I SEE the sales and therefore the profits are down in Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s are grabbing a larger percentage of retail business.

Tesco seems dumbfounded as to why this is happening, and I would like to offer my reasons why there should be such a change in the past couple of years.

1. First rule of business is do not bite the hand that feeds you.

2. Do not take your customers for fools that will keep paying exorbitant prices. I buy a certain type of coffee from Tesco’s in Abingdon. It was £5.48 per jar. It has just gone up to £6.48 a jar in a week! A £1 increase in a week is way above inflation and they think we will not notice? This is not an isolated case either. I have seen this across the store and people are going elsewhere.

3. When you have a good seller in the shop, you stop getting the item and try to sell your own brand – we don’t want it! That’s why we go out of our way to buy a particular brand – learn from it.

4. What happened to customer service? A percentage of Tesco staff just don’t want to be there and this is reflected in their attitudes. Luckily, I have friends and neighbours who work there and they are an exception to the rule, which proves this is a personal thing.

5. Offer food that is edible. We are sick of buying vegetables that rot after a day.

6. Inspect your fruit before it is thrown on the shelves. We are fed up of buying bruised goods.

7. Meat needs to be fresh. I have had to take back two packs of chicken and one joint of pork. Why should I need to do this? I go to a shop to buy produce. If I take it back, it costs me money. I don’t want to do that.

8. Learn from your mistakes. If something is wrong, do not continue to do it.

These are simple things but you have got too big for your boots and people have chosen by using their feet.

Wake up. The people made you and they can bring you down.

JOHN MONAGHAN Cotman Close Abingdon