To not be surprised that Poundland is failing. (Another 14 stores to close.)

[Ved]

And they've already closed around 100.

It used to be called Poundland because everything in there was a pound. Then a few years ago, they started selling loads of things that were £2, and £3, and £4. Then they ramped it up and started selling clothes and shoes and toys and household ornaments and cushions, and general household items and the like, and some stuff started being priced at much more. £8, £10, £15. Even more for some items.

The whole point was that everything was a pound. So they've basically lost their way... I haven't shopped in a Poundland store for about 5 or 6 years now. I use B & M, Poundstretcher, and Home Bargains... Seems like many others have drifted away too, as they're closing down stores left, right, and centre...

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https://uk.yahoo.com/finance/news/poundland-reveals-more-store-closures-121000388.html

As any John finnemore fan will know, you should expect everything to be sold BY the pound not FOR a pound in such shops.

I think I got to the doorway once. Chance of a kicking 8/10

That is a pity actually. It's always handy to have a cheap as chips place to buy stuff. Although, as a pp said, about 10 years ago, (before they started selling items for £3, £5, £10 etc,) people started noticing that some stuff was cheaper than a pound elsewhere! I remember noticing this with shake 'n' vac, it was 79p in Tesco, and a pound in Poundland. Same with a number of other items... Around 2015-2016 I began to notice this..

We are fortunate enough to have a B & M, a Savers, and a Home Bargains in our little town. No Poundland, the closest one is 18 miles away. There was one in a little town 6 miles away that opened in August 2022, but it closed down about 2 months ago. There was honestly more staff than customers in it whenever I passed it, so it's hardly surprising. Conversely, B & M that was 7 shops up the street from it was heaving most of the time.

I feel really sorry for the staff, and hope they get another job soon. When the HUGE Homebase in my little town was replaced with an equally huge B & M about 3 and a half years ago, all 23 staff from Homebase were offered first dibs at the jobs. 19 of them took them! There were about 50 jobs altogether IIRC, as they're open 78 hours a week!

Living in a small town with very few and ever declining retail options available without getting into a car, my visits to my local Poundland have become more frequent. Specifically because now I've identified some essentials sold there.

😆

I love the place. There’s one in the deprived area where I work. I reckon there’d be rioting if it closed down!

Yeah, I don't find them much cheaper than other discount stores, and as our local one is small, not much choice. What really annoys me is that they bought up a local chain of discount food shops called Jack Fultons, which was BRILLIANT and I used a lot, they often had really good stuff on short dates which was super value. They then closed all the JF shops. Poundland said they would be incorporating the same type of stuff into their shops, but zilch. They were different types of shops and not competitors, why buy them just to close them?

They dropped the "everything's a pound" ages ago though.
The name "Poundland" can be interpreted as "a place where you go and spend your £s" - it hasn't advertised itself as "everything's a pound" for a long time.
People have managed to understand that "Poundstretcher" has different prices for the 40 odd years they've been around.

I think they could probably save themselves if they rebranded to threepoundland or fourpoundland and sold everything for that price or under. Even toothpaste can be £5+ these days. As PPs say, the whole point was that you knew the price and would often pick up extra bits you didn’t need as it was “only” a pound. If everything is different prices then why would someone go to Poundland versus buying things in the shop they’re already in (like a supermarket) or shopping online where they can compare prices. I’m not really surprised they’re not doing well

The Poundland in my town is good, staff are always lovely. I go in there for bits and bobs. It’s a rarity because they actually have checkouts with checkout operators instead of the annoying self-service tills that Poundland elsewhere have adopted.

😂

It it does keep the riff-raff out of Waitrose though, so it does serve a purpose.

Bucket shop selling tat. No great loss. 👍

I found that over timd they shifted from "cheap & good value" to simply "cheap & crap".

There becomes a point where things being cheaper and cheaper makes them go from being good value to poor value.

These shops often sell a lot of absolute rubbish

Our poundland closed today :( It's by far the most local and convenient place to pick up short supply items, things we run out of like crisps, kid toothbrushses or mini white chocolate bars. They also had a lot of fluffy clothes for dd. I will miss it! We'll have to go the extra distance to b&m (a newcomer last year) instead for these bits, but of course they dont have clothes.

I hate the snobbery around shops like this. There was a lovely lady who has watched my youngest grow from bump until almost 4 there! I feel bad for the job losses :(

Really?
Or normal shop selling normal things like Colgate Toothpaste, Crayola Crayons and Radox shower gel.
(3 random products that I just thought of)

Exactly

I still like it

Wonder how dollar tree is faring in USA, used to love shopping there

Doing ok I think....but products are costing more than a dollar now.
(from what I've read online.... never been to the states so never shopped there)

Sadly I think pound land has had its day. I remember it as a teenager. I do pop in occasionally but the supermarkets are cheaper and the till system is confusing.

I think the clothes are great value. £4 for a t shirt that has kept its colour, the writing on the front hasn't faded and it hasn't shrunk. That's good value. I don't think much of anything else there though.

Poundstretcher means your pound/your money will go further. They have never claimed to sell everything for a pound.

I agree. I am not totally shocked that they are closing store after store after store... As I said in my first post and thread title.

You're missing my point.
Poundland used to market themselves as "everything's a pound" but stopped that slogan when it became impossible for them to sell everything at £1 - which was several years ago.
They kept the name "Poundland" but no longer made that claim.
So Poundland or Poundstretcher (or Poundworld when they were around) - none of those shop names are saying they only sell products for £1 so it seems odd that people will think one does but not the other.

Poundland used to sell everything for £1 though. And now they don't. Whereas Poundstretcher never did.