To wonder what WH Smith's secret is...

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So news this morning suggests that WH Smith are struggling again and have reported losses and a plan to overhaul their stores. As part of this review they have announced they are closing 6 of their stores (they still have 610 stores on the high street and 839 travel outlets in airports, train stations etc).

Am I the only one amazed that they are only closing 6 stores. I cannot think of a single thing they sell that cannot be purchased elsewhere for less. Whilst it is horrible news for those employed at these stores, how on earth are they still operating? Other than merging some post offices into some of their stores what key service do they provide to make them such a viable business? What is the secret to their survival when so many bigger stores have disappeared?

I popped in WHSmith today to pick up a couple of birthday cards. A simple child's football themed card with no age in it was £3.95!!! That's just crazy. I walked out & 2 minutes later bought a card for 29p in card factory.

I do wish people would stop promoting and boosting profits of awful Amazon. As someone said, a ruthless , immoral non-taxpaying monster. It will destroy all our high st shops and then leave us reliant on them. Watch their prices soar then!

They planned originally to close our post office and move it into the local Bargain Booze. Took a lot of persuading that this was really not a good idea for those locally with drink problems for whom having to go into an off licence to do post-office related transactions was really putting them in temptation's way and they decided against that plan!

Ours has a pretty good outlet section at the back. Half price or less books, bits of stationary, giftwraps etc. I came out with a carrier bag filled with books and gifts to put back for various people for Christmas for under £20 which I thought was good. The rest is very expensive though as PP have said.

Agree with you. It’s so expensive and you can get everything they sell much cheaper elsewhere eg greeting cards from the Card Factory and stationery, arts and crafts stuff from The Works. I’m gutted that New Look is closing stores. Best shop on the high street. Me and my daughters all shop in there and prices are great.

Now someone has posted about top 40 record sales I've come over all nostalgic. I'm sure I also remember buying singles at WHSmith back in the day! But TBH I was much more attached to Woolies. Virtually wore a black armband when they went down! If WHSmith disappeared I probably wouldn't notice for about year. I think it would be a good thing too if they crashed (bad for the staff of course though). Because I have a theory that WHSmith is contributing to the national obesity epidemic +++ !!

It will destroy all our high st shops and then leave us reliant on them. Watch their prices soar then!

Exactly what the big supermarkets did.

Sparkling you beat me to it! Ours isn't bad but can't see how it stays open, esp now The Works has arrived.

Agreed. It is a very dated shop.

The one in town is dark smelly and dismal. next door is the Works which sells everything except the magazines. Magazines are generally a waste of money. It's just weird.

I looked into this a while ago and apperently die hard customers who only shop at WHSmith are keeping them going ?!
On their website it says they sell 18000 magazines at hour !!!!!
And 73% of the British population visit a WHSmith every year

They are a major supplier of newspapers so have lots of money. But I can’t bear WH Smith. It is overpriced and they are always trying to sell me things I don’t want

Whoever shops on Amazon you really betray your country! Those dogs dont pay anything in tax. I always shop in WHSmith love it - last few surviving dinosaurs of the former highstreet.

The Works is dire ...

WHSmith is a British institution and should remain on our high street because ...

1. Is the home to our town's Post Office.
2. Sells all kinds or GCSE/11 Plus revision guides & practice papers.
3. My number one place for book Christmas presents/dairies.
4. When my kids were at school it was a tradition to go there and buy all kinds of wonderous pencil cases/pens/protractors.
5. I can go in, grab a bar of chocolate and a drink for less than £2, queue, pay and be on my way in less than a minute.
6. It's open till 6 - not 5.30 like all the other shops.

The Works is good for cheap fiction and general interest but the range can be a bit limited. And nowadays they're full of cheap plastic tat toys and sweets. And of course the art stuff, but I don't know anything about that.

You can get most things cheaper elsewhere, but the bigger stores also stock specialist art materials I’ve not seen in other newsagents, plus don’t they have that system where you take in the ISBN number of any book anywhere and they can order it in for you? They also have a monopoly on certain book publications too

The Works is a dreadful shop, there's a terrible selection of books and full of rubbish

I hate Card Factory too, cheap and nasty cards with awful, sentimental verses

WH Smith and Clintons for me

I don't have much money, I'm only on SSP at the moment, and when I work I only do 15 hours at minimum wage. DD2 gets ESA and PIP, but I'd still much rather go to WH Smith and Clintons than The Works or Card Factory

The works sell Haynes manuals for eight quid so I can’t hate them.

Tbh I’d rather get things sent from thebookpeople though

The Works is brilliant for kids craft stuff and cheap art materials. We also use the Book People frequently.

I tried twice in the last year to buy a pressie and card for someone in WH Smith and Clintons - couldn't find a thing I liked enough to actually hand over money for!

I avoid both now to be honest - there's literally nothing to pull me through the door of either.

The Works is great for stationery and notebooks etc.

Stewart lee on The Works ..

Whoever shops on Amazon you really betray your country! Those dogs dont pay anything in tax. I always shop in WHSmith love it - last few surviving dinosaurs of the former highstreet.

The problem with buying out of patriotism, rather than pragmatism, is you end up subsidizing outfits that then have no motivation to improve their service. The mass market British car industry springs to mind.

For some buying from Amazon might be the only way they could afford something that would otherwise cost more.

If you want Amazon to pay more tax, elect a government that will collect it.

Most items on Amazon are actually being sold by other UK businesses just using Amazon as a selling platform. So the actual UK businesses selling the stuff WILL be paying UK tax on their sales.