BBC Learning English
Weekender
Corner Shops
Jackie: Hello, welcome to Weekender, I'm Jackie Dalton. As part of BBC Learning
English's special focus on Pakistan this month, we're going to find out about
one of the things Pakistani migrants and their descendents are most famous
for bringing to Britain's streets. And that's the corner shop – small local
shops which are usually open for long hours and are near people's homes –
so you don't usually have to get in the car and drive to them. There are lots
of corner shops in Britain and they're very popular. Reporter Hardeep Singh
Kohli asked clients at one of the shops what they liked about it.
Corner-shop visitors
Goodmorning! (laughter)
What's it about the corner shop you like?
Well it gets everything I need, if I run out of milk, I can come round the corner and get
milk – I don't have to run a' way [all the way] up the road.
Do you like the cornershop?
Yes, because it's opposite my flat and they stock the kinds of things I want to buy… and
they're really friendly… and they're open when I want them to be… and contact with
people and food is always good.
It's handy, it saves going to a supermarket.
Jackie: Now let's break that down and look at the language.
Corner-shop visitors
Goodmorning! (laughter)
What's it about the corner shop you like?
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Well it gets everything I need, if I run out of milk, I can come round the corner and get
milk – I don't have to run a' way [all the way] up the road.
Jackie: This man says he the shop has everything he needs and he clearly likes the
fact that it's close – just round the corner from him. He doesn't have to go all
the way to the supermarket if he runs out of milk. 'To run out of milk'
means you don't have any left.
Jackie: What does this woman like about the corner shop?
Corner-shop visitors
Do you like the cornershop?
Yes, because it's opposite my flat and they stock the kinds of things I want to buy… and
they're really friendly… and they're open when I want them to be… and contact with
people and food and is always good.
Jackie: Again, this woman likes the fact it's close – just opposite her flat. She says
the shop stocks the things she needs. To say a shop 'stocks' something means
it has it in supply to sell to people. Now let's listen to the last man. What
adjective does he use to describe the shop?
Corner-shop visitors
It's handy, it saves going to a supermarket.
Jackie: The man says the shop is handy – handy – an informal expression meaning
'useful'. Next, we're going to hear from Amjad Pervez, whose family used to
own a corner shop. What did he enjoy about working there?
Corner-shop visitors
I think what we enjoyed was the interaction and the spur of the moment, you know,
conversation that you would have with your customers – right - and the banter you would
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have and you listen to their problems. That was the best form of community cohesion and
trust that we were building.
Jackie: Did you get the answer? He enjoyed the interaction – people talking to each
other, he talked about the 'spur of the moment' conversation. If something is
on the spur of the moment, it's unplanned, spontaneous – it just happens.
Amjad said the interaction and banter in the shop created trust and
community cohesion – people came together and felt could rely on each
other. There's something else about corner shops that has made them a bit
special, according to Professor McAvoy, expert in ethnic entrepreneurship.
What else is unusual about them that gives them an advantage?
Professor McAvoy
Many Asians, I think, saw their close family as an economic asset, while the business was
becoming established they could ask members of the family to work for limited or even no
rewards. And of course at that time - to a lesser extent now - Asians have got bigger
families than whites. So this was a resource they had, that the whites didn't.
Jackie: According to Professor McAvoy, the whole family gets involved, sometimes
working for little or no pay. It's an economic asset – something that would
help business. But family involvement is more than just an economic asset –
what else does Amjad say is the advantage of family involvement?
Amjad
All the family was involved, the women were involved, my mother was involved, all Asian
businesses were very personalised.
Jackie: Amjad said Asian businesses were very 'personalised' – meaning people
would become personally involved in them. And what with the spread of big,
rather impersonal supermarkets, that's what many people in Britain enjoy
about their corner shops – a place where they'll find friendly faces, as well as
a pint of milk!
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