I'm thinking the high street deserves to die?

[highstreetdiestreet]

Urgently need a black dress for a funeral, looked around the whole of York, nothing.

Utter dross.

Is it covid/brexit/mid-season/my being pregnant's fault?

Completely agree, I am a size 12/14, average size I would say. Not been able to find anything in my size recently. All the rails full of size 6/8 or 18/20. I have ended up going home and ordering online anyway. I didn't see the point of bothering anymore.

But why didn't you ask them to leave at closing time?

Because then she wouldn’t be able to complain about how hard done by she is.

@WomanStanleyWoman

But why didn't you ask them to leave at closing time?

Because then she wouldn’t be able to complain about how hard done by she is.

I don’t work in retail anymore. I’m not claiming to be hard done by.

I’m willing to bet you’d be complaining a lot more had it got to closing time and you were asked to leave your full basket of shopping and get out.

They simply told you that they were closing in 15 minutes and you are acting like they told you to fuck off.

I wouldn't complain about being asked to leave at 7pm. That would be ridiculous.

I’m willing to bet you’d be complaining a lot more had it got to closing time and you were asked to leave your full basket of shopping and get out.

But stores typically make an announcement five minutes before closing to say make your way to the tills. Why would a shop be so disorganised as to only tell you they were closing once it was too late?

@WomanStanleyWoman

I’m willing to bet you’d be complaining a lot more had it got to closing time and you were asked to leave your full basket of shopping and get out.

But stores typically make an announcement five minutes before closing to say make your way to the tills. Why would a shop be so disorganised as to only tell you they were closing once it was too late?

Right so it’s ok to say that the shop is closing on 5 minutes but not 15 minutes?

Oh and you can tell some people that you are closing etc and they refuse to leave, shout, swear, become violent.

I've never worn black to a funeral. I didn't think people did any more, outside the East End.

Right so it’s ok to say that the shop is closing on 5 minutes but not 15 minutes?

Well, yes, of course because 25 mins is theoretically enough time still to make a purchase.

Is it really so difficult?

I mean 15 mins

Tiny keyboards!

Right so it’s ok to say that the shop is closing on 5 minutes but not 15 minutes?

To politely remind customers already in store that they have five minutes left, yes. To actively try to prevent customers even entering 15 minutes before you close, no.

@Sockbogies

I really don't want our high streets to die - I do agree that finding something specific can be hard, but just browsing and finding something that you'd not take the risk of online, or having something catch your eye can't be replicated online. I find it much easier to buy gifts for others on the high street. Plus I feel sad for the teens. It was such a right of passage to go into town with your mates, try on clothes, get some food to eat on a bench and be annoyingly screechy and loud.

Exactly this^

I still enjoy going out for a mooch about but it is getting harder to buy anything. I recently went to our nearest town needing knickers, a bra, black jumper and a pill box. Came home with none of them, just bought a cheap copy of a Jo Malone fragrance at Primark. All the shops were useless but M&S most of all

@EastWestWhosBest

Oh and you can tell some people that you are closing etc and they refuse to leave, shout, swear, become violent.

But couldn’t that still happen if they came in an hour before closing time?

Yep. Over a decade ago when online shopping wasn’t as common as it is now, I went to the high street for Christmas shopping. Was looking for fairly mainstream items, managed to get two off a list of ten. The rest was “we can order it in for you” I haven’t been high street Christmas shopping since.

On the rare occasion I hit the high street now, I’m still just met with someone with an iPad telling me they can order that in for me. I can do that without having to pay to travel, try to find parking and wait in a queue.

High streets need to evolve to provide more leisure activities if they want to survive.

I haven't been in a Next for years. Last time it was like 28 Days Later set in a jumble sale.

I'm weirdly into H&M now: never liked the place but this year there's lots more linen and cotton and recycled materials

EastWestWhosBest

But why would anyone be there after closing time?

Because they came in 15 minutes before closing time and then swanned about the place. I remember having someone ask me what time we closed, I told them we closed ten minutes ago. They just grunted and carried on mooching about.

But why didn't you ask them to leave at closing time?

Management. Ever heard the saying "The customer is always right" ?
Plenty of customers won't leave and you aren't allowed to strong arm them out the door funnily enough.

The high street is dead. I live in a city with a lovely mall that barely sells anything. It has a Jack Wills. I like their clothes but it's easier to order online who have all the sizes. Ditto joules and next. I hate Primark and new look. Dd1 (12) and I can't buy anything anywhere that isn't shit. She's tall and slim I'm a size 12 it should be easy but it isn't.
I take the dds to clarks once a year for school shoes and dd1 to boots the optician for her glasses.

We have a huge marks that isn't too bad.

I have a parking permit otherwise my footfall in town would be 90% less.

We do have a flying tiger I quite like though,

Slightly off topic but dont any MNers use catalogues?
No payment up front. Next day delivery and free returns - collected from your house if you like. What's not to like?

Only if your idea of fun is standing in a PO queue to return the three that didn't fit, or waiting for a courier to collect them. I like the hunt and what I might find that I didn't know I needed. So online just doesn't cut. I'm kind of sad that those in their teens and twenties are so used to running their entire existence on a screen the size of their hand. The joy of exploring for music, books or clothes is a mystery to them.
For me the past isn't a foreign country the future is...

Fair enough. I guess I was really addressing those that like to shop online in general.
Me - I loathe shopping and always have.

Almost possible to compete with rates, rents, wages, public liability insurance, 'shrinkage' (theft), energy costs, and people using them to see goods then ordering the same from Amazon. Holding stock costs but not holding stock puts off customers. Town centers increasingly expensive and sometimes unpleasant to visit doesn't help.
But maybe town centers need to reinvent themselves into leisure hubs and service centers not retailers. They just can not compete with online.

@FangsForTheMemory

I've never worn black to a funeral. I didn't think people did any more, outside the East End.

Hardly the point of the thread

Well put @Laughingravy. I agree with every word.