Why are Spars so expensive?

And awful in terms of products. I wish we had any other than a spar in my village.

You're paying for the convenience and the fact that Spar can't buy in bulk like a supermarket.

because they can.
no competition.
are you really surprised.

Yes, economies of scale.

they don't need to compete.
there is no alternative.
so they charge as much as they possibly can.
that's all.
they are in business to make money after all.

I generally drive to Tesco to avoid the spars awfulness.

they are used by people who cannot drive.
another reason why the poor are so lax at pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

Tesco can screw its suppliers, even big firms, until the pips squeak. £ for £ of turnover is is more expensive to run a small store - rent, rates, fuel costs than a huge store like Tesco.

Despite posts above, i do not think that small shop owners are nasty greedy monopoists determined to squeeze every penny from you. If they were they would be running Tescos.

But they have a relatively low turnover per square foot of selling space compared with Tesco, with everything that entails.

The question ought to be. "Why is stuff in supermarkets so cheap?" The answer to that is that they buy in vast amounts, and pay bulk prices. Many supermarkets buy all of a producer's output - the result being that as the only customer they have the producer over a barrel, and can screw down the prices even further. The producer can't refuse their custom, because they would then have no customers at all and would go out of business.

Spar corner shops can't do that.

Tesco and Sainsbury’s the smaller express shops sometimes located at service stations charge different prices in some locations. They are all as bad as each other charging customers what they want and putting the prices up constantly.
We the customers have to pay for the convenience unless we are prepared to go from one shop to another. In reality who has the time to do that to save money on certain items that are cheaper elsewhere.

Spar know how to make money: they will typically open a shop in a village or suburb where there is little competition and charge what they want. To be fair, the one near me is about the same as the supermarkets for petrol, but everything else is far more expensive.

Years ago the Spar shop owner told me that cat food (for example) was cheaper in supermarkets than he could buy it in in the cash and carry store. Nothing much changes!

They are ‘convenience’ stores.

The clue is in the name.

I agree it’s hard for people who can’t drive and so on, but as others have stated, if the big supermarkets don’t want to come to these areas, then it’s better than nothing.

They have no competition and they can charge just what they want for being a convenience store. I never use ours.

I can assure you that the big supermarkets rake in far higher profits than the likes of Spar, at the expense of suppliers.

I think you said itCumbrianmale56 The only shop. In walking distance.

It would be nice if our village had any kind of shop that we could walk to. It would be nice, too, if we could walk safely along our country roads. Yes, people say "Oh isn't it lovely here; lovely views." It's noisy - big lorries, huge farmers' vehicles, speeding motorcycles - but yes, a shop that we could walk to when we run out of something. That would be nice, even if we did have to pay through the nose.

There's a Spar and a Co-Op within 2 minutes walking of me. I no longer go to the Co-Op .... I was always in there beforehand ... as I've been treated like filth 3 times in a few weeks by staff when I, as a physically disabled woman on a 4-wheeled seated Rollator got stuck in their stupid lift when it wouldn't work again, I can't carry myself, Rollator and shopping up/down huge multiple steps and the staff and 3 customers literally shouted at me and had me in tears, and I know a woman who used to work there who quit after 2 months as she couldn't stand most of her colleagues and the way they treated disabled/elderly customers so I go to Spar, where I find all the regular staff and the manager are lovely and we know each other by name and they open the door for me etc. when possible but I know what you mean about price hikes!

I used to buy boxes of soup, 4 sachets in a box for £1.25 which I thought was reasonable so I'd buy 4 boxes of different flavours each time but now they've shot up to £1.89 a box, which I'm not happy about paying!

Their boxes of Ferrero Rocher have also shot up and various others. I don't drive, my husband does but we've not had a car for well over a year.

We have a bus service. The nearest town is 16 miles away but the bus station is about a mile from the local shops, there's no way I can walk there and back so I stay with the Spar!

JamesandJon33

I think you said itCumbrianmale56 The only shop. In walking distance.

Which raises the question of WHY it is the only shop in the village. If there are enough people buying goods in the village store, the shopkeeper would take enough money each wek to make a living. Don't forget, they don't keep all of the price of what they sell you. That have to replace that sold item on the chelves, at a higher price than the supermarket getting bulk discounts can stock up with it, they have rent and taxes, which are often more per square yard than a supermarket is paying, and pay someone to man the till while they drive to the cash-and-carry. There will also be regular cleaners and maintenance/repairs. What is left has to cover in income for the shopkeeper and provide something for unexpected expenses.
Some experiences from those who have tried it - www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/vfdnff/how_much_profit_do_independent_convenience_stores/

If you don't support local shops then there will be nothing and you will have to drive to Tesco for your loaf of bread. This is why we use the village fuel station, yes it is more expensive but if it closes it is a long way to the one in town.

Our local Spar shop is well stocked with a vast variety of fruit, veg, groceries, meat, alcohol, newspapers and much more. Not overpriced considering the convenience, friendly and very helpful staff who know all their customers by name and the only shop for miles.
Use it or lose it and we do use it.

Does anyone know why buying 4 pints of semi-skimmed milk is only a few pence more than buying 2 pints?
e.g. Tesco. 4 pints = £2.00
2 pints = £1.20
Waitrose. 4 pints = 1.55
2 pints = 1.25

Why not get a supermarket delivery spuddy?

welbeck

they are used by people who cannot drive.
another reason why the poor are so lax at pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.

I'm sure you don't mean lax !
Challenged , disadvantaged, discriminated against certainly, but "lax" suggests they have some say in the matter.