Rising costs are changing shopping habits in one of Wales’ poorest areas. 14 hours ago. Nicola BryanBBC Wales. BBC. Although there’s just five weeks to go before Wales takes to the polls, Senedd election fever is yet to hit Maesteg’s bustling high street.. But from chatting to shoppers and business owners in the town in Bridgend county, it’s clear one of the main issues concerning locals ahead of 7 May – like in other parts of the country – is the rising cost of things like groceries.. And it appears to be changing people’s weekly shopping habits.. “[Customers] are more savvy,” said the owner of Go Bananas greengrocer’s Hayley Morgan. “They do come in and just buy two or three things and they look for little bargains.”. She said people were now more likely to buy loose products – one apple, one banana at a time – rather than larger pre-packaged amounts.. “If you want to do a fruit salad for yourself you can just buy one of each [and] you haven’t got to buy a bag full and throw half in the bin,” she explained.. Hayley said she had noticed her costs of buying in some items such as tomatoes and peppers were starting to creep up, which she put down to rising oil prices.. Butcher Andrew Garner has also noticed some interesting changes.. “I’m selling a lot of sausage,” said Andrew, who took the business on from his father 28 years ago.. “It’s busy towards the end of the month when people are getting paid.. “Also a lot more people are paying with cash and that tells you when they’re watching what they’re spending because once the money’s gone it’s gone and they can’t just keep tapping on their cards.”. Many people across Wales have been in touch with BBC Your Voice ahead of the Senedd election to tell us they are concerned about cost of living pressures including rising oil prices and the cost of bills.. Andrew said he would definitely be voting in the election, but does he believe that politics can change things for the better?. “Can it be any worse?” he laughed.. After Wales’ parliament was established 1999, Maesteg was represented within the Ogmore constituency – historically a stronghold for Welsh Labour in Senedd elections.. But constituency boundaries have changed for this year’s election, with 16 new and bigger constituencies being created to replace the 40 Wales previously had, and Maesteg now falling in the new one of Afan Ogwr Rhondda.. The constituency, with a population of 194,083, has the highest proportion of both primary and secondary age pupils entitled to free school meals and the highest economic inactivity rate in Wales.. Some locals don’t appear to have much faith that the Welsh Parliament will be able to help turn around the town’s fortunes.. “They [politicians] do tend to see us as the poorer area because we’re up in the mountains, up in the valleys,” said retired catering business owner Barbara Farmer as she was shopping at Go Bananas.. She said she had not yet decided which party to vote for.. “Because a lot of them lie, basicall
