To think this is why the high street is failing?

[MiamiWindMachine]

I’m off on holiday in a couple of days, so thought I’d go up to the big shopping centre for a couple of last minute things.

In the massive H&M, all the tills bar one had been converted to self-service. The ones on the floor I was on were ALL closed. I went down to the lower floor and there was a huge queue, because no one could work out the machines. There was a step to remove security tags, and people couldn’t work out whether this was only for those plastic tags or if there was some flag on the barcodes for lower value items. Someone else was trying to process a return via these tills. When a member of staff eventually appeared, she confirmed returns could only be processed at a manned till. The customer pointed out that there were no manned tills. The staff member had no idea who to ask about it, then disappeared to find someone, so the queue was getting even longer.

I was on the way out about 15 minutes before closing time and went past M&S. I thought “I wonder if the Bureau de Change is still open” and went to check. The woman saw me approach and had a pained look on her face, saying “Arrgghh, I’ve just cashed uuuppp!” I was a bit taken aback, but said “Oh well, never mind. What time do you close, for future reference?” She then reluctantly admitted that she was supposed to be open until 8, but said “But I do start cashing up at around 7.30”. I was about to ask why when she started saying, “It’s fine; I’ll do it, I’ll do it”, like she was doing me a massive favour. I tried to pay on Revolut and she said “We can’t take those cards!”, as if it was somehow obvious. I asked about Apple Pay and she said, “No, it has to be a proper bank card or credit card”. I therefore went to pay with my credit card and she said, “You do know we have to charge a fee for these, don’t you?” I said I didn’t have a choice given she’d rejected two other payment methods.

I then went down to foods to grab a ready meal and some wine. I went to a manned till as I had alcohol and the girl said, “Oh, could you go to the self-service? It’s just that I’m closing this one”. I asked about the alcohol and she said, “I can approve that from here; it’s just that it’s easier for me”.

I feel like we’re constantly told in the media “Use it or lose it” re: the high street; how sad it would be if we lost the personal touch. From what I could see yesterday, one store has done everything possible to eliminate personal interaction, while in the other, the staff are more bothered about their convenience than the customers’. Is it any wonder that people would rather click a couple of buttons to get something delivered?

I think it's probably more - apply for a mortgage, manager looks at budget plan and then says this isn't accurate we know you spent x amount in this place and x amount in the other. You are obviously too irresponsible for a mortgage.
Or NHS doctor says you told us you didn't drink, but I see you buy 3 bottles of red at Sainsbos every week. Or you said you'd stick to this diet in order to have surgery, but we know you haven't by tracking your food purchases, so no surgery.

A cashless society can track your every move, people say they have nothing to hide, but most people do, it's not just illegal things that can land you in hot water.

I think there are times when you probably should expect to not clock watch.

I've worked for minimum wage in the past and I didn't. Served me well - advanced v, v quickly and now in a fab job, v well paid with lots of flex in that I'm working pretty much a few days a week whenever and wherever I want.

I don't believe in people being taken advantage of but I don't like clock watchers either. Works both ways - I don't like those bosses who can't overlook staff (not me) being late sometimes as long as they do a great job and provide good customer service.

The other problem with making more residential town centres is that even the tiniest studio flats are in the region of 800 - 1000. Which doesn't give a single person much disposable income to patronise businesses nearby after bills. Honestly without a radical change to the economy in general, I can't see things improving because the emphasis is on more and more profit and sod everything else that supports a healthy, relatively content society / community.

Thank you - that's appreciated.

In that case, I apologise for misrepresenting you.

On another post you said you were 25. I don’t know whether to excuse your ignorance on the basis of your young age or whether that would be patronising and an insult to all the other mature young people out there.

Some older people really struggle with technology. My parents are in their 80s and have really struggled since banks closed and shops stopped taking cash. It’s super that you manage so well. But there are valid reasons for other people struggling. That includes some of the elderly, disabled people and others with mental health problems. Or even a mum juggling young kids on a bad day.

Modern technology can make some people very anxious. Learn to have some empathy.

Most of the retail staff I meet are really great. Fast, efficient, polite and very good at their jobs. You'd maybe meet the odd petulant one, treating you as if they're doing you an enormous favour but, it's not rare to encounter that type anymore.

People don't like to shop with surly, uninterested assistants. I know that some customers can be difficult/obnoxious but why match that behaviour? Whatever the reason for their grievance, the customer isn't there to take the brunt.

I found that self checkouts had glitches in the first couple of years but are now very good.

In supermarkets with scanners I find its much faster & easier for me to scan and bag in an organised way as I go, than to use a manned till.

But with scanners you can get stopped while a staff member takes ages to check your whole shop.

Leaving the supermarkets aside, there are two types of shopping experience.

One is: go in, try to find a member of staff to help you - no chance, walk out in frustration or hang around for ages until someone will deign to help you - I know some places are just massively understaffed so I don't necessarily blame the staff - some prefer to chat but the overwhelming majority are running around like the blue-arsed flies.

Two: you go in, you immediately get accosted by a member of staff, say you are just looking but they follow you round so you walk out out in frustration.

Then you go home and buy online.

Occasionally you might go into a shop which has what you want, a decent number of staff and doesn't hassle or ignore you, but the pleasant, customer friendly, happy medium!

And if it's the pharmacy or post office, getting what you need isn't allowed without a massive queue.

Build more and the price will come down - this has happened consistently whenever serious attempts are made to radically increase the supply of housing (see Auckland, Austin etc….and it was starting to happen in Croyden, until the local nimbys threw tantrums and stopped the building of new flats).

Some older people really struggle with technology. My parents are in their 80s and have really struggled since banks closed and shops stopped taking cash.

Why? Card payments have been common for at least 30 years, when your parents would have been in their 50s and easily able to adapt.

I understood this gripe regarding the elderly and cash use 20s years ago but credit cards have been common since almost any human alive today has been of an age to use them.

The people who really need to use cash are carers. Most employers do not allow you to use cards.

Yes I'd never bother with a scanner for a trolley load.

Self-serve is fine for a few items, although you don't always know if something is age-restricted and then you have to hang around for ages anyway.

Except there is a limited amount of people who want to live in a small apartment in a city centre with no car parking. Most people want houses and to be able to park for free where they live.

Well it kind of is your problem. They don't pay an employee to stay late enough to keep the service running until 8pm. She is contracted until 8pm on the dot. She only has to work as long as they pay her for. That means the cashing up has to be done early. She doesn't have a problem with that, you do.

You want the service to run till 8pm so take it up with the people who are responsible for hiring staff. Its not her problem.

Wow to you % of not being unreasonable!
I have seen this type of attitude from staff indeed. They do not seem to take much pride on their job when it comes to good customer service. But I did not know it was to this level...

Clarks shoes 20% off ladies shoes online so DD school shoes bought online rather than in store. No brainer, so it’s also failing because online is cheaper.

Have I missed something, have you seen the contract? Why is she different to the other marks employees who are not paid just fill doors close?

Yes, and where I live it dovetails with wanting to make sure nobody can park anywhere near the station so there are restrictions everywhere, although if you just want to nip into town for a few things, you can find streets where you can park for an hour without a problem. There appears to be a massive ring around the station and the town centre where there are restrictions and on some other roads too where I really can't understand why the restrictions exist, nowhere near a school, for example.

The currency exchange in our ASDA says after a certain time, only pre ordered currency can be processed. The pre ordered currency is already in a separate envelope and you have to say a time you will collect it. So they are open, but not for walk ins.

What an attitude! If the desk is open until X time and the employee wants to cash-up so they can leave on the dot then surely a conversation with their manager about what time cashing up should be done, bearing in mind that customers can still appear until X time?

If customers have to be finished by X time-minus 15/20/30 whatever, then that should be clearly communicated.

My experience would be very different from this. I don't live within walking distance of a high street or a shopping centre, so going to the shops always involves a car journey.

I have several places to choose from. The nearest is 19 miles away and takes 35 - 40 minutes to get to the (expensive) multistory car park, which is about a 5-10 minute walk from the main High Street (or used to be. I haven't been there for 20-odd years).

The next nearest are both about 45 minutes drive away.

For me, i's so much easier and more convenient to buy online. In your scenario, I would order the items I thought I might like in two different sizes. So, if I want a dress I'd probably choose maybe four designs and order each one in two sizes, hoping that one out of the eight would fit and I would like it. Then I'd return the rest.

I agree that buying shoes online is tricky, but one just has to be patient. I usually find I need to try about five pairs before I find the right one.

I like being able to try things in my own time in my own home, without feeling rushed and having to make quick decisions as to which is best.

I can order online from two or three different retailers at the same time, then compare them all before deciding. If I were buying on the high street, I'd have to traipse around different shops remembering what things were in which shops that I liked, try stuff on in different shops and then go back to buy the one I thought I liked best (only to find they'd sold the only one in my size, knowing my luck!).

The fact that rents and purchasing costs for flats in central areas are unsustainably high and keep climbing Year after year suggests that the demand for living in central areas is higher than the current supply of this kind of housing.

Those posters on here including me who are suggesting that we build more of such housing are merely suggesting that we grow the supply to meet the demand.

If you like living in a house in the suburbs, then you do that, and if you prefer to shop out of town at a retail park, you do that, too.

The UK is not North Korea, nobody is forced to live anywhere they do not want to.

Or perhaps it's best that high streets do come to a halt and then that's nobody's problem, is it?