Shopping history never moves in one single direction or all at once. There have always been regional and chronological divergences from mainstream developments.

There are also retailing modes that fall by the wayside and then return at a later date in new guises or with new names. They often have every appearance of being newly invented.

• People began to support and use independent local shops.
• Home deliveries were organized by smaller shops, often working together in groups.
• In the media, shop assistants were referred to as “frontline workers”.
• The pandemic had demonstrated what shops were really for,...