Shopping in cheapside

<>A common theme of discount chains is low capital investment levels in small plain stores, as well as a minimum level of staffing. Goods are simply transferred to the shop floor, in their delivered state, with just the packaging cut open to allow shoppers to access the product. Staff overheads are reduced as shelf stacking and stock rotation isn't required. Since only a narrow range of items are stocked, this task becomes even simpler. The German firm Aldi, which was the pioneer of the business model, typically carries only 700 products in its stores compared with a hypermarket which is likely to have 20,000 - 40,000. <>Winning the war <>The rather down-at-heel appearance of the stores, and the dominance of processed goods gave rise to the idea that discounters could only ever attract a lower class of customer. It was also believed that they could not succeed in the Mediterannean countries which are known for their supposed preference for quality fresh foods. In its