, the store decided it was time to increase the price of petrol by 1p.
This was not followed by other retailers in surrounding towns – including other Tescos.
On August 11 Tesco in Sleaford again raised its price.
I have yet to read of where a butterfly may have crash landed in an oil-producing area which would cause such a panic response.
Tesco customer services inform me that the price of its petrol is governed by lack of competition in the town.
I hope the councillors who have agreed to allow this store to increase its stranglehold on the town see this as a benefit.
It looks like the community they serve are already ruing the day.
As for Tesco, have they never heard of "biting the hand that feeds you" or do they just believe they are now untouchable?
G M Peck
3 Comments
by John Law, Ruskington
Saturday, September 12 2009, 12:32PM
“If you are unhappy with the prices of the petrol you are free to shop elsewhere. If others are equally unhappy they can shop elsewhere. Tescos will have no choice but to reduce their prices if all their customers leave.
You want to maximise your profits by paying as little as possible for petrol, but, the store is NOT alowed to maximse their profits by charging as much as the customer is willing to pay.
If it wasn't for Tescos, sleaford wouldn't have half as many visitors, ergo, there would be less money, ergo, less shops providing services.
Have you never heard of 'biting the hand that feeds you.' ?
Thanks Tescos.”
by chris jackson, sleaford,NG34 7AU
Wednesday, August 26 2009, 6:57PM
“I too am amazed why we pay 4-5 pence a litre for fuel in Sleaford,when its cheaper in Grantham,Lincoln and Boston when we are in the middle.Surely there is a Cartel in Sleaford or is that the other towns have an Asda where there fuel prices stay the same nationally.
The answer is to boycott Sleaford Tesco and vote for a Asda store”
by jacqueline russell, sleaford ng34 8bj
Friday, August 21 2009, 12:05AM
“why can we not have a primark in sleaford instead of too many take away's and betting offices and charity shops it would be nice as it is too far away to shop for single parents”