To think *some* independent shops really aren't helping themselves...?

[BeansAndNoodles]

I'm massively supportive of small businesses, I try to use them as often as I can. We are lucky to have a high street with lots of independent shops. However, my trips to town are limited due to being short of spare time, plus parking costs a fortune unless you limit it to the free 90 mins that you get in the supermarket car park, etc.

But time and time again I go to one of the independent shops to find them randomly shut. I get that they probably only have one staff member so it's hard to stay open if anything out of the ordinary happens, but it's still so flipping frustrating.

The last few trips to town have ended with me ordering stuff online or going into one of the chains because the independent shops I wanted were closed for no apparent reason. The independent health food shop is the worst, they close for an hour at some point between 11 and 3 for lunch but it's not the same time day to day and they don't say on the closed sign what time they'll be back, so if you get there and it's shut you don't know if it's worth trekking back to that end of town in 30 mins or not. I tend not to even bother checking now and just go straight Holland & Barrat instead. Several more shops seem to rely on posting that days opening hours on their FB page, but thats hardly a reliable way to tell people if they're open or not! Last week I had an afternoon off and took a trip to a different town specifically to go to a shop that stocks work by local artists to get some cards and gifts, only to find it closed with no indication of why or if it was opening late or what. I checked their FB page while stood outside but nope nothing. Later that day (3 hours after their stated opening time) they posted that they'd decided to open later for the Christmas lights switch on and that they hoped people would come and support them

Anyway I've just seen yet another slightly passive aggressive plea from one of the owners of the worst shops for this, complaining how quiet business is and telling people to use them or lose them yada. Well yes I totally agree but more often then not when I try to use them they're not bloody open!

A local café was right in the market square in our town. Lovely homemade cakes - her cheesecakes were genuinely worth paying a small fortune for. But she opened for four days per week, abd closed whenever there was an event in the square because it would be “too busy”. She closed within the year, with a ton of self pitying fb posts about how customers would rather buy from rubbish chain stores. FFS. And she wouldn’t allow groups to meet there because it would take up too many tables, which were always empty when I went in.

For comparison, the chain cafes on the same square bring in more staff and stock for event days. Which is how they did well enough to become chains.

but but....geraniums can make people like them simply by existing.....

To be fair, she probably banned groups because a group of 10 would buy two coffees and one cake between them, bringing outside food in, and sitting there for two hours! There have been threads on here about this type of CF behaviour before.

The tradespeople you refer to know exactly what they're doing. They're just not declaring any of it.

The tradespeople you refer to know exactly what they're doing. They're just not declaring any of it.

We have a cafe next to the community centre/park that doesn’t open on a Sunday. We have a very active running and cycling club that start and finish there. Thirsty and hungry every sodding week and it’s closed.

on a Wednesday the group run would be a massive inconvenience wanting to cheekily sit down and eat/drink there. The owner made such a fuss about taking up space. But we were all spending liberally and not actually there for ages either.

stopped going there at all now. Nuts.

A cafe owner complained that the cafe was full??

Ironically it wasn’t full. She would moodily move chairs for ‘customers’ with a hard stare.

We would spend money, behave well, not take up the whole space etc. no idea what her problem was.

I did briefly work for a small business and she did think she should be just rolling in it, without putting the hours in and just seemed pissed off all the time. She frequently turned down work, had days off.
she wasn’t open to the public but decided she would on a Saturday morning. Did it once, not much notice, no one came. Had a fit and decided not to do it again, but didn’t put that on SM. Loads of people turned up the next week and were rightly annoyed.
She could have been successful but spent all her time blaming others and not listening to any advice. She closed a few weeks after I quit.

That's what I was thinking... behind the puzzling lack of people skills or business awareness, there's an emotional/MH need being met... misguidedly....

She may have said it snottily but loads of small shops around here ask for ALL backpacks to be removed or worn on the front while in the shop. I can see their point, not everyone remembers that they are wearing one all the time, and even a small one adds to how far people project at the back. maybe she has recently had some incidents in the shop?

A fair number of self employed (not just shops, but cafes, tradesmen etc) are self employed because they're unsuitable to be employees, so their "issues" making them unsuitable for employment will undoubtedly also affect their self employment, engagement with customers, etc.

I run a small business, I can't imagine leaving customers in the lurch. There's been the occasional one where I've had to leave early through illness, but it's very occasional and it goes on all our social media. This Friday it looks like I'll have to close early as there's a funeral and no-one can help cover, so I'm closing 90 mins early. I wouldn't make a habit of it though.

Yes, same here.

I can also see their point given the amount of times I’ve been browsing in a shop and been bashed by someone with an enormous backpack who seems completely oblivious to it. Especially as a lot of these shops are quite small.

I was recently picking up some wine from a local independent wine merchants (we give bottles as gifts to certain customers at work) and some bloke with a massive backpack turned around and cleared about 5 bottles of wine off a shelf with it.

That's the point though. It's not the message that's the problem, it's how it's delivered.

We all sometimes have to say difficult things or have to take control of an awkward situation. What you don't do is make the other person feel embarrassed or at fault. A quiet, apologetic explanation and a smile will do most of the lifting for you. Most people understand this instinctively, and any seller or business owner who doesn't should watch and learn from others.

If the customer's behaving like an arse, that's a different matter. But the default position should be, give them the benefit of the doubt.

I agree about the backpacks being a bit bulky and cumbersome, and I am guilty as charged. I wear a backpack sometimes when we're on daytrips moreso... (not a huge one but a backpack nevertheless,) and I sometimes feel like a bloody big tortoise mooching about. I have never knocked anything off or broken anything, but I have knocked a few people (very slightly.) Everyone has been polite and nice though, as I'm like 'gosh I'm really sorry!'

No shop keeper has ever had a go/said anything, but as has been said they have every right to ask you to be careful (or remove it,) but there is a way to request such a thing... Barking at someone and being snippy and shirty will just drive people away, as the pp who mentioned this illustrated.

I don't mind being asked to remove my backpack, but I'm not sure where I'm going to put it! 😬

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yup I agree. places round here have a sign at the door.

I don't ever use a back pack but I have seen people who do use them wear them on their front like a baby carrier. It doesn't entirely deal with the problem but at least the wearer cannot forget its there.

I think backpacks of any size are rude in planes, public transport, enclosed spaces such as shops & rest, and congested urban areas.

Why not get one that you wear to the front, which may be less comfortable for you but more considerate of others?

Yeah, that's not happening. I have big boobs, and would find it extremely uncomfortable to wear a heavy, loaded backpack on my 'front.' When you google front facing backpacks, it's always men wearing them. I can't imagine they're very comfortable, and definitely not for women.

The amount of times I have ever 'got in someone's way' with my backpack, I can count on the fingers of one hand. As I said I only really usually wear them on daytrips, and also when I go for a walk outside. I'm not stopping wearing it, as it's hugely convenient, and holds a lot of stuff. It's also easier to carry a lot of stuff when you have a backpack on. Much easier than carrying all your crap in a handbag/in a bag...

If someone asks me to take it off in a shop (hasn't happened yet,) I will oblige, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. Unless they provide a little space in the shop (near the checkout where the shop assistant is - where you can drop it while you look around,) it's unreasonable for them to ask you to remove it IMO.

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why is it unreasonable? someone on here has seen a bloke clear a shelf of bottle with his backpack and you have admitted to (gently) clouting people with your own backpack. Its been a while since I visited but shops like Harrods and Selfridges used to have a "no backpacks on your back" rule and it was common so see both men and women wearing them on their fronts. As I said, round here (tourist area) many small shops have a "please remove your backpack" sign. I imagine they don't care what you do with it provided its not going to collide with their merch!

I wear a backpack for work and in smaller spaces I remove it and hold it by the top handle. It's only polite. Then again I work in London which has a lot of oblivious tourists with backpacks...

That is going to haunt my nightmares later.

Me being the cause of something like that happening is almost a phobia, and I don't even carry a backpack!

I'm out house with backpack on public transport 8-10 hours. I don't drive so have to carry more - water proofs drinks etc.

I've worn them for years as have kids - never knocked anything off shelves in shops - if it's tight you take them off and hold them by handle. These days we have the one that can turn into trolleys.

I suspect the backpackk has less to to with the few utterly oblivious people who wear them and more to do with shoplifting fears - when kids were in pushchairs met few small shops really off about that as well.

Small business moaning on facebook today because 'no one is supporting local businesses'

Nah, we don't want to pay £4 for a dry square of brownie.