I always like to shop “local” in the same neighbourhood in which I reside. In Oliver this has not worked out. The local merchants seem to only carry high turnover items in their stores. I can see their point for doing this as their stores are relatively small and the number of customers are probably decreasing as people find it easier to travel to Osoyoos or Penticton and be assured that they will find whatever they are after without visiting *all* of the stores and striking out. Small stores are good for specialty items but the small stores in Oliver are focused on high turnover items.
For example, the other day, I visited *all* of the stores locally, wanting to buy a tea pot. No luck. No tea pot available in Oliver without a special order, and only then will it be ordered reluctantly. I then did two things:
- I traveled 22 kilometers to Osoyoos and immediately found a large selection in Home Hardware and headed back to Oliver ten minutes later.
- Until a big box store is built in Oliver, and unless the small shops become specialty stores, I decided to do most of my future shopping in Osoyoos and Pentiction when my shopping list includes a relatively low turnover item.
This decision is *not* because of my *tea pot* excursion, but because this scenario is occuring as a *rule* and not an exception.
