Salford’s first zero waste shop is closing its doors after three years in business due to the cost-of-living crisis.
The Dispensary, which is based in Walkden Town Centre, will be shutting on the 23rd of December.
The owner, Fay Watts, has made the decision to close her shop after struggling to stay afloat throughout the cost-of-living crisis.
Fay said: “It has been brewing for about a year now, but the last few months have been really difficult.
“The cost-of-living crisis has affected us greatly, we can’t compete with supermarket prices while remaining ethical and our regular customers can’t afford to spend as much”, Fay continued.
Zero waste shops around the country are closing more and more often because of the cost-of-living crisis meaning they are unable to match supermarket prices.
Fay decided now was the right time for them to close the store. She said: “I haven’t paid myself since last Christmas, but I didn’t want to go out with not being able to pay our rent or our staff.”
Image credit: Anna Dugdale
The Dispensary experienced its first day without any customers last week which led Fay to consider closing the store after fighting to keep it open for the last year.
Fay explained: “We tried to pull something out of our sleeve like a raffle or a clothes swap but it’s just constant firefighting and trying to get enough money to pay the bills and it’s only getting worse.”
The Dispensary first opened their doors in December 2019, providing people with eco-friendly products from washing up liquid, to cereal and fruit.
“I wanted to create something for the community which I think we have done as a team”, Fay said. “I have a lot of passion for the shop and worked to keep it going for the customers and the staff because that’s their livelihoods.
“But it has just become so quiet, and it isn’t covering its costs anymore.”
The staff and Fay worked to keep the shop open amid the cost-of-living crisis for their customer base but decided to stay open for just one more month.
Fay said: “We have a lot of loyal customers and I love the community we have created.
“The Dispensary was the start of a lot of people’s journeys, and we have made an impact and a difference.”
The shop will close its doors on the 23rd of December. The Dispensary are still taking pre-orders for Christmas gifts and selling the remaining stock until then.
Fay said: “I am so thankful to all of our amazing customers for supporting us until this point.”
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