Spice Girls and Tesco deserve each other!

Recently it was announced the Spice Girls advertising relationship with Tesco is to continue. I for one am very pleased. Who else but this vacuous pop group who are just in to make big bucks should represent well, the supermarket equivalent. Their first foray into popdom was quite revolting to me. The Spice Girls only seemed to promote a love of flashing their knickers, child-sized bottoms and shiny hair to our female youth (if you're going to do that please don't call it 'girl power', that's a joke).

So now I get to display our pop credentials: Jarvis Cocker, Sinead O'Connor and Suggs support us. Need we say more about how different our independent shops are?
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=108

Life gets better when you marry American

There was a time when anonymity was attractive to me. Perhaps it was because I was a very self conscious teen/twenty something. One of my favourite places to sit was the Starbucks attached to Sainsbury’s. Whilst sipping watery bitter coffee, surrounded by the glaring tungsten lights, I would relish the anonymity.

I was jarred into thinking, Perhaps There is Another Way when I acquired a friendly American (husband) who didn’t have the hang-ups I did, and would talk to everyone. The woman at the newsagent would tell him her marital woes, the kids in the house next door would high five him on his way to work, and the rude restaurateur would let him stroke his whiney little dogs on their morning walk. At first I was worried he was breaking such a strict moral code that some authority figure would apprehend him and explain the rules, only letting him go with a warning. This clearly reveals my disturbed mind (unfortunately this is just the tip of the iceberg).

I let the desire for friendliness to strangers bubble away inside of me until it burst out after a big life change. My son arrived and after a slew of visitors just when you don’t need them I was suddenly alone. There is not much you can do when you have a small baby, nothing that lasts more than about 5 minutes. But you can shop, talk and walk. So that’s what I did. I knew no one in my neighbourhood. But six months of thrice a day shopping and I was suddenly chatting to the butcher, shooting the breeze with our landlord and conversing with old ladies in the park. I even made some friends.

It was because my area was full of little shops, a park and lots of communal space that I was able to do this. It was with this feeling that I decided to do something to promote local shops. And hence Wedge Card was born. You can all say ahhhh now. And we all lived happy ever after.

Competition Commission - we need a more holistic approach

Last week I spent £65.50 on my shopping. I'm an extravagant shopper, but I like to have lots of goodies to eat in my house of 2 1/2 people. I went to 5 of my local shops. I bought some succulent mangoes, some vivid fragrant coriander and some organic, flavourful beef amongst other things. I know all of my shop keepers even though I've lived in my area for only 2 months. My son was cuddled and cooed over. Several sweets were offered. My newsagent told me about the ins and outs of running a marathon. I met a mother from our nursery.

It took me 40 minutes door to door and I didn't drive. I have done a similar shop at Waitrose (£95) and at Tesco (£78). Neither competes in terms of quality of fruit, veg, meat and fish in my eyes.

I am lucky. I have lots of local shops near me. I keep an eye on the prices and know which shops are better for which. People continue to flock to this area and the ready made community that these little shops create. My mother lives in an area with no local shops. Her nearest is a massive Tesco. She doesn't know anyone in her area (except her immediate neighbours). She has been there 15 years.

Having lots of local shops fosters a sense of community. We therefore have to look much closer at the role shops play. We can't thrown their role in the landscape of our lives off lightly. This report is short sighted. Let's look at the dominating role they play in our communities and take a more holistic approach.

Community - a dirty word?

We've been writing some new ads here at Wedge Card and in the hope that lots of people would like them we ask lots of people what they thought. 9/10 said 'Don't use the word community; it makes you sound reallllllly boring.' There is of course the chance we asked some really sub standard people (that wouldn't surprise us they were our friends and family members after all).

Part of me wanted to throw something at them when they showed revulsion for what I think is such an empowering and positive concept. What's so wrong with knowing your neighbours and feeling a sense of togetherness with the people around you? Are the only people who are good the ones you know and the rest dismissed merely because you don't know them? Or is the only acceptable form of community nowadays one that's virtual? I know I'm not cool, but that would be very sad.

I may have got this ass-upwards. Tell me, is community such a dirty word?

Anonymity breeds fear too

Yesterday I saw a little girl fall over in the playground. There were a few mums near her and they approached her cautiously. The girl was hysterical, but instead of picking her up and comforting her, the mums looked around for her mum. It wasn’t an uncaring reaction, just a symptom of our highly self conscious society. Lots of people don’t want to get involved with another child they don’t know. A few months ago I saw how their self consciousness might be justified when my husband was told off by a parent for picking up a child who had similarly fallen over and was hysterical. Perhaps it was because he was a man, or people are just more suspicious of men, I don't know.

As a parent this naturally pains me. The less you want to get involved with other people and their kids the less likely you’d get involved if something was really wrong. I want people to help out if my sons in trouble/hurt. I also don’t want to feel reluctant to help a child in trouble.

I feel it would be a different story if we all knew each other in the playground. This may be me being all sentimental because I’ve never lived anywhere where the community was that enclosed and familiar. What do we do if we want to chance this situation? My gut feeling is simply that anonymity breeds fear, so perhaps it’s as simple as saying hello to the other parents next time I’m down in the park.

Do Something!

Anita Roddick rocks our world

Last night I was privileged to attend the memorial service for Anita Roddick. It was an incredibly touching event that was not just a tribute to her but a chance to inspire those who attended into becoming more involved in activism. Anita’s mantra came out loud and clear - Do something. Do anything. Just do something.

I came away fired up, ready to attack this task ahead of me with joy and gusto. Starting any business is hard work. Starting a business like Wedge Card can feel daunting at times – there is no blue print, no dummies guide to ‘starting a loyalty card that will encourage people to shop locally, and energise communities in the process.’ We have buckets of enthusiasm and knowing visionaries like Anita who have gone ahead of us, and paved the way for ‘social businesses’ like ours, makes our task all the easier.

Not a day goes by when I don’t wake with a thrill in my stomach that we are trying, bit by bit, to make our communities more engaging, safer and vibrant places to live. And it is a direct result of Anita’s efforts that we, the Wedge Card team are here today. I urge you too then to do something.

“If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito” Betty Reese
Visit www.iamanactivist.org to get engaged.

Funny things said to me in small shops (part 2)

Having a small child, a full time job, a spouse and all of those general trappings of grown up life, as well as the lines to prove it, I was delighted the other day of being accused of looking like a school girl. Well the accuser in question didn't expressly say I looked like a school girl, just that she had a vision of me in a school uniform. I like to think it was my luminous skin and cheeky grin that did it. Suffice to say, it was better than when a shop owner said I looked like I needed the toilet when I entered his shop.
My adventures in local shops continues.