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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask where all those who said that WFH would be good for business are now?

489 replies

ChampagnePuppy · 16/02/2023 17:38

Sorry, sort of a rant.
I work in a small local foodie business in the South West. I know there is a cost of living crisis, but I also feel that WFH culture is killing us.
So many said that they would spend more in their local high streets now they were WFH but that seems to have stopped.
People are online food shopping and then not leaving their houses. Three local businesses announced they were closing this week, two bakeries and one restaurant. I can count five since Christmas which have folded.
I know a lot are feeling the pinch from gas and electric but a lot of people are just WFH, squirrelling their money away, saving and then saying 'oh that's a shame' on the Facebook posts when a business announces they're folding. Why not support them? I'm not talking about those on the breadline but those who are financially comfortable.
If you want a diverse high street, you have to support local businesses or we won't be here in a years time.

OP posts:
Coffeepot72 · 17/02/2023 15:19

If WFH is saving you £££ on childcare and commuting then I feel you have some sort of obligation to share that wealth rather than just support Amazon or Tesco or whoever.

Sorry but I feel no obligation whatsoever. Particularly not when everything is getting more expensive. Stop whining and diversify.

Iknownononono · 17/02/2023 15:23

What an entitled bunch of shite. People don’t owe you their money. Honestly, some people baffle me.

Chickenly · 17/02/2023 15:30

Ok, I’ll say it.

I’m a fan of shopping local. I wouldn’t “shop local” at a place where the person serving me was so entitled and believed that they were doing me a favour by being in business. I wouldn’t go somewhere where they felt I owed them my custom and my money regardless of whether or not I actually enjoy their business or benefit from it. I wouldn’t go somewhere where the person serving me had no people skills and spoke to people like dirt.

OP, when you’re out of a job, it’s because you weren’t offering a service that anyone wants to pay for. Not because other people didn’t throw their hard-earned money at you hard enough.

Salzburggirl · 17/02/2023 17:01

ChampagnePuppy · 17/02/2023 12:34

@Salzburggirl I don't think it's progression to be honest. I think it's a step towards automation, uniformity and ultimately government control. We will look back at the days of towns having different identities, small businesses where shop owners are able to make decisions rather than being ruled by visa or Uber, being able to look at physical items and feel the material quality etc and when 16 year olds could have flexibility during exam periods rather than having a zero hour contract with a minimum shift of 12 hours and think why did we let ourselves sleepwalk into this?

It doesn't matter whether you think it's progress or not, that's the way it's going. Yo ucan either get on board and find a way too make your business work in changing times or you can continue to sit on your arse saying that people are obliged to spend their hard-earned cash in a local shop as if it's some kind of charity. You could change your opening hours to make it easier for customers but no, don't want to do that because of childcare.

As far as I'm concerned, it's massive progress for me to be able to order music at a click of a button from any number of small businesses depending on who has the piece in stock.
Same goes for accessories and other things I need for my instruments.

CousinKrispy · 17/02/2023 17:20

I rarely go to cafes or shops when I'm working in the office, though I'll occasionally stop by supermarket on the way home. Not an independent shop because it turns out they aren't open when I get off work and aren't on my route home or near my workplace.

On my WFH days I do sometimes nip out for a bit of local shopping midday. However in my local neighbourhood that's largely charity shops as that's what we have and that's what we can afford. The cost of living means I can't go out and patronize local cafes and shops as much as I used to on weekends, sorry. I just don't have the money.

Maybe you could move some of your sales online? You may be able to find a new business model that works.

lieselotte · 17/02/2023 17:21

Coffeepot72 · 17/02/2023 15:19

If WFH is saving you £££ on childcare and commuting then I feel you have some sort of obligation to share that wealth rather than just support Amazon or Tesco or whoever.

Sorry but I feel no obligation whatsoever. Particularly not when everything is getting more expensive. Stop whining and diversify.

I am sharing it with my son's landlord at university.

CousinKrispy · 17/02/2023 17:21

How are small businesses controlled by Uber?

Blendiful · 17/02/2023 17:31

This is just me and I can't speak for anyone else but I support local businesses more WFH. I have the time now to nip to the local butchers/bakers/farm shop, when it's not busy peak times. I didn't have time to do this before being in the office.

I also buy lunch out more as a 'treat' when I do have to go in, whereas I always took lunch before as was in each day.

I can imagine this isn't universal though.

Thisisworsethananticpated · 17/02/2023 17:54

Blendiful
me too . Pop on bike 🚲 and use at least 3-4 privately owned food shops

that said I did pop to a more chi chi area and went to a posh deli

the woman was like something off a sitcom and she was so HELLO and so mc I felt uncomfortable

also a pack of pasta was £4.75

Roominmyhouse · 17/02/2023 18:35

I did my food shopping online before I worked from home and that’s not changed now I do. I rarely bought lunch out in the office, maybe the occasional pret sandwich and that’s not changed now. I didn’t drink coffee or buy stuff from bakeries and that’s not changed now.

The only people losing money from me are the petrol companies and council who owned the car park I had to pay to park in 5 days a week. And I’m hardly seeing the benefit of it with the increased cost of food and energy bills.

OneEnchantedEvening · 17/02/2023 19:38

A lot of pension funds are linked to commercial properties and that duck will be coming home to roost in a couple of decades if this shite of pissing about at home continues.

RedRiverShore3 · 17/02/2023 19:51

OneEnchantedEvening · 17/02/2023 19:38

A lot of pension funds are linked to commercial properties and that duck will be coming home to roost in a couple of decades if this shite of pissing about at home continues.

Very true

OutofEverything · 17/02/2023 19:59

Pissing about at home?
You can't stop society changing.

Dunnoburt · 17/02/2023 20:10

News flash.....times change.....move with them!!!!!

To ask where all those who said that WFH would be good for business are now?
HunterHearstHelmsley · 17/02/2023 20:16

lieselotte · 17/02/2023 17:21

I am sharing it with my son's landlord at university.

Show quote history

I'm sharing it with the gas and electric companies. It is costing me more as I'm home all day.

Maybe the local businesses have a responsibility to those of us WFH as they're saving that money 🤔

Or not. As that's clearly ridiculous

Fifi00 · 17/02/2023 20:16

I used to go to coffee shops and cafes, last weekend I went to a small independent cafe. I purchased 2 mochas 2 kids milkshakes 2 panini's and 2 kiddie lunch box things. It was £40 it was a joke I could have had a sit down meal for not much more at an actual restaurant. I rarely go to cafes the prices are ridiculous. If I go to into the office I take my own lunch and coffee supplies. I'm spending more money on supermarket but eating out much less.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 17/02/2023 21:08

OneEnchantedEvening · 17/02/2023 19:38

A lot of pension funds are linked to commercial properties and that duck will be coming home to roost in a couple of decades if this shite of pissing about at home continues.

Awwwwww.

It's going nowhere, which by your tone I suspect you know, but then a great many of us who had the temerity to be born after 1980 don't expect much in the way of retirement, even from our private funds. I expect by the time I get there the minimum age for access will probably be a couple of decades higher than it is now. So the prospect of pension funds being even more fucked is rather, well, meh.

turnthebiglightoff · 17/02/2023 21:23

"Pissing about from home" I work 8-6, then 8pm-10pm most nights, at least 4 hours over the weekend. I take about 20 mins per day max breaks.

Cafe in town opens at 9. Closes at 4. Stops serving after 3.30. Runs out of most lunch options by 1.30. Coffee is by a pressed button but is £3.50. Has one person serving over lunch time as others are "on their lunch hour".

Go figure, hey?

ConfusedNT · 17/02/2023 22:07

OneEnchantedEvening · 17/02/2023 19:38

A lot of pension funds are linked to commercial properties and that duck will be coming home to roost in a couple of decades if this shite of pissing about at home continues.

I wonder how big the overlap is between the posters moaning about the number of people claiming benefits including disability benefits and the posters claiming we should all just get back into an office even though some of us can't

I'm not pissing about at home, I'm managing to hold down a job despite two disabilities and a serious amount of pain. But I'm sure you are doing such wonders for society it makes up for you ignoring all the disabled posters on the thread who have pointed out the benefits of wfh for them

Funnily enough I'm not interested in intensifying my pain or living in poverty just to prop up your pension

Justanotherlurker · 17/02/2023 22:37

Funnily enough I'm not interested in intensifying my pain or living in poverty just to prop up your pension

Well unless you want to introduce some euthanasia program then you should care about what the major pension funds are invested in as it has long term problems for the country as a whole and will put an extra burden onto the younger generations, but regardless a lot of the big pension funds have already diversified away from commercial property.

This is just a generational/technological shift that has been long in the making and only exasperated since lockdown, I would put money on most of MN being able to name a local deli that opened/changed owners or closed during the boom years

Benjispruce4 · 17/02/2023 22:42

It’s ruining business and mental health of workers . People need to get back to work at least 2/3 days per week.

justasking111 · 17/02/2023 22:47

Bought two small glasses of milk for grandchildren I had a diet coke in a seafront cafe. £14.

Another time five single scoop icecreams from a shed £16.

Grandparents are cutting back as well. So now it's a packed picnic or eat at home

gwenneh · 17/02/2023 22:50

So many "you NEED to" statements directed at the WFH crowd.

The fact is, no, they don't. If WFH didn't work in terms of revenue generation it would have been scrapped yesterday. If your business can't cope with that change, then it needs to adapt or it will go the way of video rentals.

justasking111 · 17/02/2023 22:51

Benjispruce4 · 17/02/2023 22:42

It’s ruining business and mental health of workers . People need to get back to work at least 2/3 days per week.

I agree about mental health. Both retired OH goes out with the dog first thing, chats to dog walkers. Then goes out on the bike to chew the cud with other old boys. I'm a natural hermit, he goes stir crazy. Covid lockdowns affected him more

MidnightMeltdown · 17/02/2023 23:01

ChampagnePuppy · 16/02/2023 17:51

I suppose all I see is the advantage for those who work from home and the disadvantage for those who work out of the home.
We have to work in businesses which are struggling, pay childcare, pay travel costs and pay all the utility bills that are increasing. Those who get to work from home save on all of those, but also can't be bothered to spend money on their high streets. They don't seem to see the link between the comment 'oh no that lovely cafe has shut down' and their lack of support.

Wages are not keeping up with inflation - therefore people have less to spend and need to make cutbacks. It's got nothing to do with working from home

Interest rates and mortgage costs are rocketing because the Bank of England want us to spend less in order to curb inflation - blame them