Shops you are surprised are still going

[fajitaaaa]

WHSMITHS - who is buying from them? Anything other than a emergency magazine for the train and maybe a bottle of water? But some of their stores are HUGE!

FAT FACE - always a massive sale on!

I always feel the same about Waterstones.

Card factory is much cheaper than the supermarkets

This is why shopping centres only sell "cheap tatt" now. We have failed to support shops that do anything even a little bit specialist. You can get a handful of books 241 in Tesco, you can't get most of what Waterstones sells there.

Totally agree, which is why I use Smith's and Waterstones.

@Q2C4 Waterstones is often very good for graphic novels and manga where WHSmith isn't so great.
Unless you are lucky enough to live near a Forbidden Planet or an independent comic shop (most people don't) Waterstones is the only place for a good selection.

Whittard of Chelsea! Overpriced and grubby. Used to work there.

They have an ethical business model and a lot of us don't have alternative local key cutters anyway. We only have Timpson in our town (two of them!)

I think many people cut keys so rarely they aren't aware of how much it costs.
I personally won't use Timpson because of Brexit (yes, I know they adopt children and hire ex-cons),

WHSmith often does have some fantastic book bargains. Before Xmas they had a whole load of Lego books going really cheap. One had a figure with it that you can only get with that book so a ridiculous amount of Lego fans purposely went to WHSmith to get it.
However WHSmith seems very bad at getting their special offers correct.
Children's books were 3 for 2.
These Lego books weren't meant to be included as they were a separate special offer. Some branches though incorrectly put 3 for 2 stickers on the books. A lot of Lego fans were a bit pissed off when they heard some people got 3 for 2 and others didn't.
They also often have stickers on new releases that say "£5 off RRP" or "half cover price" but when you scan them they come up at a completely different price.

In my experience, they refuse to give a refund even if there is something wrong with the item. I remember buying something online years ago and they only sent half the order and still refused a refund.

They are like Ryanair, the law doesn't apply to them.

Yes, I love Timpson amd their business model. Obviously for some people cost needs to be the biggest factor, but why always go for the cheapest if you can afford to support business trying to do things better?

I didn't know about the stance on Brexit, but I don't have a choice where I live anyway, unless I want to go somewhere else. They've even got a kiosk at my local Sainsburys - they've got a monopoly where I am! And the fact that they hire ex-cons outweighs the Brexit issue really, I think they also paid full salaries during the covid lockdowns (though surely they were allowed to open anyway? but I know there was something, maybe they paid full salaries to people who had to shield).

And Sports Direct is the other extreme. They might be cheap, but we know ethically they are completely kaput, so why do people keep using them?

I still use Waterstones for the sole purpose of keeping it alive.
I know a town not far from me where the council is proposing to close down a shopping centre and turn it all into flats. Residents are appalled . The car park will go too which lots of workers use.
They will not attract young professionals. Probably house quite a lot of undesirables and people will stop going into town. I’ve seen it elsewhere where you are harrassed for money every time you visit certain places.
The shoppers stop going. The workers start looking to work elsewhere. Downward spiral.

I've disagreed with some of the political stances taken by Timpson's, but I'll give them my business for their ethical employment policies and the way they put back to the community.

Which reminds me, I have three pairs of shoes that need re-soling.

Same applies to WHS and magazines/newspapers.

You can't buy Der Spiegel in Morrisons nor most of the more obscure/specialist magazines.

Morrisons, tesco, etc are fine if you want the Daily Mirror, Hello or TV Times, but they don't sell the less mainstream stuff such as foreign newspapers nor specialist/hobby magazines. Most small independent newsagents have closed down over the past 20 years, so WHS is really often the only place where people can buy the less popular newspapers/magazines. They also still do the special orders and reservations which supermarkets don't do.

Do you mean the 80s fashion brand or Kim Kardashian’s brand? If the former it looks like this folded in 2018.

I was bought my first tween/teen adult clothes from there at age 10 back in the 80s by my mum. They were great clothes, style wise and well made too.

Some but not all of the Waterstones have nice cafes too. What I like about Waterstones as well as the books, is the knowledge of the books, if you don’t have a decent book shop locally.

I always think that about WH Smith.

In our town centre there is a Waterstones and The Works. Now I know which shop I'd go into to buy a book but it still amazes me that people will choose Waterstones over The Works.

So is it that people don't know they can get a book for about a fifth of the price at The Works rather than take out a second mortgage at Waterstones?
Is it because they feel inferior going into The Works?
Or is it that they have more money than sense?

Timpson are actually a great company.
They treat their staff well and employ ex offenders.
They also have really good services, like watch battery repair with a guarantee so you can get it replaced again free if you need to.

Because the selection at Waterstones is far greater than at the Works. If you only want a current bestseller or some multipacks of cheap kids books, the Works is fine, but Waterstones has so many good and specialist books. They support local authors, do book signings, hold events. The staff are usually knowledgeable. It's not always about price. The high street would be so sad if every shop was a stack em high sell em cheap type of shop.

Definitely the 80s one. Don't know anything about KK having a line with that name

I have bought classics in The Works. But specialist books in Waterstones.

Please please no one buy from Shein - they are like the worst manufacture ever, you can combine Misguided, primark, Bohho etc all together and still they wouldn't be as bad as Shein. They are the worse for everything cooperate greed, environmental standards and treatment of their staff
I am a person who uses travel agents alot. Got badly burned for a big birthday holiday a few years ago by booking myself directly and loosing a good chunk of money. Never again. I will book myself for a short city break but not for my main big holiday. I ma just back from my honeymoon and there is no way we could have arranged everything we did if it had not been for the travel agent. Everything done perfect. No hassle arranging anything, and all documents emailed to me before i went plus covered if anything went wrong. Just after booking my big 40 holiday there now with same agent, she opened my eyes to try something different too. I am paying them to do all that in half the time it would take me to do it plus i pay my deposit and pay online every month so its all paid for before i go.

As someone else said i miss department stores, Love going to big ones and seeing everything under one roof. Makes shopping with himself so much easier too

Doesn't The Works only sell books that haven't sold elsewhere? If you're looking for a specific title or even most genres, you're unlikely to find it there. For people who enjoy books and bookshops, Waterstones is a completely different experience.