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

[ChampagnePuppy]

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.

I should say that I don't work in a cafe, ice cream parlour or restaurant. I work in retail. Nothing novelty or kitsch.

You view it as ‘support’ for local cafes etc - I view it as an unnecessary extravagance for me to go out to get a ready-made sandwich and coffee when I’m working at home near to my fridge and kettle. Money is tight for people so they want to make it at home rather than pay more for something which no longer adds convenience. Like everything, when trends change businesses have to adapt.

You are being a bit judgemental when you claim people are financially comfortable and say they are squirrelling their money away: firstly, it’s their money to do what they like with; secondly, lots of people’s jobs and wages were hit in lockdown so it’s quite right that people are now keen to have a safety net of savings; thirdly, just because people are comfortable it doesn’t mean that they want to spend money unnecessarily on food they could just as easily make at home. If you aren’t offering something that they want, why should they buy it?

Well the COL crisis is impacting people's spending but I agree with If you want a diverse high street, you have to support local businesses or we won't be here in a years time.

I’m just interested to see the evidence you have that says that home workers are always better off, that they are the same people who want mixed indie high streets but are also the ones still handing over £ to big corps! It feels like you’re making assumptions about this and choosing to make home workers the bogeyman.

I was with you on the first part, but the second sentence is ridiculous.

We've had spiralling inflation and a cost of living crisis, as you must have noticed. People saving money due to wfh are facing the same high costs as everyone else, they might very well need that money for the higher mortgage rate.

WFH hasn't made much difference to me, but paying for childcare has! Pre-children I used to work in a city (in the SW) and would have lunch out of the office once or twice a month. Now I WFH mainly but even when I go into the city I cannot get myself excited about the prospect of a nice treat lunch because it's so expensive/so much of my disposable income I just cannot justify it.
Also, now I am part time, I'm doing a lot more of my day to day spending (groceries) in town. Previously I would always be out of the house 7.30am-5.30pm (commuting by car) so there was no opportunity to use the greengrocer. But now I take my daughter for a walk and do my shopping in town. We also sometimes buy a coffee and cake which is something I never would have done before, as I'd have been at work in my office every week day.

Totally agree. A good chunk of my colleagues are still wfh most of the week and the idea they’re off to their local high street or coffee shop is a nonsense.

I feel for you abs your business.

I personally now working from home more am able to spend more locally: butchers, bakers, hardware stores. I never had the time before when in London all day every day.

Could you target a nee type of client? I often see people working 'from home' doing so in local cafes, there must be things they miss from working in person, can you tailor tp them?

We used to get a takeaway fish n chips once a week - 1 small cod & Large cod and 1 large bag of chips

This used to cost just under £12
it’s now just over £20

I can afford it COL hasn’t and probably won’t affect us one bit but I’m not paying £20 for fish & chips 😂

I don’t think anyone said wfh would be good for all businesses.

That doesn’t mean it’s the responsibility of those that work in offices to commute to keep other businesses afloat by doing something they don’t want to. Would you make your life a lot harder and more expensive for the benefit of someone else?

A lot of businesses grew around commuting culture. That’s not the same so those businesses either change or accept there’s been a huge shift. Just like when online shopping started. Culture shifts happen all the time. Businesses are always impacted.

The only places between my house and my office, at the time I travel are big chain brands and I didn’t stop off before anyway. So me wfh has impacted no one.

We work hybrid. No one came in with coffees before, no one does now. Our office isn’t in a city. We don’t hop off a train and walk past 10 cafes on the way in.

When I wfh, I do go to local cafe that’s not open early enough for me to use on my way into the office. If I wfh, I order a sandwich on my way past with the dogs and pick it up on the way back from walking the dogs.

You also have to factor COL in this. That will impact it.

But also people are spending elsewhere. A colleague of mine had a local company do her garden with a play area for the kids, from the money she saved from commuting. I didn’t the same and had new windows done. Again by a local company.

also people who wfh, also have childcare costs. How are people who wfh saving on utilities?

Wfh means I can afford to eat and pay my bills. If I was commuting and having to spend £5 on a sandwich every day I wouldn't be able to do either.

Swings and roundabouts. I'm sorry about your business but my need to pay my bills overrides your desire for me to support small businesses, for me!

Yup...

Honestly, the rate people's disposable income is being eroded, I really doubt the artisan shops would still be getting custom at the same rate as this time 3 years ago even if the wfh rates were identical.

It’s COL not WFH.

Post lockdown, for months, for my 1-2 days in the office I would always be out for lunch in the city catching up with friends / colleagues.

None of us do that any more as we can’t afford to. I just eat in the subsidised canteen now or take my own food.

I wfh thankfully saving on petrol. But if I was back at work i would not be affording lunch or coffees like i would have previously. We are being careful even with the fuel
saving.

Also, nobody owed anybody a living. Businesses need to adapt with the times or shut up shop

people want cheap though but very few high street businesses can adapt to that

@theswoot because MN is pretty much everyone saying how much they're saving on fuel, lunch, childcare since WFH. Look up any thread on great things about covid, there they all are. Whilst I have nursery bills, bus fare, food bills, gas bills... plus the fear of being made unemployed.

As a fellow resident of the South West, I have observed that there doesn't seem to be a significant number of people working from home in the area. Traffic on the roads appears to be as heavy as ever, which suggests that many people are still commuting to their workplaces.

In my local area, many farm shops and cafes continue to be popular with customers. However, I have cut back on my dining out due to the increased cost, and I suspect other people may be doing the same.

I WFH because I can't afford to commute anymore. If I can't afford to commute to work, I sure as shit can't afford to commute to eat croissants in a pissing bakery.

No, I do not have any obligation to "share" the money I earn. It's mine. Sounds to me like you're just jealous you chose retail and now don't get to work from home.

I hate this comparison because it is not comparison.
If you like to make your own fine but the "I can make it cheaper at home"... Of course!
You don't pay commercial rent, rates, bills, insurance, wages, equipment and repairs, and so on.
If you would pay yourself £10 an hour, counted used energy (not on price cap!), Added bit of your rent and mortgage and house insurance in, threw in extra for phone and internet business need, depriciation of your equipment so you can buy new one AND VAT... It would be fair-ish comparison....

Basically. It's stupid saying. But there is nothing wrong with preferring your own of course!

So who during their work day came in a lot before and now doesn’t. What demographic?

Office workers came in a spent a lot on a regular basis?

Now people are at home those that live local are not? What do you sell? It’s likely to be hugely impacted by CoL. Not wfh.

I've not stepped foot in an office since day one of lockdown and fully intend to never do so again. However I've not been into town for many years before that.

Many of my friends have opened businesses which I support. They all have websites and they all deliver including two food businesses. I often order lunch to be delivered while I'm working at home.

When I worked in an office I took packed lunch every day, never had spare cash or time for popping out to shop or get coffee. And always racing home to collect from
school or nursery. I genuinely don’t know who all these lucky people were, popping into a coffee shop before work or going out for an hour’s lunch break.

Maybe it is also a change in what OAPs and yummy mummies are doing with their spare time.

Having said that I am not rushing out to spend money in cafes and shops as CoL and also having extra cost wfh (heat, light
, electricity). I cannot ever see me caring about the town centre amenities again tbh as getting stuff delivered at home is so much cheaper.

Oh for godsake. Our household income has risen due to wfh opportunities, and thank fuck for that because we are skimming along the surface of drowning as it is. I refuse to take responsibility for the fiscal health of local businesses when it certainly hasn't been my policies that have led us to this dire country-wide economic situation.

Working from home has enabled many other people to just about survive as well. Stop blaming wfh and start looking at the real issues.

Let's look at Truro. So many shops have closed down now so what's the point in going in?

We don't bother. We drive up to Exeter instead. Which is heaving!!

Did I say anyone was obligated to spend money???