Corner Shops

BBC Learning EnglishWeekenderCorner Shops
Jackie:  Hello, welcome to Weekender, I'm JackieDalton. As part of BBC LearningEnglish's special focus on Pakistan this month, we're goingto find out about one of the things Pakistani migrants andtheir descendents are most famous for bringing to Britain'sstreets. And that's the corner shop – small local shopswhich are usually open for long hours and are near people'shomes – so you don't usually have to get in the car anddrive to them. There are lots of corner shops in Britainand they're very popular. Reporter Hardeep Singh Kohliasked clients at one of the shops what they liked about it.
　　Corner-shop visitorsGoodmorning! (laughter)What's it about the corner shop you like?
　　Well it gets everything I need, if I run out of milk, I cancome round the corner and get milk – I don't have to runa' way [all the way] up the road.
　　Do you like the cornershop?
　　Yes, because it's opposite my flat and they stock the kindsof things I want to buy… and they're really friendly… andthey're open when I want them to be… and contact withpeople and food is always good.
　　It's handy, it saves going to a supermarket.
　　Jackie:  Now let's break that down and look at thelanguage.
　　Corner-shop visitorsGoodmorning! (laughter)What's it about the corner shop you like?
　　Well it gets everything I need, if I run out of milk, I cancome round the corner and get milk – I don't have to runa' way [all the way] up the road.
　　Jackie:  This man says he the shop has everything heneeds and he clearly likes the fact that it's close – justround the corner from him. He doesn't have to go all theway to the supermarket if he runs out of milk. 'To run outof  milk'
　　means you don't have any left.
　　Jackie:  What does this woman like about the cornershop?
　　Corner-shop visitorsDo you like the cornershop?
　　Yes, because it's opposite my flat and they stock the kindsof things I want to buy… and they're really friendly… andthey're open when I want them to be… and contact withpeople 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 thethings she needs. To say a shop 'stocks' something means ithas it in supply to sell to people. Now let's listen to thelast man. What adjective does he use to describe the shop?
　　Corner-shop visitorsIt'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 enjoyabout working there?
　　Corner-shop visitorsI think what we enjoyed was the interaction and the spur ofthe moment, you know, conversation that you would have withyour customers – right -  and the banter 1 you wouldhave and you listen to their problems. That was the bestform of community cohesion 2 andtrust that we were building.
　　Jackie:  Did you get the answer? He enjoyed theinteraction – people talking to each other, he talkedabout the 'spur of the moment' conversation. If somethingis on the spur of the moment, it's unplanned, spontaneous– it just happens. Amjad said the interaction and banterin the shop created trust and community cohesion – peoplecame together and felt could rely on each other. There'ssomething else about corner shops that has made them a bitspecial, according to Professor McAvoy, expert in ethnicentrepreneurship. What else is unusual about them thatgives them an advantage?
　　Professor McAvoyMany Asians, I think, saw their close family as an economicasset, while the business was becoming established theycould ask members of the family to work for limited or evenno rewards. And of course at that time - to a lesser 3 extentnow - Asians have got bigger families than whites. So thiswas a resource they had, that the whites didn't.
　　Jackie:  According to Professor McAvoy, the wholefamily gets involved, sometimes working for little or nopay. It's an economic asset – something that would helpbusiness. But family involvement is more than just aneconomic asset – what else does Amjad say is the advantageof family involvement?
　　AmjadAll the family was involved, the women were involved, mymother was involved, all Asian businesses were verypersonalised.
　　Jackie:  Amjad said Asian businesses were very'personalised' – meaning people would become personallyinvolved in them. And what with the spread of big, ratherimpersonal supermarkets, that's what many people in Britainenjoy about their corner shops – a place where they'llfind friendly faces, as well asa pint 4 of milk!