Do you really think it's the death of the high street?

[HannahDee]

I've just heard that a local Barclays is closing and a much loved department store. Do you think death of the high street is really happening or are we making too much of it?

i blame John Lewis.

Yip that was the last quality shop to go.

It's certainly dead here...mostly restaurants and cafes, banks (for the moment). Vape shops and charity outlets. Such a shame.

Ours is dead. Full of vape shops, £1 shops, charity shops, and other such. When the democrats came round knocking I asked them what their plans were for the high street seeing as 90% of the shops have gone i.e Debenhams, RI, Top shop etc? They acknowledged the face of the high street is now changing/changed they intend to host more 'community type events', fetes, fairs etc to bring people together. <shrug>.

The people who shopped in store are dying.

I mean "generation shopper" - they're all dying... the old ladies with their headscarves and trollies. The old men.

The next generation of elderly people are much more savvy and love a bit of Amazon etc

Blimey! i shopped in store, I'm still alive when I last checked.

It definitely is. I live in a major city and our centre is primarily bars and restaurants now.

The shops that remain have almost no stock in them so people don’t bother to go in. It’s so depressing.

You know what I mean.....and I'm sure you shop online too!

Whereas the previous generation shopped instore 100%

I'm surprised you're asking this.

I'd rather browse in a shop

I don't especially like Amazon and I'm not particularly old😀

I know what you mean and I see where you're coming from - I suppose I'm a bit in denial about it !!

Agree with your description

Ah I know it !!

Absolutely this !!

I live in the north east. It's dead. There is no point going into my city centre. No department stores left.
The Metro Centre, once a whole day shopping experience, is dead. Even the very small retail park close to me has lost 4 clothes shops, leaving only Next, and it's only shoe shop. I really miss "shopping" days.

It's annoying. I try and use the high street but it's very hard. I wanted some kids swim suits, H&M, M&S. next. All nothing (not limited choice). Had to order online

2 Years ago our village shop/news agent/ post office closed due to lack of customers.
In the days before it closed there were people outside with signs saying “village shop is the hub of our community. “
The owner said “they don’t come to me because they want to. They only come when they have to , usually for some small item that it’s not worth travelling to town for.”

The High Street as in "High Street names" is long gone. In more affluent areas, high streets can thrive with coffee shops and artisan bakeries, some arty shops, but nothing useful 😆

I think there is a complete failure of imagination from councils and retailers. Councils because they should really consider who is using a high street, and why. The shops those people want should be encouraged as part of a proper plan, with discounted rents etc. There should be other things to do and see amongst the shops, places for people to sit and entertainment- free, to get people into the spaces. Car parking should be free or cheap.

Retailers also need to adjust shops to cater for people buying online. So instead of having the click and collect desk on the second floor unstaffed as no one wants to run to the stockroom and back for a customer, online shoppers should have the option of having their click and collect order unpacked and ironed so it can be tried on in the changing rooms. The actual shop floor should be more about showing off the full range of goods rather than having every size of the 5 most popular lines and boring displays. Clothes shops should offer repairs and tailoring services for a charge. Sales assistants should be on commission - is there any other business other than retail where the people responsible for bringing money in are the least well paid???? It's madness. This is all stuff that you don't get from an online shop.

I'm staggered that shops haven't got their act together, and instead still use the same model they always have done.

Yes it's dead as we know it - but I think it will come back with more mixed use - a mix of shops, cafes and restaurants, offices and housing. That's better in a way because it means it's busy at all times of day, not just during shopping hours.

It’s dying and I admit I’m partly responsible. I’m sick of trekking into town to look for things I’ve seen online, only to find they’re not in stock. Much easier to bulk buy on the website, try on properly at home, and return the majority of it for free. It’s a shame because I have always loved shopping and I still try, but they need to start stocking the racks properly.

Yes, whilst town centre parking charges are high like they are in most places. It's why retail parks are much more convenient, if you have a car at least.

We now have loads of cafes.....no idea how some stay in business as not enough footfall for a few yet alone 7 of them.....also now have appx 9 albanian mafia cafes and barbers, few customers, just gangs of lads outside chain smoking and glued to phones. people have reported suitcases of cash being counted inside etc but all still open !

Turkish barbers and vape shops are sweeping across most northern towns I've noticed.... also noticed shops like b&m and Poundland seem consistently busy.