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More expensive but adequate
It is not for nothing that it is said that there is nothing bad that does not turn out to be good – by restricting movement between municipalities, rural merchants rub their hands. The shelves of stores operating in the Panevėžys district are quickly swept away, and small entrepreneurs who are happy with the increase in trade have also found a new niche: they offer to deliver products directly to their homes. But the owners of small grocery stores in the city say they no longer know what to do to invite shoppers into the empty city center.
Marijona Burbulienė, a 96-year-old woman from Sodeliai, more than 30 km from Panevėžys, lives alone. Children from the Panevėžys district bring him food during the quarantine. Once a week, a woman also receives tents with wheels in her garden, the so-called “car paint shops”.
“I go straight to the door, it is difficult for me to walk, but I go down two stairs to collect what I need. And now, when it is cold, the seller brings my usual things himself, he knows what I have been buying for so long, a very sincere person ”, says the grandmother, adding that she likes curd buns a lot.
And your vendor especially carries Marianons.
Every Saturday a car shop comes to the remote village. At least three of M. Burbulienė’s neighbors gather with her to go shopping.
“It may be more expensive here, but I am not complaining. After all, I will not make it to the city. For me it is very good and then: everything is brought to the place, if something is missing, the children bring it”, says the owner of the farm.
Marijona estimates that she spends about 15 euros a week on food and assures that it is full of people who shop for her.
Associative photo.
The range of products at the car dealership also satisfies the retiree. Cereals, pasta, sausages and other meat products, including frozen dumplings and zeppelins, fruits and sweets, are brought into town.
“I can’t say the prices of all the products, but I’m not complaining about the quality, everything is fresh,” says the grandmother.
Buyers are also drawn to personal greetings.
At least four times a week, car shops host only a few residential farms in the village of Pavašuokiai II, about 20 kilometers from Panevėžys. The local store closed almost six years ago.
“We have no problem shopping, but older people bring food on weekends or they have to buy in those stores,” says Marija Morkūnienė.
She says she has noticed that those wheel sellers have raised prices and the product range is small.
“Those who have been doing this for a long time, come to their grandparents’ patios, they know how to offer even in current conditions. My mom even got a Christmas greeting from a salesperson. Babytė is really waiting for you – still communication “, – says M. Morkūnienė.
Empty shelves
At least once a week, Samanta, a resident of Geležiai, now walks with her grandparents in their eighties. Although they themselves live near a local grocery store, for the safety of their grandparents, the granddaughter buys them food herself.
“During the first quarantine, all the grandchildren of the grandparents bought 100 kg of all kinds of cereals, 50 kg of sugar and 20 kg of salt. Now we only take meat products and butter, we leave it at the door, they don’t need anything else ”, says the ironman.
Associative photo.
Samanta says she doesn’t see a big price difference between urban and rural stores. According to her, some products are cheaper in large supermarkets, but some are cheaper in the countryside. Geležiškė notes that fruits and vegetables are more expensive at the local store. In his opinion, the biggest problem is the bad choice.
“A few days ago I went to the store, like after the war, half-empty shelves. Yesterday more goods were delivered, but the choice is still very modest, ”says Samanta.
Trade has flourished
Rural store shelves are now being emptied much faster. For the rural population separated from the city, especially the retired, the only way to get food is by buying it from local merchants.
“It just came to our notice then. The accountant could tell how much sales have increased, but obviously we are noticing more buyers,” says Laima Bartaševičienė, the owner and manager of the store, which has been operating in Naujamiestis for sixteen years.
Three stores compete for customers in the city, but L. Bartaševičienė says he is not complaining about such competition.
We advertise the store on social media. We have now announced that we can pick up the products on request for free and take them home. People also request these services ”, the merchant found a new niche.
He points out that food is often transported home to the young and the old. And not only in Naujamiestis, but also in the surrounding villages.
Country road
© Sekundė.lt
“Gone are the days when people didn’t need potatoes or milk, because everyone had it all on their farms. We offer as many options as possible, ”says the store owner when asked about the most popular products.
On average, L. Bartaševičienė did not calculate how much money a customer spends on a shopping basket, but claims that it is impossible to arbitrate prices even in rural areas: competitors are under pressure.
A menacing style in the middle of the city
And Laima Baronienė from Panevėžys, who runs a shop business on wheels, is in no rush to rejoice at the revival of commerce. During the first quarantine and later, he still sent cars with goods to Panevėžys and adjacent areas, but now he stopped trading. The businesswoman assures that the cold and the quarantine forced her to make such a decision.
“Who would go to town if no one comes? We try every way: negotiate on pay and benefits days. We were already poor during the first quarantine and in the summer. And now there is nothing left. These quarantine restrictions certainly won’t save small businesses; if someone flies, only those giants, the supermarkets ”, says L. Baronienė.
You have no doubt that the outlook for these small traders is very bleak.
“Two more weeks or a month and part of it will go bankrupt,” says the businesswoman pessimistically.
He also has a small grocery store in Panevėžys, next to the bus station. However, its doors are also rarely opened: the number of bus trips to the area has dropped significantly, townspeople work remotely, and the center is completely empty.
“And what happens in supermarkets: people push, tow full carts without saving between 100 and 200 euros. All are limited, but not by tycoons. After such a quarantine, only they will remain ”, sighs L. Baronienė.
The businesswoman, who has been in the business for eight years, says she has never seen such a bad year.
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