Every week we do a main shopping trip into the "big" town to do all our shopping but like a lot of you reading this there is always something we have forgotten or run out of during the week. This is when we are pleased that we have a Londis supermarket, albeit only a small shop, near us.

What do they sell

Our Londis does a little of a lot! They have their own brand in many items. A small stock of Tinned food, bakery, butchers, dairy, papers and magazines, cards and stationery, cigarettes and drink, videos and DVDs and CDs, rentals (although this is gettig less and less) and frozen food. plus fruit and vegetables. You might not find the brand that you usually have but they will have something in another brand which if you are desperate you dont mind.

The Shop

The shop is well organised and although there is only one door you usually find that you have an unspoken one way system which oddly most people follow.

The Staff

ah well I can only speak for our local Londis here. Because we are a small town you will find that even if they hire new staff, and there is a big turnover of staff, they nearly all know each other previously. Not only do the staff all know each other, they know the customers and you can find it a hive of gossip here. Oh I know we all like a gossip but when you have only one item and want to dash in and out it is annoying to see a customer and a member of staff chatting away forgetting the queue. Or being served by two members of staff chatting while serving you. I have lost my cool one day and asked them if I should come back later when they have finished their conversation but the shock was mine when they said if you wouldnt mind! They did add later only joking!

As for asking them where an item is you cannot fault them.

They have 4 tills.

Opening times

This is from 5.30am because they do the papers and believe it or not they have a lot of customers at this time. Until 10pm at night.

Extras

The shop has a Pay machine. At the till you can swipe and pay things such as telephone and water bills.

In Gloucestershire, especially round the villages we have electricity keys. This means we have a metre and can go to Londis with them and put whatever amount of money on the key we wish then put it in the metre and we have therefore paid for our electricity. Therefore electric readings are cut to one a year.

Londis is the only shop around that does this key.

A lot of people top their keys up at an evening but many times if Londis hasnt had a lot of evening customers they close the shop early. So you run out of electricity and go to the shop as it opens to 9 and its only 7pm and closed. Londis still does this. If a shop says till 9pm it should stay open till then.

They have even been known to do this on a Lottery night!

You can as you can tell by that also purchase your Lottery tickets here.

Prices

Londis prices are quite high compared to say Tescos. They do have the upper hand as if you run out you will pay the price. For example in tescos Felix is at the most 49p in Londis 59p that is some difference.

They do have a bargain shelf of the week where you can get a lot of Bogofs - buy one get one free which is definately worth keeping an eye on.

They also have a good delivery service but I cant see how anyone can afford to do a weekly shop at Londis.

All in all Londis makes you think carefully of your weekly shopping list so that you get it all in one of the bigger places. Or you pay dearly for your memory but are pleased on the other hand that it is there and you can get that missing ingredient

Thank you for reading