Sue

I am sorted now thanks to a very useful PM, thanks everyone for your help!

What a truly horrible post.

I imagine Franco Manca's business dropped off quite a bit when Yard Sale opened (though isn't Yard Sale delivery only?) But in any case, both of those are chains.

There's a food bank off Dog Kennel Hill. Albrighton Community Fridge. https://www.albrightoncommunityfridge.org/ I'm sure they would welcome them, but maybe check first, as they don't actually mention fresh fruit on their website? But apples aren't that perishable. Drop off seven days a week 9 - 5. Be warned if you are going by car, parking can be very difficult, easiest if there are two of you so one person can take the food in while the other can move the car if necessary.

Another lost cat (hopefully soon to be found)? More postal delays? More sofas for sale? Actually, re the post, isn't this the week the delivery days change to alternate days for second class post and nothing at weekends (or something like that)? That must merit a new and exciting thread, surely 😀

Crikey, I had forgotten about that!

I think the East Dulwich one was one of the first ones after Brixton? It was very exciting when it first opened here, but yes they are all over the place now.

The shops selling gifts, interior stuff and clothes all sell different gifts, interiors stuff and clothes. They don't all have identical items, which would be ridiculous. It's a completely different situation. The coffee shops and restaurants mostly also have different vibes, different food etc and cater to different tastes and pockets. The two empanada places have virtually identical displays of identical looking empanadas. I don't think anyone has suggested this move is "malicious" - that would make it even worse. Cheeky, yes, given the proximity to the first shop. I agree this is good advertising, though most people in ED probably don't look at the ED Forum (I stand to be corrected). Re the "organic grocer", if it's the one on the same side as Chango, yes their snacks are very tasty. Unfortunately we were short changed there on several occasions when calling in late at night, and were once asked a ridiculous price for a few items (with no price tickets on the snacks) so we don't go there any more. Hopefully these were all genuine mistakes, and hopefully things have improved since their refurb.

Sorry, thought better of my comment .

No thanks, I've got enough spreadsheets of my own 🤣 But thanks for the offer 🤣

A Google search brought up eleven Chango branches, although they don't all seem to be listed on their website. In the order they came up: East Dulwich, Clapham Common, Mayfair, Wandsworth, City of London, Wimbledon, Parsons Green, Kensington, Highgate, Richmond, Hampstead. I think it is the positioning of this new branch that has mostly got to me. I accept that they would have to go for where a space became vacant, but Lordship Lane is pretty long, even just the part with shops in, and choosing to open a stone's throw away from Chacarero seems mean, to say the least. I wonder if they have made contact with Chacarero. It would be nice to think they had (in a friendly way, obviously!) As regards the apparent marketing spiel, at least one of the online reviewers also refers to a Chango branch (the Parsons Green one in this case) as a "gem". Probably just coincidence and a word in common use to describe such places. I wouldn't know. I'm ancient 🤣

According to what I can see online, Dynamic Vines and Cave de Bruno sell totally different kinds of wine to each other. Dynamic Vines "work with independent winemakers who produce outstanding wine using sustainable practices in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellar". Cave de Bruno specialises in French wines and spirits from small independent producers. So two different USPs, and no doubt two different but overlapping customer bases who can afford these wines. Probably different again to the people mainly shopping for wine at Majestic or the Co op. On the other hand, the two empanada shops appear on the face of it to be selling virtually identical products. But time will tell, won't it? Let's see how they are both doing in - say - a couple of years' time. Impossible, of course, to compare that with how they would have done if there had been only one of them. I just feel more sorry for the original one than for the one which can apparently already afford to have a number of shops in places like Mayfair and Highgate. I'm tempted to buy something there every week, and I don't even like that kind of pastry 🤣

Portable ramps are available for businesses to use in this sort of situation, aren't they? I don't know whether one would be suitable for use here, or whether they have the space to store one. Lots of people have permanent or temporary disabilities which mean they have to use crutches or a wheelchair.

But all those examples sell a wide variety of things, and mostly they are well spread out along Lordship Lane. These two shops both sell one very specific thing, albeit in different flavours, and are just across the road from each other. I don't think you can compare the distribution of shops in Roman times to the distribution of shops in Lordship Lane in the twenty first century. Well, you can, but it doesn't feel very appropriate. Haa anybody asked the first shop how they feel? Are they happy about the "healthy competition" ?

That link to your website doesn't work ? I'll try copy and pasting. And the cream tea for one doesn't seem to be included on the menu that's on Instagram? Have I missed something somewhere? Apologies if so.

I don't think you need to "do" Instagram, you can just click on the link. ETA: I have been asked to remove the menus I posted from Instagram, as they only apply to Purley, not East Dulwich. My apologies for any confusion.

Pints are better value 🤣

I'm off North Cross Road, and they deliver there. Ocado do have good offers, and yes obviously they are great value if you can stock up on things which keep. After doing some calculations, I just couldn't make it financially viable, even with what seemed like a very good offer. I think there must have been a minimum spend, and I couldn't find enough I wanted to buy from Ocado to reach it, even though my Waitrose delivery is often pushing £100 when I'm stocking up on things. I'll try again at some point if they haven't given up on me. I used to spend ages comparing prices of things between the different supermarkets, until I belatedly realised that my time was worth more than the relatively miniscule amounts I was potentially saving 🤣

I understand that, but I can't really grasp how it works in practice, but never mind 😵‍💫

At least in that case pedestrians could (probably, mostly) still get safely across the road. Whereas in the case above, the driver had no way at all to turn right. Their only option other than waiting for the traffic to move would have been to drive on and hope to turn right at some point further on and then get back to Ondine Road that way. But they might not have been able to do that either.

Looks like it! Though according to the OP, they are "golden, hand-crimped parcels packed with flavour" 😀 I don't understand. Admittedly my brain is functioning at a very low level at the moment. Does that mean various local shops get together and agree to offer a discount to anyone who shows them a receipt from one of the other ones dated the same day? I can't see what's in it for either of them, unless people shop somewhere they wouldn't otherwise have done just to get the discount. Is it for vaguely linked things, say cheese from a cheese shop, wine from another shop? Showing my age there. And then suppose it's always the same shop which people go to second to get the discount? What's in it for the first shop? People go there in order to get the discount in the second shop?

Fair enough point, but does that not in a way make it even worse if they open a shop almost directly opposite another "family" business selling exactly the same type of products? Chango have nine other shops, according to their website, in places like Mayfair, Highgate and Richmond. I suppose East Dulwich should be honoured to be included 🙄 Presumably all chains, however large now, originally started off on a very small scale with just one or a few people. Like M&S and Sainsbury's , if memory serves.

I felt very sorry for a guy in a car trying to turn right into Ondine Road. Their way into the road was blocked by vehicles at a standstill which could not move backwards or forwards, including a bus, and nobody had apparently thought to keep the road entrance clear. They were being hooted at by all those rude drivers behind them who were being held up, the kind who seem to think that the more they hoot the more likely it is that the situation (which they couldn't see what it was, grammar) will somehow miraculously resolve itself. As soon as the line of traffic travelling towards Goose Green from the Denmark Hill direction was able to move, the car was able to turn right when another vehicle let it through, but honestly, have people no common sense?

But it's a chain, isn't it? I stand to be corrected. The other shop is the local one, and I believe family run. A "bold" move? I'd call it a very cheeky move. There is no way they could not have been aware of the other shop a few paces away across the road. I have never had an empanada in my life, and didn't particularly feel a need to try one, but I will now be going out of my way to buy some from the original shop. Some years back, a shop selling the same kind of things as Health Matters opened more or less opposite it. That was also very cheeky. It didn't last long. People continued to support Health Matters (as they have done with the recent opening of Holland & Barrett). The new shop closed down.

I've used just about all the locally available supermarkets for deliveries over the years, and I now use Waitrose for deliveries, for various reasons. They have a good range of the things I eat, their food is good quality and their "essentials" range is generally good value (except the tissues, which suddenly became so thin as to disintegrate immediately. I was mainly buying them for the nice plain boxes, so now I just put other tissues into the old Waitrose boxes 🤣) It is very rare for something I've ordered to not be available on the day. Their delivery drivers are genuinely friendly and helpful. Their customer service is very good. On the rare occasions I've had issues, they have refunded me without quibbling. They often have special deals on some of the things I buy often, so I stock up when they are cheaper. I do occasionally compare prices with other supermarkets, and overall I really don't think Waitrose is more expensive, but obviously they might be for things I don't personally buy. I absolutely hate Sainsbury's, would use Lidl for some things but they don't deliver, Iceland has a very small range of things I eat, and I can't remember why I don't use Tesco or Asda any more. I recently checked out Ocado because there was some offer which seemed good value, but they just didn't have enough things I wanted to buy to make it worth using the offer. M&S don't deliver ( to the best of my knowledge) but in any case they seem to be still badly suffering from the recent hack into their system. Apologies, I have just remembered this thread is about shopping at actual physical stores, but probably many of the issues are the same. ETA: And with Waitrose, if you choose a four hour delivery slot it's only £2, and they give you an hour slot within that on the morning of delivery, so you aren't tied to the house for four hours.