So do people really go Xmas shopping on the high street

[merrycompo]

These last 2 weekends before Xmas?
Don't you all do it online?
Why is the high street still so crammed ? It baffles me

Ooh, I'd forgotten about this thread! Good bumping, tadvent!

I did have a customer on Sudnay (they spent £12.24, i was dead excited )

You can look at photos of my shop on Photobucket, if you want to.
You don't have to buy anything, then, but you can browse

Hope you had more customers today nickel!

there haven't been taht many, really.

it's okay cos last week was good in general.

I got really upset earlier because my next door neighbour came in saying she'd ordered a children's book from amazon and was annoyed because it hadn't arrived.

my next door neighbour

how is that easier than popping round next door and asking me to get hold of it??

it's a book that's readily avaialbe, and she's been waiting 3 weeks for it.
If she'd asked me to get it 3 weeks ago, she'd have had it 2 and a half weeks ago.

I quite like the shops this time of year provided i get in early and get out early. Yuo just dont get that festive buzz from on line shopping

very true - I like being able to see and touch what I'm buying, too.

And to be able to compare them to each other.

That's crap nickel - presumably she knows you are a book shop owner and can order anything you want, probably with free delivery? I try and use the local book shops here in Oregon as much as poss but Barnes & Noble is the biggest one in town if you need a really good browse. I end up using Amazon to ship stuff to friends and family in the UK, because I can get books in British English and the postage otherwise is ridiculous. Do you do third party deliveries from your website? (I know you're not supposed to advertise yourself).

Just bought a few bits on the High St but everything else was online and mainly delivered in November. Only problem is the food which there is a real risk may not arrive on Wednesday. In which case, hot foot to M&S and a taxi back home.

We dont have a car so we really find online shopping so much more convenient - but it does take a lot of forward planning.

tadventjennyp - and she would have had 10% discount just for living next door to me!

I can deliver to anyone - delivery is free if the recipient is in the UK - payment on my site is done through Paypal, so you can just put a little note in the comments box saying where to deliver to (or send me an email)
(and if it's not on the website, you just have to email me to see if i can get it)

I'm not allowed to advertise myself - but i'm googlable (i'm in sittingbourne)

That sounds good, have a few birthdays coming up and it would be nice not to use Amazon for a change!

I used to work in central London and would do all my Xmas shopping as I walked down Regents Street on Xmas eve. I loved it.

Now the best I can manage is a sleepy high street in a small town or Exeter a few days before the day (tomorrow, this year).

It was all part of the excitement for me.

I had done most of it online. But the last 4 or 5 things I had to get never got delivered (were 'lost' by royal mail/amazon) grrr.

So I am trekking out to finish it all off tomorrow.

But no, I certainly don't look forward to it.

Oh Nickel - your shops looks lovely. Am not in the Uk but will pop in if I am ever passing (MIL not far from you).

Have emailed you an order Nickel - would much rather use independents where I can.

I do feel frustrated with the high street at the moment. I think this year is the year that I am really feeling the bite of the internet on our high street. I went into three shops to buy a summer walking cap for dh, and nobody had one, and nobody could order one as they are not allowed to put in any special orders at this time of year. I had no money until 17 December so I couldn't buy it earlier. Ebay it was then, and for all I know the bloody thing was shoplifted from a proper shop, I don't like using ebay any more, but it was the only thing that dh wanted.

I think i've got it - Beast Quest?
I've replied to you.
:)

It's awful when they can't put in special orders. :(

It happenss a lot though - being in the booktrade, it's taken me a long time to get used to it.
With books, you can order 1 copy of a book, so customer orders are easy to fulfil, as long as you've got enough on orderwith them for them to send it out (usually £100).
with non-book stuff, you have to place an order for 6 or 12 of something, so it's really hard to place special orders, especially now, when time is not on your side. (ie you don't want to order 12 of one thing 2 weeks before christmas because if they don't sell, you'll be stuck with 11 of them.

Great service, thank you