[BITList] 'This town has been sold to Tesco' | Society | TheGuardian

[Michael Feltham]

Hugh,

Hasn't Inverness or Invergordon been taken over by Tesco ?

Mike
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On 6 May 2010, at 08:02, HUGH wrote:

Mike,

I don't shop at Tesco, on principle, and because I can shop cheaper
elsewhere.  Port Glasgow has been partly Tesco-ised.  Roads have been
narrowed to give Tesco more space - a fancy crossing has been installed to
ease the burden of crossing the street to get to the end of the ceremonial
avenue that runs down to the store.  At one end of this avenue stood the
Comet replica until it was taken away for rebuilding. At intervals along the
avenue tiles are set into the road to, I assume, pay lip service to the
shipyards that used to occupy the space.  These tiles refer to yards that
never existed, with dates that none of us can understand.  At the other end
of the avenue one comes to Tesco, a built-from-a-kit monstrosity with a
thing on top that may be meant to look like a ship's funnel.  A constant
stream of robots go hither and thither along the avenue, reminding me of the
Stepford Wives.  These streams cause the lights at the above crossing to be
at red most of the time.  The road is the main road through the town -  Port
Glasgow is strung out along the riverside, long and narrow.  This Tesco has
its back (others might say another part) to the town.  It faces bravely out
over the river with a giant red sign beckoning all who pass on the realigned
A8 along the riverside.  The latter, the third realignment of it in recent
memory, effectively blocks the river off from the inhabitants.  They can
walk along the "scenic" walkway above it, but they can no longer paddle
their feet in it.  Of the many other amenities I saw on the plans for this
area in 2000, nary a one has come to pass - just bloody Tesco, who appeared
only as "supermarket".  So, three shipyards = one Tesco.  There is one small
point that amuses me about it all.  A circular water feature has been
installed at one end of the ceremonial walkway, with 3 fountains in the
middle.  Every now and then someone empties a few bottles of washing up
liquid into it, and the place is covered in large clumps of foam, rolling
about like tumbleweed.  I like that.

Hugh.


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