THERE are many superstores in and around Plymouth that offer stress free shopping, often putting on transport to get you there and home.

If you cannot make it to the stores yourself, you can order online or by phone, and for a small fee they will deliver, put your goods in your kitchen and you will always receive a thank-you.

They have decent cafeterias that sell affordable hot meals, someone to help you pack your purchases into your bags, friendly till operators and helpful staff. You can purchase virtually anything from fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, cheese, fresh baked bread, rolls, milk and thousands of other products, all in a warm, friendly environment with security staff to keep out riffraff. Free car parking with no pressure to leave – can't be bad.

City centre shopping though is, to my mind, all stress-related. We have run-down shops, a road enforcement vehicle, traffic wardens waiting to pounce with £60 to £80 car parking tickets if you dare to stay over two minutes of the time allocated to you by a car parking machine. We also have taxi drivers who will not drop off the disabled etc to their nearest destination for fear of getting booked by a traffic enforcement vehicle, unhelpful shop staff, drunken yobs, swearing riffraff, second hand and charity shops, dirty streets, overflowing rubbish bins and rubbish piled up at the back of stores. There are fast food cartons and wrappers lying on the streets, stores closed down and deserted with graffiti markings on many buildings – the sorry list goes on. No wonder shops are closing down at an alarming rate.

Who in their right mind wants this type of experience? Clint Jones, the city centre manager and Plymouth City Council – no wonder you have a problem getting people to use the city centre.

The answer is obvious to me, and I assume to thousands of other out-of-own shoppers. but is it obvious to you?

DAVID LUCKHAM

Pennycross