Balancing it all on top of my pram as I negotiate the aisles, pushing it along with my knees and chin. Last week I had the opportunity to shop, in a certain recently opened wholesale chain store. Which I won’t name here as they don’t need the advertising, but I have to say I was stunned that such a huge corporation could have such keen customer service staff, I didn’t even have to put my goods on the belt at the checkout.

I couldn’t believe the scale of that store, nor the goods obtainable, I’m the proud new owner of the biggest bucket of Vegemite you’ll ever see. I found it a little scary, not for me but for local retailers because here’s the thing, and this brings me to my point.

I want to be able to spend my money locally (who doesn’t), but the harder it is to spend my money in a local store, the more likely it is that I will turn elsewhere. Let me explain why.

Think about who does the shopping in most households, it’s usually mum right? The less stress I have in running my day to day errands the better. If I can one stop shop I will, but I can’t always do that locally.

I admit I shop online a lot, mostly because I want to be able to shop in my pyjamas at two o’clock in the morning, but also because it’s less stress on me (if you have met my children during an outing, you’ll know why).

It can be cheaper to shop online and you may find things you can’t get locally, but the big downside is delivery. Not only are there costs involved for freight but also time, when I want something I want I now, not in 5 to 7 working days.

Recent statistics show that retailers are seeing a massive downturn in business, because people are shopping online or in humungous superstores like the one I visited. Mums are the ones doing all the spending; they are the shoppers, and shopping as a parent with a pram in Goulburn is tough going.

There are several shops in the CBD I can’t go into with my pram, which is no wider than an average wheelchair. I’d hate to imagine how hard it would be, for those that are wheelchair bound. I can’t go in simply because the store is overcrowded with stock being displayed all over the place, or there are steps, or the beautiful old fashioned shop front doors are too narrow.

I know that it is not just the town of Goulburn, that I and other parents will have encountered shopping difficulties in, this is a gripe of parents nationwide I’m sure. However that said, the thing Goulburn has going for it and I’ve said this before, is it’s people.

I’ve encountered some fantastic customer service here, and despite the in-store obstacle courses.

That service will keep me coming back again and again, although it would be nice if retailers could open up their store aisles a little wider though, hint hint. So I ask local retailers, what are you doing to keep your customers local, are you ready for the super store invasion? They are on their way to town.

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