ALMOST three years ago we left St Austell to live in Truro, and our greatest pleasure now is shopping in St Austell.

B&M only sell what they choose to be essential and so cut their stock to around 5,500 items. I enter the store and find the staff very kind and interested, and then I make my purchase, not one, but 700 Sweetex in a little push-button canister, and two small blocks of fruit cake.

My next visit is the Asda store which is far better designed to meet my needs, as they have around 24,000 to 25,000 items.

I like Asda because in the winter months I can treat my wife to dinner there. We dine on a bowl of soup, with either tea or coffee, two slices of bread with two “pats” of real butter, all for a £1. My only problem is I need to look over 60 to get it.

Could you imagine taking a family from war-torn Gaza around Asda? And yet we expect everything we see, more likely demand – we don’t like empty shelves.

Round we travel with our little wheeled trolley, wondering all the time, do we have enough room in our freezer for the food we are purchasing?

This is my life. There are others with their trolleys, struggling with debt-mountains, trying to bring something special to add spice to their meagre meal selection.

Statisticians tell me that 140 years ago the average person’s wants were 82. Today, they are well over a thousand. Again, 140 years ago, some 200 items were urged upon the buyer. Today, that number is in excess of 40,000.

A very poor hermit would take in strangers, feed and care for them, and if they were in want, tell how to live without it.

Alistair Dawson

Retired Salvation Army officer