Star comment: Fight for shoppers is brutal
Few sections of the British economy can have undergone a more dramatic transformation over the past decade than our supermarkets.
Familiar names such as Safeway, Somerfield, Kwik-Save and Gateway have been consigned to the history books in what feels like the blink of an eye, and new kids on the block like Aldi and Lidl have charged in from mainland Europe to challenge the domination of market leaders Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda.
But it is not just the stores themselves which have changed. So too have our shopping habits.
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Not so long ago, supermarket loyalty was a tough bond to break, often passed down through generations. You'd be almost as likely to switch your bank account as you would be to wheel your trolley off to a new store.
But this is no longer the case, and that's one of the reasons why store wars are becoming more brutal than ever.
The big chains know they have to pull out all the stops to keep their aisles busy. Headline-grabbing, short-term promotions are no longer enough – they have to convince us that their prices are low every day of the week across the whole product spectrum, because shoppers won't think twice about defecting to save cash.
Technology is partly to blame for this. Where in the past we were happy to largely take a supermarket's word for their great value, and pay a few extra pennies for familiarity, it's now easier than ever to flick between online stores ourselves on a price-checking mission.
And if fresh meat is cheaper in one shop, a bottle of wine has a lower price in another, and the washing powder is rock-bottom in a third, we are happy to take the extra time, and walk the yards, to spread the spend.
Let us not feel too sorry for supermarkets, though. They are still raking in multi-million pound profits, and driving suppliers down to levels they can often barely afford.
And all the while, independent retailers are trying to compete with much smaller marketing clout.
Shropshire and Mid Wales is fortunate to be blessed with an array of quality, award-winning independent stores, and as the supermarkets slug it out, we shouldn't forget them. They offer the kind of personal touch that their big rivals often struggle to match. And you may be surprised about just how competitive they are on price, too.
See also: Counting the cost of major store wars
