What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime

What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.

As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.

That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.

Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.

Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.

Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.

Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.

That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.

Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.

Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.

My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.

Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.

And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.

All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:

• Farm eggs

• Fresh vegetables

• Cow’s milk

• Freshly baked bread

• Coal for our open fires

Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.

Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.

Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.

Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.

My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.

The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.

Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.

Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.

People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.

In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.

Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.

• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.

• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.

• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.

On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.

Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.

We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.

Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.

My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.

Small Business Consulting Opportunities – Be Your Own Boss

Small Business Consulting Opportunities Are EndlessIn reality, anyone can become a consultant. Small business consulting opportunities today are endless. If you have an area that you are extremely knowledgeable in and you have the drive and passion for excellence, you could become a consultant.Many of the small business consulting opportunities do not require any special training. For example, if you are really good with computers, the software they use and network security, you could become an IT business consultant. Perhaps you are very creative and knowledgeable when it comes to marketing. You know how to take a product and make it sell. You could become a marketing consultant.There are a few things you should keep in mind when browsing the small business consulting opportunities available. The first thing to consider is the qualifications that are needed. Is the area you are considering something you could call yourself an expert in? Are you familiar with the current information that is needed? For instance, when it comes to becoming an IT consultant, you would need to be knowledgeable with all of the current computer information. Technology is constantly changing and you have to know all of the up-to-date information. Another thing you need to check on is if there are any special certifications or licenses that are needed. While some companies may not require you to have a degree in a certain area, they may require you to be certified. Organization is another key factor when researching the small business consulting opportunities. You need to make sure that you are able to handle time management and be prepared when you enter into a situation.Small business consulting opportunities are readily available to those people who are critical thinkers. A consultant is known as a problem solver and in order to solve issues effectively and efficiently, a person has to be able to demonstrate problem solving. A consultant works side by side with the business, therefore communication is important. A successful consultant must have excellent communication skills. They also need to have leadership skills. A consultant has to lead a company to success, and in order to do this, they have to lead. When a consultant comes into a company, the people there are relying on them to take their company to the top. The consultant has to take the lead and run with it, take control of the situation.With so many small business consulting opportunities in many different areas, pricing is very important. A consultant needs to know how to set an hourly rate if their services are used by the hour. If a company uses them on a day to day basis, then the consultant needs to know how the prices for daily rates. Some companies will need a consultant to help with projects. If this is the case, a consultant needs to know how to bill their client by the project. When a company uses a consultant on a monthly basis, then the consultant would charge a monthly retainer. A small business consultant usually makes a substantial amount of money and pricing is the key element into turning those small business consulting opportunities into a success. Many consultants will require their client to pay a deposit beforehand. There will be occasions where the consultant will pay for expenses out of their own pocket. It is important for them to know how to get reimbursement from the company they are working with.There are many areas of business, making the small business consulting opportunities endless. A great consultant has to have knowledge, passion, and understanding. There are thousands of people who have knowledge that they didn’t even know existed. Once they tap into that knowledge, educate themselves even further and put that knowledge to use by helping others, they are considered a consultant. A business consultant is the most sought after because there are companies developing all over the world.One of the best small business consulting opportunities is being your own boss. You can set your own hours and pay, which makes you the boss. Of course you have to work certain hours, especially when helping a company with a project, but you basically are in control of that also. You just have to determine when the project needs to be done and how many hours it will take you to complete it. In reality, you have the most control over your work schedule when you become a consultant. You set the prices you are to be paid, and if you are an expert in a certain area, it is up to you to make sure your prices are set to what your time is worth. You are in complete control!If you would like to know more about small business consulting opportunities, you can click the link below to find out more information.

Valencia is the Top Destination for Ex Pats to Live

According to a survey conducted in March 2020 and recently published by InterNations, an expat organisation with around three and half million members, the Spanish city of Valencia is the best city in which to live as an expat. The survey assimilated answers from 15,000 respondents on five areas of experience: cost of living, finance and housing, quality of urban living, getting settled and urban work life. Alicante was in second place and Lisbon third, Malaga was in sixth place and Madrid ninth, meaning that five of the top ten cities were in the Iberian Peninsula. Interestingly, out of the 66 cities included in the survey, those top tourist destinations, Paris and Rome, came in the bottom ten. A fact that perhaps tells us more about the type of lifestyle sought by expats than it does about the quality of life in those cities.

Recommended article: The Best (& Worst) Cities for Expats

Around 15% of the Spanish population are foreigners and the twin attractions are clearly, plenty of sunshine and a low cost of living. So, what is it that makes Valencia the expat’s favourite? Spain’s third largest city is situated on the south eastern coast and its location means that it enjoys a climate described by the World Health Organization as ’ideal’. Its 300 days of sunshine per year lift the spirits with weather, which is never too hot, too dry or too wet and a cooling sea keeps the air fresh and clean. Like much of Spain, accommodation is inexpensive, and food and drink are cheap and of outstanding quality.

Recommended article: The Cost of Living in Spain

What makes Valencia exceptional is the quality of urban living which the city has to offer, quite simply, there is just so much to do. Valencia is beautiful and it is beautifully diverse. Its centre is medieval, its cobbled streets dominated by the cathedral with its blend of Baroque, Romanesque and Gothic. Here you’ll find ancient buildings, like the Silk Exchange, ornate churches, the biggest fresh market in Europe and delightful cafes and restaurants by the score. There are thirty-four museums, most of them free or very cheap and fine examples of Rococo, Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture. By contrast, ‘The City of Arts and Sciences’, designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava is science fiction fantasy that looks like it’s come straight from the cover of a vintage copy of Astounding Stories. The scientific and cultural leisure complex is set in the dried-up bed of the river Turia and contains Europe’s largest aquarium, a 3D cinema, a science museum, an opera house and the Terraza Mya gardens. As if all that weren’t enough, there are the 20k of beaches, 6 within the city itself and a further 6 easily accessible by public transport. A further 10k beyond the city is the glorious Albufera National park. The inhabitants of Valencia certainly have good reason to count their blessings and just to top it off, Valencia is the home of Paella.

Travel a little further down the coast and you’ll reach the port-city of Alicante. For many the city is simply the location of an airport, but those who rush straight onward to their destinations are missing out on one of Spain’s great cities. Alicante shares many of the delights on offer in Valencia. The narrow streets of its old town are dominated by the medieval Castillo de Santa Barbara, which looms over the town. There are wonderful cafes and restaurants to be enjoyed, delightful parks and gardens, ancient monuments and historic buildings. Nearby there are fabulous beaches and world class golf courses and like Valencia, accommodation within the city is attractively affordable.

The capital city which features third highest in the survey is Lisbon, Portugal’s hilly coastal capital. Most capital cities are prohibitively expensive places in which to live but despite a property boom in recent years, rental accommodation in Lisbon remains affordable. Portugal also has one of the lowest costs of living in Europe and is rated the third safest country in the world. Once the heart of a great empire, Lisbon is a city full of wonderful architecture and its seven hills afford unexpected vistas at every turn. Lisbon has all the pleasures on offer that one would expect from a capital city: outstanding cuisine, vibrant nightlife, a rich cultural life, museums, galleries and world class shopping. It is an hour from the glorious beaches of the Algarve, enjoys year long sunshine and has an international airport linked to 120 destinations. You can see the attraction.