To think that highstreet shops are becoming totally pointless?

[KnightlyMyMan]

Until this summer I generally preferred shopping in shops to online. I liked the experience and being able to try things on/see them without having to faff around posting them back to return. I quite enjoyed the ‘shopping day’ getting to wander around and pop for a coffe/ cake with friends.

The last few months I’ve started to get really frustrated with shops in my (usually well provisioned) city centre. They never have popular items in stock?!?!? It seems they’re just doing a terrible job of keeping up on demand!

EVERY shopping trip I’ve been on recently ended in me being told ‘We don’t have it / don’t have that size/that colour here but you can order it online’.

Maybe I would understand if it were unusual or obscure items I was looking for but it’s not.
The most popular jumpers from MnS - an entire stand of then (hundreds of jumpers) all in either size 8 or 22 🤔😒 somebody clearly messed up ordering! (I used to work in retail and 12-16 are always the biggest order as most popular sizes- how you end up with a hundred size 22’s is beyond me!

No basic tights in a medium anywhere.

Bags they literally have in the window but ‘don’t have any for sale in store’!!!

I mean these are examples but it just leaves me rolling my eyes at the thought of shopping in town!

I’ve taken to ordering online - which is fine but from a business point of view if shops keep going this way I understand why they won’t survive and think of the job reprocusssions.

Sure smaller boutique shops will be fine but Debenhams,MnS, HnM, New Look, Next....I don’t see those being around soon.

I Rember 10 years ago when my mum used to take us shopping and 99% of the time the shops had what you were looking for!

Is it just me experiencing this?

I get that online shopping creates warehouse/delivery jobs - but I grew up in a home where my mums part time shop jobs (at the local stores) kept us going. A warehouse/delivery job would have been pretty useless to her!

I see similar.

Banks and shops shutting up on our local high streets. Lack of stock in remaining shops. Lots of trinket shops I don't want to buy anything from .

I agree, in fact I don't bother anymore as I find its easier to order online and send back if it isn't right than waste my time trudging around stores for hours not finding what I want.

Definitely, especially lack of sizes. I was shopping with my partner recently and bemoaning the lack of size 16s and 18s to try on (surely some of the most popular sizes?) and he was amazed. His L shirts and 34 jeans were always in stock!

I totally agree OP.

I love going for a walk round the shops but I'm becoming increasing fed up with the selection available and even the pricing.

I've noticed the prices are often cheaper online (same store) or they run 20% off nightwear online only etc.

I see an item I love but they won't have my size (10 or Medium). Shopping for the kids is even harder for sizing. I end up visiting the shops to gauge the sizing and then just ordering online.

It depends on whether or not you A - know what you are looking for in the first place, and B - you are a fairly regular shape.

I'm short-waisted and long-legged with broad sloping shoulders and I can almost never find anything that fits me properly. For instance, I usually have to try on about 20 pairs of jeans before I find some that fit and are the right length. If I ordered clothes online it would be a total nightmare.

Totally agree. And you can forget it if you want something slightly different such as sheet music or sports equipment (other than the main team sports or running).

Yanbu and M&S is the worst! We have a couple of massive H&Ms that seem to be able to keep stocked so I end up getting everything there.

YANBU

I just loathe going into my city centre, traffic is a nightmare, parking is in double figures for a couple of hours and the public transport options are horrific.

We have 1 bus every 30-60 minutes depending on time of day and it takes 50 minutes to get into the centre, despite it only being 9 miles away...

The shops are always far too hot, especially at this time of year, it’s like they don’t want you to stay in them for too long.

There is always a queue at the tills, changing rooms are grim and often don’t have full coverage on the curtains

And the state of public toilets, even in the naice department stores

I actually can’t remember the last time I went into a shop and bought something, apart from a convenience store for a top up shop.

I even buy bog roll on line now...

It’s just to much stress and far too expensive to park, especially when most places have free delivery!

It’s a shame, I used to really enjoy just browsing, meeting friends for lunch and a few drinks, but it’s just not an enjoyable experience.

I also give massive supermarkets a wide berth too, they actually give me awful anxiety, and as soon as people get hold of a trolly, they seem to become arrogant rude monsters..

M&S jumpers aside, as they are big enough to buy/stock basics in properly, it's cheaper to have 10 size 10 grey starry jumpers in a central location than to put 3 of them into 15 stores which may or may not sell. They then have to both buy the stock and fund delivery to store whereas often online the customer pays delivery. Basically the online hit rate and audience is much bigger than passing foot traffic. It sucks, but many big names ended up with too many stores to stock properly. Less in stores means less money and the cycle continues!

It's not helped by the fact that the rent they have to pay is ridiculous - the council here gouges businesses. It's only businesses with big turnover (Estate Agents, Opticians) or reductions (Charity Shops) on our High Street now. Add in inconvenient (and often pricey) parking and people can't be bothered.

It makes it really hard for smaller, niche, businesses to survive/bother.

It's either online or a trip to the local retail park where all the names are there & the parking's free for us now.

There's nothing in town.

I would always rather buy clothes and shoes in shops. Maybe if I'd had the exact same item before and knew for certain that the size would be right, and I could save quite a lot of money by ordering online, I might consider it one day. There is one brand of shoes that I have ordered online 2 or 3 times, as they're rarely available in any shops near me any more, but I probably won't be doing it again unless it's an exact repeat of a pair I've had before as I've discovered that their sizing varies a bit from style to style. The thought of having to send back stuff that doesn't fit instead of just not buying it in the first place puts me off. I know someone who buys online a lot and seems to be constantly to-ing and fro-ing to the post office with the things she's rejected. I don't think she even minds, but it's not for me.

So yes, it would be a big disappointment for me if the shops in town closed down or moved out. I enjoy going into town and don't have any issue with parking as I walk or take the bus. I can appreciate that for people who could only go by car, it could be a problem, but in my town most people live fairly close to a bus route, so I'm surprised so many of them won't even consider it.

Couldnt agree more- the highstreet is a miserable place to go, expensive parking and often dont have what you want.
My local mothercare was closing down last month so I popped in, loads of staff and stock and I thought "if only they were like this all the time, they could have survived".
I so want to support them to save people's jobs but i hate going shopping now.

Yes. Lack of stock is a major issue for stores. In fact even supermarkets seem to be limiting the choice and range of products available. They all seem to be wanting to shoot themselves in the foot and move to online shopping only.
The other problem I find with high street shopping is they never have anyone serving. God forbid you actually want to buy something. Lots of staff fading over the limited stock but rarely anyone at a till. Shop assistants look flustered when you ask - do you have a till open?
I feel sorry for the shop staff. Working with skeleton staff numbers and soon to be out of a job.

This is going to be self-fulfilling isn't it?

The more we migrate to online because there's not enough stock in shops, the more we'll find shops closing and shops with no stock.

I'm sure Debenhams are going into administration soon anyway so your point is quite valid! I live in a tiny city, the main shops for ladies are New look, quiz, top shop, h&m or debhanams. It's a joke. Men have even less, top man, h&m or burtons (but that's closing next month!) But it's ok because we have 6 tourist shops, 2 poundlands and 4 Christmas shops (that will also shut once Christmas is done) 🙄

hammeringinmyhead is right plus you often have people refunding a pair of boots that was never “bought” for a particular store returned there as it’s more convenient for the shopper.

I will miss shops, I think online is fine if you know the shop/stock/sizing already but it’s harder to find new brands. Home stuff I have to see/try. And sometimes I just want something that day. I hate paying high p&p when I need something urgently. I did a load of online shopping before my summer holiday as I was housebound & Im sure I spent the equivalent amount of time of a day out shopping packing up & going to the PO.

The banks have been pushing self service and online for longer.

Now due to this management of customer demand nearly all our banks shut in the last couple of years. Lots of local jobs gone.

The last school leaver I know of who started in retail banking pays the lion's share of their wages on a commute into the city. No more local jobs.

I live in a small town and the only place to buy clothes is the small selection of stuff at Sainsburys, or for the older woman, a small 'boutique' (or the wedding dress shop!). Sainsburys doesn't even have a changing room so I order online to try on at home. This town is doing well compared to others, with a range of small shops, but as much as I like the idea of supporting local business, I have found the local prices so much higher than online. So, unless it's something urgent then I will buy online. Sad, but you can't blame people for wanting the exact same item at the lowest price rather than the highest.

I’ve noticed Amazon isn’t even cheaper for many things these days & obvs to take advantage of the better delivery you need to have prime which is often not next day. The trouble is once competition is gone the prices will just get higher online or everyone will dress the same as only 10 brands will survive.

YANBU, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I went into Halford's yesterday to buy Engine Oil, it was £17 to buy in store, yet if I ordered it online and had Free Click and Collect to the same store it was £14 ........for exactly the same thing.

Now feel like i'm having the piss taken & they have lost future custom.

Our nearest town is depressing, mostly Charity Shops, Betting Shops or pound stretcher type (many empty). Next, Argos & M&S food have all gone, they have moved to a new large out of town in the next city.

Hardly any small market towns are worth shopping in any more unless they have good independent shops. Most seem to be coffee shops, charity shops and services. I was in one the other day and it had just one clothes shop for around 30k population.

So it’s not just me then?

Good to know!

@stumpted88

• I didn’t touch on the actual state of town as I felt would make my post too long!

I totally agree though - it’s a terrible experience now!

I live in a historical city that tourists love- every year the council and local businesses do more and more to attract tourists (which bloody well works!) but do (a big fat) ZERO to accommodate them. No extra car parks, no good public loo’s, no crowd control measures.

My walk to work is regularly delayed by a queue formed on the bridge to ‘take selfies’ either wait and push through or step out into heavy traffic!
It’s impossible to drive anywhere as the streets are not built for traffic and the whole system is weird so tourists have no idea where they’re going and get lost/ go around in loops (not their fault but frustrating).

All whilst I have to battle through thousands of people dawdling around a Christmas market so packed you can’t retrieve your purse from your bag without accidentally hitting a small child in the face just to go pick up my prescription or nip into MnS for dinner! (I live like 3 streets away from the main centre!

People randomly stop right in front of you (with a queue of traffic behind them) to ogle a stall whilst twin buggies the size or actual tanks block off whole entrances/ and irritated parents (who were frankly ridiculous to bring those giant side by side buggies, to such a crowded market, in the first place mutter in annoyance as you try to squeeze by!) Oh and there’s a 4 mile queue around the entire top floor or MnS to use the bathroom (almost every Saturday some elderly person has an ‘accident’ and sections get closed off to ‘clean up’ 🤢 How horrible and embarrassing for that poor person! I used to take my gran for coffee/cake but don’t bother anymore as afraid she’ll be subjected to the same!

It wasn’t like this a few years ago- the city had taken active steps to increase tourism significantly but nothing to facilitate it!

I agree. I love shops but I can’t cope with the fact there’s no stock in M&S for a start! Never have the kid size I need, never have what I want in a size 12 for me. I hate M&S for saying “we’ll just order it for you”. I don’t want to order it with all your excessive packaging.. and I want it now!
At least John Lewis has sizes in stock..

After an ordering debacle* which led to me being determined never to use Amazon again and to scale back on ebay, I've been trying really hard to use bricks and mortar shops. I figured this would be my kick in the pants to shop in the shops so that next year I have shops to shop in.

It's awful. I hate the travel, the parking, trudging around shopping centres and quartering shops looking for what I want and finding they don't have anything I like. Particularly, I have asked my family to beat me around the head if I ever say I'm going to The Range in December again.

I still only buy clothes in store because I want to feel the texture and look at the quality of the fabric and the stitching, but for the rest my solution is to look for individual online retailers and pay the postage instead of trying to save on postage at all costs.

• I learned the hard way that:

1. Other retailers can use Amazon's fulfillment centres to send their stuff out.
2. That means your stuff arrives looking like an Amazon parcel, even though it isn't.
3. If you try to be honest and send it back, thinking Amazon have made a mistake, good luck trying to get your items back.