The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: MAK on December 07, 2012, 05:27:59 pm

Title: Mobile Shop.
Post by: MAK on December 07, 2012, 05:27:59 pm
Does anyone have a mobile shop visit them or are they a thing of the past ?
I took some eggs over to an elderley (83 years) neighbour today as it was snowing and I was going to check she had fire wood in the house. The old dear was in her boots,headscarf (no coat as she tells me that winter arrives in january here  ;D ) moving firewood from her kitchen into a marvellous old chest in her hall. She accepted the eggs but showed me the dozen she had bought from our mobile shop. She had more food in the house than we do and she relies on the mobile shop for her meat,fish cheese etc etc
Our area has few villages but rather there are many clusters of 4-5 houses ( lots of these are empty) so the mobile shop is a great service. He is more expensive than the supermarket (17 km) and there is no on-line shopping and delievery here. But at least it means that single elderley people can continue to live there traditional rural life with some indepandance and are less reliant on any family that may still be in the area.
I just hope the mobile shop has snow tyres!
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: Rosemary on December 07, 2012, 05:31:43 pm
We have a fish van comes but it's not very good.

I used to work for the Co-op 35 years ago (yes, child labour  ;) ) and they had a fleet of vans - bakery, butcher (called Fleshing in Co-op speak) and general grocery. All gone now.

There was a mobile butcher's van in the Hillfoots (Menstrie, Alva, Tillicoultry) until fairly recently.
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: sabrina on December 07, 2012, 05:41:36 pm
There is a fruit and veg van goes round Gardenstown and a fish van.
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: NormandyMary on December 07, 2012, 05:47:09 pm
Our village has a market on Friday mornings, usually only a fruit and veg stall but sometimes we get a butchers/charcuterie van too. On Tuesdays, the fish van comes to call. Lots of the elderly locals use both services as there are always queues when I pop down. We dont have anything that actually comes to our little road though, so its just as well we have 2 cars!
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: Ina on December 07, 2012, 06:03:43 pm
Fish mannie around here, too - I believe they sell some veg and eggs, too, but I've never tried them, as I don't eat fish... But then. we aren't in any way "remote"; you could - theoretically - get everything you need from the Coop, if you can put up with their loud music, that is!  :rant:
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: in the hills on December 07, 2012, 06:09:16 pm
We get a mobile butcher who also sells veg, a fish van, and the spar deliver from the village.


Also a mobile library van.


When it snows the butcher delivers using his tractor.  :o ;D  ..... great stuff
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on December 07, 2012, 06:14:05 pm
we have a mobile fish van, mobile bank and mobile library, also a hopper bus people can 'hop' on. I think a van actually visiting the fermtouns in our area would be flummoxed in winter by the fact they wouldnt be able to get up quite a few of the access roads which are steep ice rinks or deep in snow!
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: happygolucky on December 07, 2012, 06:43:48 pm
THat fish man gets around  :innocent: , mind you, we are near lots of shops, the Co op over the road so I am sure we will never starve!!! ....years ago everything came in vans, I remember the Deli van being a weekly treat, mum love garlic sausage, me not keen, then or now.  Do milkmen still deliver milk? I have not seen a milk float in ages!
 
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: in the hills on December 07, 2012, 06:49:49 pm
Yep, yep ..... well a lady delivers in her car.  ;D
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: Ina on December 07, 2012, 07:14:57 pm
Yes, forgot about that - we have a local milk delivery, too.
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: MikeM on December 07, 2012, 07:17:26 pm
no mobile shop here. No need, as all the big supermarkets are moving in. It's starting to feel like the home counties, but with nicer scenery  :'(
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: goosepimple on December 07, 2012, 09:08:34 pm
we get our milk and juice delivered from the milkman, but the fish van was just too expensive, fish is expensive isn't it! More so than meat I think. 
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: deepinthewoods on December 07, 2012, 09:12:54 pm
but fish is better for you, and its mostly wild, ie natural, has the highest death rate of any industry and is worth supporting.
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: Polished Arrow on December 07, 2012, 11:24:06 pm
Coming to the farm door we have a regular visit from:
:sunshine:


We also have a dial-up bus service.
In the village we have a mobile police office and an intermittent Internet Cafe.

Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: happygolucky on December 08, 2012, 12:13:10 am
We miss Leicester Market, I used to buy cheap fish, meat and veg and other stuff there, nothing like it here so we rely on the supermarket reductions and most reduce fish......I often get fish bargains and have a freezer full of the stuff and so I do not bother with the fish man!! Fish to me is easy and convenience food, tasty, quick and full of nutrients!!
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: MAK on December 08, 2012, 08:19:25 am
Great to hear that so many "home visitors" are still going. they are more expensive and they are so imporatnt for some who live in remote areas or are simply old or unable to get to the shops. I try and support ours but find myself buying just some milk or something cheap as we go into town once a week or so.
Title: Re: Mobile Shop.
Post by: tizaala on December 08, 2012, 09:04:18 am
There is a delivery man in the Welshpool area rejoices in the name  "Dick The Milk " in big letters on his truck ....you can see him coming miles away. :innocent: