Good Butcher

[ALIB]

Finding the local superstore a bit defficient of quality meat, i ventured to the unnamed butchers shop at the the bottom of Sydenham Road, quite close to Bell Green.
Very friendly staff, excellent meat, cut just the way you want it. competitive prices.
I went there again today, only to find they have strange opening times and were shut.

Does anyne else shop there, and what are your experiences?
Does the shop have a name?

Alib

[Thomas]

I think you're referring to Home Park butchers. I've been there quite a few times recently and you're right - it is a good place - and there have been a few occasional references to it on the forum over the last few months.

Do they have half-day closing on a Wednesday then?

[ALIB]

They shut at 1pm on a Wednesday. The shop frontage could be a lot better and the signs on the door are all hand-written.

Like some other shops, perhaps upgrading their appearance would attract more customers. (for example having a big sign on the shop front "Butchers', could work wonders)

Alib

[bensonby]

yep - we go there from time to time. They are very helpful and have decent meat.

[poppy]

If they saw the queues outside William Rose in ED may be they would be encouraged to invest more in appearance and marketing!

[ALIB]

Exactly Poppy. A little bit of money invested in proper marketing could work wonders. The staff, servce and meats are at least as good as WR (if not better), so why are they not making as much money as WR?

Websites like this are an excellent link between businesses and consumers. I hope Home Park Butchers have the foresight to realise their potential.

Alib

[bensonby]

Just had my sunday beef from there this afternoon - and very nice it was too!

[mw]

I walked past there the other day and there was a dead fly in one of the empty trays, generally the trays did not seem very clean.

[bensonby]

true it needs taring up - but all the stuff is kept out back or in fridges. The trays in the window aren't used it seems.

[mw]

Thats good to know, but as others have intimated here, presentation and marketing a key elements of running a trhiving business. Its a shame that if their produce is as good as people say, that they are letting themselves down with poor presentation and aesthetics.

[Sydenham]

maybe they enjoy what they are doing and the way they do it and aren't interested in modern concepts such as marketing, nor changing their ways to suit the needs of their customers. (Nor perhaps following every letter of current health and safety practice).

Take them as you find them and enjoy their idiosyncratic nature - there's few enough of these sorts of retailers about.

I'm not suggesting its unhygienic - and its refreshing to see somewhere thats not in a medically clean state. Butchering is a messy business.

What worries me though is whether they are related to the butchers in 'The League of Gentlemen'.

[Howard Staunton]

maybe they enjoy what they are doing and the way they do it and aren't interested in modern concepts such as marketing,

Marketing a modern concept? 19th Century, surely.

I think most people who have contributed to this thread are simply concerned that this excellent butcher's shop will, like the nearby chippy, end up closing down due to lack of business and competition from the supermarkets. I don't think the criticism is anything other than genuine concern for this local store. Positive criticism I would say.

[Sydenham]

I agree it would be a shame if the butchers had to close and its good to see there is such concern here - I just feel they are doing butchering the way they want to do it and don't particularly want to conform with anyone else's views.

I don't know this for a fact and am probably wrong but to me they don't seem to be running the store with the objective of making a fortune either.

Whenever I've been there they just seem to get on with it and enjoy themselves - if this is the case and it was me doing the butchering I wouldn't appreciate others trying to change the way I work / live. If they changed their ways the shop probably wouldn't have the atmosphere it has now.

I suppose what I am really trying to say is that I admire the way they have set themselves up - no proper signage; having a half day break in the week etc. All good and old-fashioned. As long as this is what they want of course.

[umbrella]

I'll also thoroughly recommend the butchers shop in question, good quality meat and great friendly service. Prices are, imo, good too.