Supermarket snub

I have been simmering about supermarkets for quite some time.  My husband's former home town, a market town in Norfolk, had its heart ripped out by Tesco. The third supermarket to claim a patch there, it swallowed up an expanse of land on the edge of the town and dragged custom away from the high street by offering impossibly low prices. Now the high street has become a hollow no man's land in the midst of a supermarket battleground, with little more than charity shops and banks to attract shoppers.  The problem is that people do want low prices and good value, so the lure of super saving deals is hard to argue against.  But, at what cost is the exodus from the high street to the supermarkets? And could the government and local councils do more to protect the interests of independent traders? I am lucky to have a great butcher in my street and I do my best to shop there and at other independent shops. But with a baby to feed and clothe, and prices of everyday groceries rocketing, it's sometimes hard to make good choices. Having succumbed to a daily supermarket shop, I'm starting today with a new goal to gradually cut out the big four (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons) out of my life and find alternative outlets that won't break the bank... or batter my conscience.