”Saving you Extra!”,…. ”Every Little Helps!”….., “Giving you What you Want!”,….. Oh yeah really?

From their slogans we could be forgiven for believing that they are our  best friends but behind the glossy exterior, supermarkets are highly practiced in the art of relieving you of you cash as efficiently as possible. Over the past twenty years, big supermarket chains have pursued an aggressive campaign of expansion and acquisition that has led to a virtual monopoly, they can now claim around 70% of our weekly shopping budget.

We are not getting nostalgic about how we used to know the neighborhood butcher by name. There is no denying that supermarkets have contributed to shaping  modern life. Some of the problems of supermarkets are described in an article entitled “The case against Supermarkets” by WyeCycle.

Shopping at supermarkets:

            Pollutes the environment and damages human health
          Is destroying British agriculture and ruining the countryside
        Supports factory farming, poor animal welfare and the spread of disease
      Dismantles communities and undermines local economies
        Results in unnecessary, damaging and costly packaging waste
          Undermines democracy and supports sleaze
            Exploits both the people and the land of developing countries
              Reduces meals from being an important and enjoyable part of life to a refuelling exercise

Another hugely relevant point is that while many millions of people across the world are worried about where their next bowl of rice will come from, consumers from the developed world, fret that their favourite brand is out of stock and they had to get ”Cocoa Flakes” rather than the preferred “Choc Pops”. This disparity is encouraged with the constant bombardment of advertising. We are coerced into the view that it is our right as free human beings, to be able to choose from 30 different brands of washing powder.

Such an attitude is not conducive to “living by the Holy Spirit.” (Gal 5:25-26) It is a ridiculous scenario, and one that is ultimately unsustainable.

We should be aware that change is imminent. Whether the catalyst is taxation or inflation, there is going to be a time when most of us will look longingly at the goods that once upon a time, we would place in our trolly without a thought. If that sounds extreme, bear in mind that when asked about the end times, Jesus referred to the times of Noah, where people were “eating and drinking” (Matt 24:38) and giving no thought to the disaster that was to come.