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!

@JamMakingWannaBe I agree. It's my staple shop when DS 15 needs something for Army Cadets.

Or a teapot, every 15-20 years.

I have never been in one. I tried to go in one, and some store assistant barked at me, saying had to be a member to go in. Not been back since.

This doesn't explain thought why and how they have so many high street shops still.

@DatasCat paperchase is now owned by an American company which explains why it’s not what it was. I spent my a levels buying stupidly expensive supplies in there like an adult smiggle. I think I had too much pocket money!

I love fatface but rarely pay full price. Most M&S stores aren’t great but I have to say my local one is so well laid out with a great mix of stuff I go there a lot (can get there and back in my lunch break).

WHSmiths I like but click and collect seems to confuse our local branch so won’t do that again. I like their lunch boxes.

There was a Twitter thread a few years ago dedicated to the utter shiteness of WH Smith. Photos of ripped carpets and crap offers. I might try to search it out - it was baffling but hilarious.

Yes WH Smith, how on earth are they still going?! Basically a free magazine reading room, full of other overpriced stuff you can buy for a fraction of the price elsewhere.

Smyths toys

Game - same as above. They had a game a couple of weeks ago at £52, checked online and it was £14.

Clarks shoes

And agree with WH Smith's.

There you go. Enjoy

twitter.com/whs_carpet

House of Fraser, though that seems to be rebranded as Flannels which is very expensive, cheapy Sports Direct and Game.

TortolaParadise · Today 23:03

A little out the box but:
Tui
Hays & Jarvis
Thomas Cook

I was thinking this too. Why do people actually physically go to a travel agent?

Ditto Boots. Who buys any thing from Boots other than prescriptions?

I worked for WHSmiths during my gap year in 1986 and it was good then. It was a small northern town but Smiths was a large proper bookshop and stationers. It was the year ‘Delia’s Christmas’ cookbook came out and we couldn’t unpack them fast enough, we sold thousands.

There were always queues at the tills, we got a high quality smart uniform, more like cabin crew than the strange blue sweatshirt the staff wear now, and there was a staff canteen.

We didn’t sell drinks or chocolate, much less try to force it on people just buying a paper. There was a good training scheme and pension and the employees were proud to be part of the company. I was offered a ft job and my mum was annoyed as it was seen as a good career but I wanted to go to uni.

I’ve wondered for years how they’ve survived - the general state the company seems to be in now. I don’t think it will be long.

Genuine question but where else do you buy calpol, toiletries and piles cream all in one fell swoop?!

Body Shop does well out of its MLM business (or at least it did, MLM is dying), so it’s busy rinsing women looking for flexible incomes. Looking at the current BS high street offering I can’t for the life of me see how they survive; too many other companies doing what BS does only cheaper and better. The rot set in when Anita Roddick sold to L’Oréal of all companies. Now they belong to Natura who also own Avon and Aesop (Avon being another MLM) so they’ve lost their USP.

Didn’t Thomas Cook go under just before the pandemic though?

I buy from Boots! Make up and skin care. I’d be gutted if they closed.

Smiggle. Cheap, hugely overpriced colourful tat which breaks within about 5 minutes. No idea how kids still go there!

House of Fraser
Kodak shops or other photo shops. Who goes in these?
H Samual
The works. Seems busy in garden centres but not on the high street.

Plenty of older people still do not use the internet much and prefer to go into a shop to buy their holiday.

There is always loads of people in our Boots and Superdrug, I can never find what I want in either, it's usually there but I can't find it

My local WH Smith’s is now my nearest post office. Whenever I go in it’s busy. I do not buy anything from there as I can buy it from the card factory or home bargains for a fraction of the cost.
Vape shops puzzle me. I have no use for them but surely you can go online and buy the same products cheaper.
Likewise bookmakers. Don’t most people bet online now.
As for next they have built a huge warehouse near where a relative of mine lives and will soon be expanding so they must be doing well.

WH Smiths is a more downmarket version of Waterstones and as you mention also a newsagents selling drinks and snacks. I think a lot of people might get a books from Smiths' that wouldn't from Waterstones.

Peacocks is great for basics like PJs and socks. Almost as cheap as Primark and slightly better.

I was surprised to see Ethel Austin in Liverpool recently. We used to have them when I was growing up, but I thought they'd folded.

Fatface is good for mens clothes. I by DH stuff there all the time. The jeans are very good. Not cheap mind.

People often use them if they are planning a big trip, visiting several different places