The store next door

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2023 (829 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The basics are usually the same: a wall of chips and candy, milk, tins of coffee, bread, a newspaper stand, gum, some fresh fruit and vegetables, lottery, tobacco products and a roll top freezer full of treats to beat the heat on a sweltering summer day.

Corner stores and small grocers carry the necessities and the nice-to-haves. Most offer identical conveniences, but each one adds something different to the neighbourhood they inhabit.

Yet, time appears to be running out for local hubs of last-minute shopping.

A recent Free Press investigation highlighted a spate of local corner stores hitting the market within the last month. Most reside in Winnipeg’s central neighbourhoods, and most owners cite rising costs among their reasons for selling.

It’s a troubling trend, but one that’s not entirely surprising.

Mom-and-pop stores falling to big-box behemoths is a story as old as time — and one that has been hastened by inflation, the pandemic and technology.

Small stores don’t have the same buying power as their larger competitors. It costs independent proprietors more to stock their shelves while profit margins are often hampered by pressure to keep prices on par for customers. Inflated food costs make it even harder to balance the books.

While “buy local” was a constant drumbeat of the pandemic, consumer habits didn’t match the marketing.

A 2021 survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business indicated a whopping 80 per cent of Winnipeg shoppers were spending less at small businesses than a year prior. Federation data also shows the average Manitoba small business is currently carrying more than $61,000 in pandemic debt.

Reclaiming customers is a difficult task for corner stores in this day and age. Convenience has taken on new meaning in the smartphone era.

Delivery apps have turned door-to-door service into the norm. When groceries can be dropped off on your doorstep with the press of a button, walking down the street for a forgotten ingredient starts to feel like a herculean task.

It’s impossible to put the genie back in the bottle, but it’s important to remember what’s lost when contactless delivery and supercentre shopping become the only options.

Small grocers serve an important purpose in low-income neighbourhoods where food deserts persist. In Winnipeg’s core, many residents have limited access to an affordable variety of nutritious food. National chains congregate in the suburbs, while independent retailers fill gaps in the inner city. Convenience stores don’t solve food security issues, but without them the chasm grows wider.

If Winnipeg has designs on becoming a 15-minute city one day, small businesses are a key part of reaching that goal.

The urban planning concept hinges on the idea that residents can access all their daily necessities within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. This includes groceries, toiletries, over-the-counter medications and other essentials — the kinds of things stocking the shelves of convenience stores all over town. When everything you need is close at hand, vehicles become less necessary and neighbourhoods become more liveable.

And then there are the less tangible benefits of the local corner store: human interaction, familiarity, spontaneous conversation and impromptu meetings with neighbours. The touchstones of familiar staff and owners. The kinds of incalculable things that add to the fabric of a community.

If the recent trend of small store sales is indeed a sign of things to come, Winnipeg stands to lose much more than it bargained for.