Having read the letters of support for the Morrisons supermarket in Liskeard in the Cornish Times (October 15), writing as an 82-year-old, this confirms my experience over the years that the housewive's purse dictates where to shop. I left school and commenced work in the wholesale meat trade with Armour & Co who supplied us with excellent beef from their massive ranches in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil all beautifully chilled, labelled and wrapped in muslin delivered from London and Liverpool docks four mornings a week at 5am, whatever the weather and inspected by qualified inspectors employed by the city council before purchase. Well, we sold hundreds of tons of this beef at very competitive prices in direct competition with wholesalers of British beef which was slaughtered, dressed and inspected in their individual abattoirs adjacent to the floor of the market. Again quality and price reigned supreme as in those days wages for tens of thousands were at poverty levels much the same as Devon and Cornwall today hence the popularity of obtaining best value for money by eagle-eyed shoppers whose income in those days averaged £2.50 to £3.50 a week. Not only was meat bought in quantity, but the multiple grocers also vied for business with Home & Colonial, George Mason, Wrensons and of course Jack Cohen who was the forerunner of Tesco. So over the years little has changed when it comes to providing for the family. The modern supermarkets flourish not only on price and variety but providing easy access and free parking for the modern housewife who can shop in comfort and provide a range of foodstuffs unheard of in my young days. The lesson is therefore crystal clear, that in the final analysis, price and quality is paramount to the consumer.
R E BOSWELL