Village Shops

We recently moored near a typical French village/small town which was yet another victim of the rise of out-of-town shopping – something we’re seeing throughout our travels. The village had 5 or 6 shops, but the only one still trading was the Boulangerie. Even the bar/restaurant had closed down and was up for sale. I understand that people want more choice and lower prices but, when every town offers the same chain stores, does that really equal choice?

As fossil fuels become more scarce and more expensive, I wonder if we will all be so willing to jump in the car and drive to an out-of-town shopping centre at the weekend. Perhaps there will be some sort of reversal? Or, perhaps the roads will just be full of delivery vans bringing our on-line purchases to our doors…