Colin

https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2021/05/24/counterfeit-money-circulating/

OK, not really a problem for me as I pay for most of my stuff using a card and any cash I have is taken straight from a ATM but, how on earth are most people going to be able to check if a note is dodgy especially as there seem to be quite a number of different notes in circulation ?

A bit more information would have been useful.

Spelling mitakes ?  Wording ??  Serial Numbers ???  Watermarks ????

I guess that we will all have to become 'experts' at fake note detection...   Form an orderly queue whilst I check my change at the counter....

Agreed, but why 'sell the the family silver' ?

AFAIK, Australia does not produce oranges and bananas, at least not in any quantity..

Then, you would have to ask why we need any 'Trade Deals' at all.  Why not just lock the doors and throw the keys away ?

My guess is that the 'big' farmers will end up doing OK but, he 'part timers' are going to be 'thrown under the bus' by this lot down in Westminster.

Doom and Gloom.... 

Why don't you mention the thousands that the government will save on grants to crofters. ??? 

Anyway, I would be surprised if the 'common man' ever got access to cheap(?) meat..

29 minutes ago, George. said:

Where they state that the Co-op is exiting both Lerwick and Brae. 

How exciting.

Don't you think that they might, just possibly, meant "existing"

I'm not the only one with a bad keyboard...

Everything is for sale these days, including your grannie...

10 minutes ago, Capeesh said:

We voted for Alistair Carmichael MP who was a cabinet minister of the LibDem/Tory coalition UK government.

The only things I remember him achieving for Shetland was austerity, foodbanks and flogging the Post Office for buttons.

If a member of the government in power can’t do better than this how do you think opposition MP’s who are facing a government with an 80 seat majority are going to manage?

Exactly...  They might as well stay at home and save us a bit on the expenses..

It's irritating..

I'm all for Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression, and the Right to Protest but, some people seem to just want to destroy the ideal by pushing the boundaries of what is currently defined as 'acceptable behaviour'.

What I found a little odd is that, whoever did it, spray painted a swastika as well.  I suppose that they were ignorant of it's origins (which is, AFAIK, the Indian sub continent).  Just another symbol hijacked by extremists ?

https://www.shetnews.co.uk/2021/05/03/disgust-and-indignation-after-racist-graffiti-appears-on-buildings-at-garths-ness/

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Seems that we still have some sub-humans living and walking among us.

I suppose that somebody will now call me out for referring to the perpertrators as "sub human".  Go ahead, I can take it.. 

2 hours ago, Evil Inky said:

^What makes you think the EU is "imploding"?

https://unu.edu/news/news/europes-future-fragmented-implosion-or-greater-integration.html

Make your own mind up, but it seems (to me) that all options are worthy of consideration.

1 hour ago, XAM7102 said:

Co-op Own brand beans 0.32p

Co-op honest value beans 0.25p, not 0.22p but not far off it. 

Tried them both, and maybe it's just me but, the Co-op own brand beans taste rubbish though..

5 hours ago, XAM7102 said:

Depends what your buying, many CO-OP own brand products are cheaper though some country shops also carry CO-OP brand stuff but i am not sure if its at the same price point, with the CO-OP you only get clubcard money back with thier own brand stuff where with Tesco its done on the total spend. 

 

I would prefer it if both the Co-op & Tesco took the loyalty(?) money off the headline price.

Price is definately a guide point when buying your dinner but, perversely, I find some of the cheaper tins of beans (from Tesco) taste better (to me) than the big brand names..  One man's meat.., I guess..

As XAM7102 pointed out, there is not much quality difference to choose with staples like pasta's/potatoes/etc.  and Tesco often sells them for pennies.

As for the Co-op; I don't find them much cheaper, if at all, than some country shops.  They are just a big country shop in the middle of town.. 

3 hours ago, Spinner72 said:

I saw the first advert I had seen for an electric isles car a few weeks ago. £750 asking price.

I canna wait for the next generation of Isles fixes. Yet another use for the trusty ZX Spectrum perhaps?

Probably got 5 flats..  4 tyres and a battery...  

AFAIK (and I could be wrong), the Council will make the final decision, but they generally follow the Planing Dept advice.

You can borrow my tin hat if you want...  It's a bit thicker than most, and covers bits that others cannot reach.. 

43 minutes ago, Urabug said:

The demise of the country shop has more to do with price than anything else, it is impossible for local businesses to compete with the large supermarket conglomerates who are able to purchase large quantities at reduced prices, consequentially are able to pass it on to us the customer.

Sandwick area used to have 4 shops ,and Burra also had 4 shops ,Scalloway had several, and if we look at Shetland as a whole most of the small shops are gone.

Wholesale businesses also cannot buy the quantities required to give them a reasonable profit margin for themselves and for there customers and we the customers are not prepared to pay extra just to keep them in business.

I have been surprised that many country shops have survived at all 

I don't want to see anymore shops go out of business as a result of those new proposed coop supermarkets, but I'm not going to lie and say that I'm prepared to pay more for my errands to support local business and I would guess that is much the same for most of us. 

Maybe we need to go back to the good old days when many items had the price marked on them by the manufacturer, then it was a level playing field in some respects.

 

All fair comment, but like yourself, I do not want to pay any more than I have to.

I have noticed that some country shop charge a 'premium' on some items, and it is not unknown to be charged a whole £1 extra for a packet of ciggies.  I don't like price gouging anywhere, and I only get burned (sic) once, preferring to go without until I can get into co-op/tesco.

Strange really, because the country shop then loses out on the other stuff I might have bought at the time.

As for 'price marked' goods, there are still plenty about, but at the same time, I know of country shops that refuse to stock them!!!

The moral is that some country shops need to try and meet their customers halfway instead of treating them as a resource to fund a comfortable living.  If they were to do that, then they might stand a better chance of surviving.

It's just not the local shops that would be threated.  Wholesalers (who supply the local shops) based in Lerwick would also feel it via reduced turnover.  There's a fair few folk employed in them as well.

On the other hand, people who normally shop in the Lerwick Co-op will now be able to do their main shop (more conveniently) in the Sandwick/Scalloway ones instead.  Might be a case of little, or no, overall effect.

What did the small Co-op do to Brae, what effect did it have. ?  Anybody know?

Perhaps the local shops might also be able to reduce their prices in order to compete?

I'm not so sure about Sandwick but, It might also be worth noting that for Scalloway at least, the proposed development will take place in an area that is not really suitable(?) for access by non-drivers, being a couple of hundred yards from the nearest bus stop, and the bus cannot stop 'at the door' because it is would be on quite a busy junction.  It would also be built on a bog, right underneath the Scord Quarry, and with a fairly limited local population cachement.

Fine for a packet of fags, or a bottle of milk if you live down the East Voe but, it's beginning to sound like a 'vanity' project. 

I think that the East Voe probably needs a small retail outlet of some sort but, I doubt that it needs something on this scale.

What about the Shetland Ponies that graze in the park, and the visiting geese that alight there?  Goodbye tourists ? Maybe Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi) was right after all..

At the moment,  I'm 'undecided'

yawn

I wasn't going to bother responding but, seeing as roachmill seems to be making a point os stalking/trolling my posts, and evil inky seems to making a point of stalking/trolling GR's posts,  it's beginning to look like a conspiracy.  Just an 'opinion' of course... 

On 12/04/2021 at 21:10, Fjool said:

In my experience, one is perfectly able to express one's true personal points of view without being called these things. Might it have something to do with the opinions being expressed?

Which rather neatly sums up the claim that we are no longer allowed to voice opinions/views that differ from the 'official', 'politically correct' narrative.

I didn't say anything of the kind, but there you go....

As we all know from experience (Green Lilly), a very dangerous game indeed...   Glad it worked out for them.