Local shopping frustrations

THE problem with shopping in Empangeni and Richards Bay is that the buying and packing of shelves seems to take place on an ad hoc basis.

One month you will find a product on the shelves and do a dance of joy that it is, in fact, available locally, only to be devastated a few weeks later when it is no longer available. Such a downer.

For weeks you will eagerly scan the shelves for the product, and be disappointed each time. Then, cursing, you drive to Durban and buy in bulk.

There is a high turnover of goods in the busy local stores and shop owners and the buyers need to keep on their toes and make sure customers can get what they need on any given day.

This will develop local customer loyalty instead of encouraging trips to the big city to get what we need and want, usually at one store.

ALISON MYBURGH