Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The price of bananas
Local banana prices, at May 26, per kilo:
Lidl .......................................... 69p
Sainsbury's (FairTrade) ............ 68p
Yasar Halim .......................... 139p
Fairline ................................... 64p
NB. last line added on 8 June
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Felicitá on
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Yes, while there is a lot of support, there does unfortunately also seem to the alternative...
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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I can't wait for the cherry and grape seasons - the deals and the quality you get on Harringay's high street for those is phenomenal!
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Last October I posted a flash video with Arzu Marsh commenting on the quality of some figs at Michli's store. And giving a recipe.
Arzu told me and Zena that she works for a big grocery company in Istanbul. And that similar changes are underway with food retailing there.
She also said that people in Istanbul seem more knowledgeable about where high quality produce is grown; and willing to look for and pay for it. (Like John McMullan and his bananas.)
But plainly, whether in Istanbul or London not everyone can afford a price premium.
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I'm not sure I follow your second paragraph Felicitá. It seems to me that what has happened is similar to Amazon's entry into the book market - and now many other products. The buying clout of a huge retailer "squeezes" both the wholesalers and the producers. Driving down prices but risking oligopoly and costing us our High Streets.
Looking back I found an article from Julia Finch in 2004 which described the process. Supermarket sweep - how retail giants are creaming off high street ...
You may have seen this article by Deborah last Friday on a similar theme. The rot has set into the high street as we opt for Tesco over local grocers
One of my cousins lives in a village in Belgium. She told me how their local farm businesses - high quality seasonal produce, from local families - have been hit by the supermarkets.
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I simply meant that although I have seen a lot of support for local shops/the Turkish community on these threads, as a newcomer to the site I have also been saddened to see a negative approach towards the Turkish community/shops/restaurants. While I am sure this doesn't represent the majority of the followers on this site, its still discomforting.
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Felicitá I think you're getting carried away. Only in Haringey could comments about banana prices be interpreted as some kind of negative, ethnic slur!
I hold no "disdain" for any community and I neither boycott nor support any store on the basis of its owner's nationality (to do so would be bizarre). As a general principle, I believe that one should try to support local shops. My earlier comments about Satan'sbusy's flapjacks and my tirade against their marketing practices ought to convince you that I hold no brief for big supermarket chains.
However, this price difference for a common fruit is enough to send anyone bananas. John described it as massive, massive. Alan called it "double or twice the price". I described it as one order of magnitude more expensive.
How much more than the going rate for a commodity need something be, in order no longer to support a local shop? I would be only too happy to buy stuff from a greengrocer on Green Lanes if its worth my while.
Yes, I do come from an us/ them angle – us, being consumers and them, being retailers. This community forum is partly for "Consumer Affairs", including sharing price information at local shops.
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I never once stated that comments about bananas were a negative ethnic slur! What an odd accusation to make.
I merely pointed out that there has been SOME underhanded between-the-lines slurring of parts of the community on these forums! (Often in SOME people's posts about local shops/restaurants... That is all! I never made any accusations - it was an observation. I stand corrected if I am completely wrong.
If you read what I have already posted - you'll see that I state quite clearly that "I am sure this doesn't represent the majority of the followers on this site".
I didn't mean to start an angry backlash - it was just an observation as a relative newcomer to the site...
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Us poor consumers – some poorer than others, it seems – are largely guided by price (at local retailers).
However, as John says and implies, there's lots of politics behind banana production.
I note that the expensive bananas in my local example were grown in Columbia ex-multi-national giant Del Monte Inc. whereas Sainsbury's are FairTrade ones.
The corner store or the giant supermarket may be unrepresentative of the distribution chain that lies behind them.
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I agree with you Felicitá. There are such tensions and they sometimes appear in the comments people make. Not crudely, but more like a flicker in the corner of the eye.
It is helpful to raise this. It seems to me that this is not something to be denied, disclaimed or criticised. It's an essential prerequisite for honest dialogue.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Alan and Felitcia you're right. But definitely not in this case and you've turned a fascinating thread about bananas into a defence of the local "other" community.
I'll put my hand up and say I'm not a fan of a lot of them but this website certainly is.
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