WhenI grew up we never had a car and the closest thing to a supermarket was The International Stores in the town.

I can remember even then how odd the whole shopping experience was with it’s little trolleys and the ability to buy everything in one place. I grew up in the age when the local market was the place you bought all your food shopping and nails were weighed out and sold in paper bags.

Eventually The International Stores were bought out by Linfood Holdings and rebranded as Gateway. The shop was closed and moved out of town and Mr and Mrs White (who lived up the road from us and were seen as very posh) went on to run a different shop.

Now that I’m car-less I’m back shopping with a bag and confined to the shops in the town. What’s surprising is that it isn’t that much of challenge to get what I usually buy. Sure I can’t carry it all in one go but I need the exercise of walking and I can get what I want when I want.

Perhaps not having a car isn’t that bad …