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MCN |
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MCN Super Spammer
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grr666 |
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grr666 Super Spammer
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Posted: 07:19 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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I walked around a shopping centre in Bristol yesterday afternoon (The Galleries) and it was pretty much deserted.
If it was at 10% capacity I'd have ben surprised. The only places with customers were the two pound shops and a
few eateries, the rest was deserted. They must make so much £££ out of the always chock full and expensive car park
that it keeps the whole place afloat. There's a real shortage of parking in the centre so they can make the prices up as
they go along. Always a half dozen units in the centre closed down with a few other places having closing down sales.
Retailers have had 15 years to up their game so they can compete with giants like Amazon and ebay, but if anything
the staff in the majority of these places are surlier and more useless than ever. So why would anyone pay a premium
over internet shopping prices just to be faced by an ill mannered, poe faced idiot who has sod all interest in what they are
selling. My local B&Q Traderpoint is mainly staffed by overly made up females almost as orange as their uniforms. But ask
them a question, any question and you're left wondering "Why are you here?" because they haven't the faintest idea
what anything is, what it does or where in the store to find it because they've never so much as bought a box of screws
or a tube of Gripfill in their lives. I bet they know ALL about iphones, make up, hair and social media though.
You only get something resembling a bit of customer service in an independent shop, where the person behind
the counter likely has a large stake in the firm. But internet shopping has an achilles heel. Returns. So many places
charge you to send stuff back and there's the hassle of repackaging and going out to post it which invariably means
queueing up at the Ghost Office. Nothing hassle free about that and it still puts a lot of people off of buying online.
If the High Street would just act like it's grateful for the custom and employ appropriate, enthused staff and give
them some training in being pro actively helpful and knowledgeable. Maybe bring prices in line with online and pay
them a decent wage then maybe retail wouldn't be regarded as a temporary drone job. Perhaps not quite as
many people would be saying balls to shopping in person. And perhaps those working in retail would do it with some
effort and pride. Its no surprise the high street is going under, the attitude they are doing you a favour by half
heartedly serving you is widespread and by not fixing that, management are just as culpable.
TL;DR It's their own fault. ____________________ Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off. |
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Polarbear |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 09:59 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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grr666 wrote: | employ appropriate, enthused staff and give them some training in being pro actively helpful and knowledgeable. Maybe bring prices in line with online and pay them a decent wage |
With what money? Given how much goes on exorbitant rent and rates, and paying wamen to not work, brick businesses with actual staff can never compete with drop shippers, bedroom sellers, and those prepared to exploit and discard 0-hour drones.
I mentioned previously that folk up here can't even give away commercial properties since they still attract rates even when they're empty. Owners have taken to knocking roofs off, and some of them just "catch fire", but now Plain Commie is bringing us a land tax so that just owning the soil under your derelict building sees you liable.
The future of retail is anonymous, faceless, and off-the-books. ____________________ Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike
Last edited by Rogerborg on 10:52 - 03 May 2018; edited 1 time in total |
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Tracey Suntan-King |
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Tracey Suntan-King World Chat Champion
Joined: 10 Nov 2012 Karma :
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Posted: 10:18 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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The problem is self-fulfilling.
Here in our small town in Wales we have a small high street with numerous independent shops, selling hippy food, books, gifts, carpets(!) and things made of wool. There's a debate going on locally about the struggles the shop keepers have surviving, countered by the criticism of the staff in these shops being surly and unwelcoming.
I suppose it's hard to be cheery when you don't know if you're going to be in business next week and some Gortex-clad tourist spends 20 minutes touching everything in your shop before buying a single picture postcard.
As for the locals, we all go to the giant Tesco & Alddi on the edge of town . ____________________ Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right |
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winz |
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winz World Chat Champion
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Johnnythefox |
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Johnnythefox Traffic Copper
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LustyLew |
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LustyLew World Chat Champion
Joined: 19 Apr 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 11:53 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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High Street shopping is shit.
Every other shop is a chain coffee shop, betting shop or charity shop. That leaves Boots, WH Smith (who seem to just sell sweets and newspapers) and Ahmeds Chicken Shops. Then when you're dragging your miserable ass between shops "Beeeeeg Eeeeeesue misses geeza?!" from some third world pikey, or "Hello sir! Do you have 5 minutes to chat about <insert latest dying fad animal>?" CUNT OFF!
Why on earth would you want to goto that when the big out of town shopping centres have better parking, are under cover and usually have a cinema etc on site.
Last time I went into Maplin I got greeted (harassed) but a spotty 16y/o stinking of BO. That and their shelves were so empty. I know they had troubles before administration with securing stock, but fuck me, use a brain cell, re-dress your shelves if half of it is empty!! No wonder people shop online.
If you want my money, you have to make me want to spend it. That's why places like John Lewis do well. ____________________ Like a Yorkie - I'm not for the girls |
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Tierbirdy |
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Tierbirdy Spanner Monkey
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Posted: 12:58 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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I loathe having to go to the high street at the best of time, it takes 40 minutes to find somewhere to park because the small local carpark is rammed full and charges £18 a minute to park.
Then I have to, ugh, interact with other humans. Walking down the street youre harassed by beggars, some pikey is trying to sell you the big issue, Save the Narwhals want you to sign up for a £15 a month direct debit ("its just the price of a coffee once a week! Would you really miss it?"), I finally get to the shop I want and its full of Little Old Doris pushing her cart around in a zombie-like state of dementia confusion by all the bright lights and these newfangled grams & kilos, and when did we stop using shillings? Or Charmaine is stood at the checkout blocking everyone demanding to see the manager because her fake tan cost £2 and it clearly said £1.99 on the label whilst her 7 kids scream the place down. Then you finally get what you want and go to pay, and find out it costs 7x what it did online but you wanted it today.
Banks are even worse, I go to pay in a cheque or some cash, and have to wait in line for 3 weeks because theyve gotten rid of all the actual humans (except the Business Banking desk which us peasants arent allowed to use) and replaced them with those automated machines - which actually work great... but everyone over the age of 40 is incapable of using them because its witchcraft to them. So yet again Doris, Ethel and Bertie who want to check the balance on all of their 8 different accounts (not actually withdraw any money mind you, just want to see the balance) take 14 hours to figure out how to use it.
You get back to your car, feeling like you've died of old age, and find some Dindu Nuffin has smashed your window and had a go through your glove box because their might have been something valuable in it. And to top it all off the local Nazi has given you a parking ticket because despite paying £580 to park for half an hour, you stayed for 32 minutes.
Or I can stay at home, get next day delivery on Amazon Prime for a fraction of the price and do all my shopping at my leisure in my pants vegging out in front of my PC with a cuppa in one hand and scratching by balls with the other. Bliss.
Fuck the high street, they had it coming. |
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grr666 |
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grr666 Super Spammer
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stinkwheel |
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stinkwheel Bovine Proctologist
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 14:37 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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HoF used to be where you'd go for some top quality clobber or if you wanted a dress shirt or similar. One step down from bespoke.
Last time I went in one a couple of years back, it pretty much exclusively catered for football casuals. A&F/Fred Perry etc. ____________________ “Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles. |
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thx1138 |
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thx1138 World Chat Champion
Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Karma :
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Posted: 17:25 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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grr666 wrote: | I walked around a shopping centre in Bristol yesterday afternoon (The Galleries) and it was pretty much deserted.
If it was at 10% capacity I'd have ben surprised. The only places with customers were the two pound shops and a
few eateries, the rest was deserted. They must make so much £££ out of the always chock full and expensive car park
that it keeps the whole place afloat. There's a real shortage of parking in the centre so they can make the prices up as
they go along. Always a half dozen units in the centre closed down with a few other places having closing down sales.
Retailers have had 15 years to up their game so they can compete with giants like Amazon and ebay, but if anything
the staff in the majority of these places are surlier and more useless than ever. So why would anyone pay a premium
over internet shopping prices just to be faced by an ill mannered, poe faced idiot who has sod all interest in what they are
selling. My local B&Q Traderpoint is mainly staffed by overly made up females almost as orange as their uniforms. But ask
them a question, any question and you're left wondering "Why are you here?" because they haven't the faintest idea
what anything is, what it does or where in the store to find it because they've never so much as bought a box of screws
or a tube of Gripfill in their lives. I bet they know ALL about iphones, make up, hair and social media though.
You only get something resembling a bit of customer service in an independent shop, where the person behind
the counter likely has a large stake in the firm. But internet shopping has an achilles heel. Returns. So many places
charge you to send stuff back and there's the hassle of repackaging and going out to post it which invariably means
queueing up at the Ghost Office. Nothing hassle free about that and it still puts a lot of people off of buying online.
If the High Street would just act like it's grateful for the custom and employ appropriate, enthused staff and give
them some training in being pro actively helpful and knowledgeable. Maybe bring prices in line with online and pay
them a decent wage then maybe retail wouldn't be regarded as a temporary drone job. Perhaps not quite as
many people would be saying balls to shopping in person. And perhaps those working in retail would do it with some
effort and pride. Its no surprise the high street is going under, the attitude they are doing you a favour by half
heartedly serving you is widespread and by not fixing that, management are just as culpable.
TL;DR It's their own fault. |
We have Goldings, family owned irinmongers and hardware store been going 150years, all the staff appear to be over 50, never hesitate to help, always know where everything is, all the other shops are pretty much hopeless though. |
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Polarbear Super Spammer
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Posted: 18:49 - 03 May 2018 Post subject: |
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Our version of that, Pollards, folded this year.
It was a brilliant place to go get that elusive silly pitch threaded bolt you couldn't find anywhere else but I suppose that sort of thing couldn't keep it going in the face of Bunnings, B&Q and the like. ____________________ Triumph Trophy Launch Edition |
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Pigeon World Chat Champion
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stephen_o |
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stephen_o Spanner Monkey
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grr666 |
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grr666 Super Spammer
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Posted: 10:10 - 04 May 2018 Post subject: |
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Download technology is killing firms like this in very recent times but internet shopping started the process of reducing
footfall. Same as all the CD emporiums, and video rental places. I worked for Blockbuster Video when I was 18.
Around the same time, if you wanted a bit of an unusual non mainstream CD (I'm into rock and metal so that was
common for me) you'd have to go to a specialist place. Adrians in Wickford was one that saw me leafing through
the imports and rarities on a regular basis after a drive or train ride to do so. I was often at Piccadilly Circus in HMV
or Tower Records in the A&R section clicking my way through the CD's for literally hours hunting for that illusive thing
my mates didn't already have. Finding it being somewhat of a badge of honour among my peers. I also used
to mail order from Alices Records, They used to do a postal mailout/fanzine every couple of months with reviews
and you would phone them up and pay by card, then they would post things out to you.You could pre order unreleased stuff too.
I'm not a downloader, never have been, never will be. I like having the physical item, reading the sleeve notes and
shout outs (I've been mentioned on a couple having a couple of mates in the music business) I like the artwork too
and reading the lyrics and stuff But now to get them, even the rare stuff I push a few buttons and I can buy my
CD's from halfway round the world from some dude with no premises to upkeep or rates to pay. Certainly saves me
some legwork, I've managed to obtain stuff that eluded me for years despite hours and even days of hunting for them.
Convenience is convenient.
Longer term, I can see the high streets ending up as housing as we keep bringing people in ad-nauseum when we already
are low on housing. It will only take a slight change in planning laws designating commercial properties as suitable for
residential and there will be a whirlwind of activity changing High streets into homes. ____________________ Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off. |
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 5 years, 355 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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