Rod Trenchard of Wingham Plaza Butchery has seen sales of deli meats triple in the last week since Coles Wingham closed its in store deli counter.
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However many shoppers are still reeling from the loss and voicing their outrage online at the prospect of only being able to buy pre-packed items in Wingham.
Rod would like to point out that locals can still get many of the items in town, particularly sliced meats.
"There's no need to shop in Taree, we've got you covered," he said.
Like Rod, Scott Kelly of Wingham Gourmet Meat and Chicken also wants to remind shoppers there are alternatives available.
Scott also stocks a variety of cold meats.
"If we haven't got something we can order it in," said Scott.
"Locals just need to tell us what they want and we are happy to expand our current range."
The current range includes salami, roast beef, and silverside. And unlike the new Deli to Go option which will open in Coles on October 19, customers can buy just a single slice of ham if they wish.
The closure of the deli counter at Coles is part of a revamp of the store which will see some improvements.
A spokesperson for the supermarket giant said customers will soon be able to enjoy the brand new market-style fresh produce area, improved store layout, more than 1,300 new grocery products with a wider array of healthy food options, as well as a new scoop and weigh bar with a selection of nuts and dried fruit mixes.
Just no single slices of ham. Or a little handful of olives. Or just enough feta cheese for a salad.
According to Coles the store has been tailored to meet the needs of busy shoppers who they say are increasingly looking for convenient, healthy and pre-packed meal solutions.
It's not clear if the research Coles used to make the decision was conducted locally but it is said to have found one in three customers do not have the time to cook from scratch and 52 per cent are not interested in cooking more at home.
As such the store 'refresh' includes the introduction of Coles' new ready-made Coles Kitchen convenience foods range.
The servery will be changed to offer a range of meats, seafood, small goods, cheese and antipasto in a variety of pack sizes.
The changes at Coles have reinforced Rod Trenchard's opinion that shoppers need to lessen their dependence on the national chain stores.
"It's a good thing to pull back from the large supermarkets," he said.
"Shopping at the little local shops puts money back into the town and small businesses."
Rod was vocal earlier in the year when the COVID crisis saw stock shortages at Coles.
He and his team were able to adapt and fill the void left by the supermarket.
Six months on and our local stores are being called upon to fill the void once again.
And make changes that reflect the actual needs of local shoppers.
