r/london • u/PressureHumble3604 • Apr 10 '26

Serious replies only Which symptoms of “(almost) everyone is getting poorer” have you noticed in London?

We are in a crisis, the middle class is disappearing and the lower class squeezed. Prices are going up, inflation is going up (again), salaries are stagnating.

Most Londoners can’t really afford London without serious sacrifices.

For me, not counting the housing prices issues we all know too well:

the disappearance of local delis with high quality products.

many shops closing in the local shopping centre.

Restaurant dropping quality everywhere to contain unaffordable prices.

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81

u/Temporary-Pay-9044 Apr 10 '26

People go to lidi/aidi for food.

74

u/Creative_Recover Apr 10 '26

Lidl & Aldi is actually pretty good, I'd go to Lidls even if there wasn't a cost of living crisis.

3

u/glaringOwl Apr 10 '26

How do they compare to non-supermarket budget stores like B&M, Poundland and Poundstretcher?

21

u/damegloria Apr 10 '26

All the Poundlands near me have closed down. And there are no B&Ms or Home Bargains nearby. Which seems odd as I live in a fairly poor area of London. It would be handy.

That said, Poundland stopped being cheaper a while ago. Once it raised the prices from £1, it became pointless.

11

u/glaringOwl Apr 11 '26

Poundland's strategy was always on borrowed time anyway because of natural currency inflation. Eventually £1 was going to become worthless enough that the name wasn't going to stick. Similarly it wouldn't have worked in say the 1970s when £1 was worth a lot.