Monday, January 08, 2007

8 January: Something different

While tuning the radio this morning (an unusual event in itself), I happened to catch a programme (on Radio 4!) about people from the Indian subcontinent running corner shops, and being open all hours.

It was very interesting, and it seems that the children of the shopkeepers are not going to continue the family businesses, preferring well-paid employment with evenings and weekends off and 2 or 3 holidays a year. One interviewee said that the shops were being bought up by newer immigrants from Turkey - "those Turkeys are going to be running the corner shops".

Wonderful mental picture - is that a packet of Paxo behind the counter?

3 comments:

Christina S said...

Hiya Stitch,

We did some research recently about the possibilities of running a b&b/gite in France. Probably not going to do it, but it was amazing to find out the extent of the British community in France now, so much so that they have their own clubs and newspapers in some places. I reckon the English gite owner will soon be to France the same as corner shop owners are to the UK, lol! Or will that soon be Turkish corner shop owners? ;-)

Rog said...

let's hope the poultry returns don't put them off.

mrsnesbitt said...

I have friends who have just moved to France...just settling in really but language is a big problem

D