Visiting large shopping centers becomes a habit more than a requirement. Under the pretext of shopping in single-brand or specialized stores that are only found there, young people and families spend whole days there. A custom perhaps dictated by the conviction of finding a greater choice of products and at more advantageous prices, not to mention free wi-fi, another of the main attractions.
An alienating pleasure of shopping that damages the trade of the shops and local markets, the soul of the economy of small municipalities.
Cities, towns and trade associations, in fact, have recognized that markets are an integral part of their local economies, and many are realizing that they also bring benefits on a social level. Wandering around the stalls offers an opportunity to socialize, as well as to buy often zero-kilometer products.
This is also supported by the cheesemaker Michele Busso of Sommariva Bosco, an expert in farms from which he buys seasoned and fresh products to resell them in the markets of the Cuneo area and Asti. An important part of his work, which he carries out with his wife Piera and their son, is in fact selecting small farmers and cheesemakers «in search of pastures, animals and people».
So, after having exhibited a map of Piedmont on his cheese counter last autumn on which the data of the supplier companies are marked (a provocation against the delay in the renewal of the original labeling decree), in these days he has posted a sign where a vademecum stands out with the ten good reasons to go to the market.
Here are the points: take 4 steps on foot and socialize; discover hidden corners of your city; feel the scents and the shouting of the people; buy fresher, quality merchandise; a taste is offered before buying; the advantage of being called by name and not by a “beep”; the fact that the operators, in addition to making the goods available, “put their face to it”; to revive the country half a day of life; the price is handwritten and is not highlighted by a barcode; to make people feel that the simple and the genuine are still current values.
“I strongly argue that the market is a source of benefits for a life more on a human scale – says Michele Busso -. It is bleak on Sundays to see groups of young people hanging out in the aisles of a shopping mall. It would be healthier and more enriching for them to attend an open space where they learn the stories and traditions of passionate artisans ».