Another Penny Market chain supermarket has opened in our area. This time it’s at Pian di Coreglia and occupies a formerly abandoned, unfinished structure. Easily visible on the right side of the road going from Bagni di Lucca to Fornaci di Barga the chain has done a good job in completing an eyesore concrete box.

We visited the new store yesterday and found it well laid out although a little smaller than the Penny Market branch we normally patronize at Borgo a Mozzano. A feature which is different is that, in addition to a separate fresh bakery section it also has a meat and fish manned counter. We might well use this supermarket when going northward up the Serchio valley. The check-out queues, too, appear shorter than those at Borgo: self-service check-outs are not a feature in our part of the world where most people still pay for their purchases with cash.

Supermarkets may have their advantages, especially for car drivers, and many lower prices but they also bring disadvantages. Bagni di Lucca had three family-run local mini-markets when we first came here over ten years ago. Now they have all gone thanks to the supermarket chains. No friendly face-to-face chats between shop-owner and customer. No possible door-to-door delivery. No information as to the precise derivation of fruit and veg sold. And with out-of-town locations supermarkets are obviously user-unfriendly for those folks who actually like to walk to their shops from home or even cycle there.

This year yet another supermarket has opened up in our area. It’s a branch of Carrefour and is on the Via Brennero between Villa and Chifenti. This time the supermarket utilizes a former car showroom. At least the structure has not been left unoccupied but again its presence must impact on local family-run shops.

Of course many will say that this is how things are going and that there is nothing anyone can do about it. Certainly in this cost-of-living crisis many mortals will believe they may be saved by supermarket prices, especially ‘discount’ stores like Lidl, Eurospin and Penny Market.

Looking at what is happening in the USA, however, even supermarkets, especially if they are situated in shopping malls, may be doomed. On-line shopping has greatly increased since the pandemic encouraged it. The frequency of parcels bearing the familiar curved arrow motif has certainly increased at our place, although the only food items we have ordered are items not normally found in our local supermarkets like Scottish shortbread and Arab loukum.

And this leads me to a last point. Could there be a beneficial competition between our area’s supermarkets? Apart from prices could some stores become specialists in wines? Maybe have a special gourmet section? Or how about providing outlets for local products? Eurospin in Castelnuovo has been successful in having a local products section, for instance. Other stores could publicise a less crowded ambience or a quicker check-in routine. There might even be increased space for the sale of products from the UK. Cheddar? Silver-cut marmalade? Hovis? Haggis? Cumberland sausage? Melton Mowbray pork pie? Quality Street?
Some supermarkets may even pride themselves in having friendlier staff!