People in shops are pleased to see you! But shops are running on empty

[BaitandSwitch]

We went shopping yesterday into the city and was delighted to be back in all the big shops including John Lewis.

What really gets me is that I'm finding that staff seem really, really pleased to see you, to help and serve also. It's heartbreaking that the shops on a Friday afternoon were quite empty and there are staff hanging around with little to do. So I think most staff are welcoming engaging with the public even more so under Covid.

My plea is this - if possible, go to shops and let the staff serve you - the shops and our economy desperately need the business and staff need the work. And as people, we need interactions with others for our wellbeing. Please give on-line shopping a rest and head out (don't forget your mask and keep socially distant though!) The High Street? Use it or lose it.

I went to a high street miles away from.yesterday, a lovely place. I was almost empty.

Thing is, if you cant try stuff on, shopping isnt very practical right now. I'm only buying what I need which isnt always on my doorstep so I go to the high street for that shop i need.

It's really sad, I dont feel unsafe

Sadly I find the whole experience of shopping really shit at the moment, plus with the recession looming I’m saving as much money as possible, so bar essentials I won’t be doing any shopping for a long time.

God no - I can buy everything I need online.

I'm still following the advice to not go out unless necessary. That's the best advice I've heard since the beginning. Stop mixing unnecessarily! The eat out to help out scheme is a shit show and nobody should be being advised to go out more to save the high street, be that returning to the office unnecessarily or shopping for no good reason. Yes the high street will Change, but for example the success of the Ocado/ M&S food partnership shows that the retail industry can survive in different ways.

Even without covid 19 the high street was shrinking and going online. Yes this year has seen things sped up, but it was already happening. We have already gone past the point of no return, really.

I went to a shopping centre a few weeks back. It was busy, people weren’t able to follow the rules, I ended up having to get out of there because I had a panic attack.

I want to support businesses but for now shopping in person is for when there is no alternative and then as quick as possible

I hate shopping, but recently I needed new jeans. I had a voucher for Fat Face, and I have a pair of jeans from there that I bought last year so I know my size.

I went online to check out this year's styles and decided that I would support the shops by not buying them online. So I drove for half an hour, paid to park, went to Fat Face, told the very very enthusiastic (almost manic I would say!) sales assistant what style I wanted in what size and... nothing. Not a single pair of jeans in the shop in my size. I was told to buy them online. What a waste of time and money.

so until the little Hitlers clear off

A woman at the handgel/trolley wipe station couldn't bear to wait 30 fecking seconds and squeezed up past me , actually touching my back .
Even in normal times its a bit rude , in these times , unacceptable .

I did scowl at her "Can't you wait till I'm done" but she was

Should've stepped back heavily onto her corns . < that'll learn her >

The thing is that shopping in a mask is just unpleasant. I’ll wear a mask if I absolutely have to go somewhere, but if I can avoid it via online shopping then I’ll continue to do that.

I'm in a small retail pharmacy, we wish for pre covid times for the opposite reasons. We have no time to think, are overly busy ALL the time with queues building (outside in a socially distant fashion) as we seem to be sprinting headlong towards another lock down. Not every business is struggling.

I enjoyed my trip to a shopping centre yesterday particularly John Lewis. Stocks were low on certain things

I'm using shops OP. I absolutely hate online shopping, especially amazon. And yes I do wear my mask, social distance and am polite and respectful towards the staff. I appreciate retail is a difficult job at the best of times, thank you retail workers.

I'm using shops OP. I absolutely hate online shopping, especially amazon. And yes I do wear my mask, social distance and am polite and respectful towards the staff. I appreciate retail is a difficult job at the best of times, thank you retail workers.

Thanks for your post, Feeling, I really go along with what you've said here.

I don't like shopping in a mask. The changing rooms are closed. There are an infuriating amount of Hitler types barking orders. So, no thanks.

Independent retailer here - I re-opened my shop last week and have had some custom, but we're niche and in a weird part of town so wasn't expecting hoardes. We've done the Covid unfriendly thing - maximum six customers at a time, masks to be worn, sanitiser by the door, no changing room.

TBH it's a very conflicted position to be in - of course I want people to be safe and well, including myself as I am essentially a one woman band. Unfortunately my lease runs for another year and I am legally obliged to pay my overheads until that time. Going online is not that simple for me; I did have an ebay shop which was gaining traction but since managed payments started to come in (don't get me started on that fiasco) I have had to shut it as one can't opt out as a business and if one doesn't register your account is punitively limited. We have a website ready to go bar setting up a shopping cart and payment system which I need advice from the website developer on - but I'm only one person and not as technically savvy as I should be.

On both personal and professional fronts nothing has been straight forward for us in the last few years and 2020 has just about put the tin lid on me - but I'm plugging away and crossing my fingers.

I started a thread the other day when we'd just opened and I was trying to get a feel on here about how people generally felt about shopping - on social media a few people had commented to me that they were in a kind of self-imposed lockdown and certainly not shopping for leisure purposes, which I understood. I was having a jittery sensitive day and some of the responses I received here on that thread, especially the one about people feeling less inclined to support businesses that didn't keep going through lockdown or didn't open bang on the day non-essential shops could open stung a bit - but no-one here can know that I was sorting out my Mums affairs after she passed, grieving, and trying to re-model the shop at the same time......

Anyhow, sorry, that turned into a bit of a rambly hijack, but what I really wanted to say was that I appreciate the OPs sentiment and also I get it - Covid roulette is a dangerous game for all concerned and the constant feeling that one can't do right for doing wrong sucks so much joy out of things. My shop is partly my creative outlet, but I have lost so much enthusiasm and it's an uphill struggle to "fake it till you make it". But anyway OP - your thoughts are appreciated.

I went into a well-known clothes shop, something caught my eye on my right so I started to head towards it.
I was yelled at & told I had to follow the arrows to my left - i.e. completely round the entire EMPTY shop
I gave the "assistant" my opinion & walked out - never to return.

I’m using the local shops, because I want them still to be there. If I’m at work how do I sign for my delivery. I’m wearing my mask, using hand sanitiser and keeping my distance.If I want to buy a book I’m going to the shop. And they seem happy.

My plea is this - if possible, go to shops and let the staff serve you - the shops and our economy desperately need the business and staff need the work. And as people, we need interactions with others for our wellbeing. Please give on-line shopping a rest and head out (don't forget your mask and keep socially distant though!) The High Street? Use it or lose it.

I can interact with people in other places.

Last time I went to the high street for a list of ten pretty generic items I needed, 8 of them were not in stock but they could order them and I could go back and collect them. That was about 8 years ago.

Parking is non existent in my town, bus service is not good, WC provision is woeful and don’t get me started on the lack of accessibility.

Online shopping is convenient, I can get everything I need from the comfort of my own home.

High streets should adapt to become what people want and need. The only thing stopping that is this outdated concept that in order to survive, they need to drag thousands of people in to shop.

@GabriellaMontez

I don't like shopping in a mask. The changing rooms are closed. There are an infuriating amount of Hitler types barking orders. So, no thanks.

This. I just buy it online.

We are in local lockdown so can’t use public transport except for work and education, DH is extremely clinically vulnerable and we have young children who I wouldn’t drag to the shops pre-covid. I’ll give it a miss thanks.

@Georgyporky

I went into a well-known clothes shop, something caught my eye on my right so I started to head towards it. I was yelled at & told I had to follow the arrows to my left - i.e. completely round the entire EMPTY shop I gave the "assistant" my opinion & walked out - never to return.

Yeah, I had that happen and again, empty shop. I just walked out. Went and bought it online.

I had to go into local shopping centre the other day. First non supermarket shops I have been in since lockdown but needed something specific. I reckon over 80% of people were mask free (not all bloody exempt) and gave no shits about social distancing.

Our local shopping centre actually has undercover staff out of uniform spying on people to see if they are following the rules. I'd rather sit down with a cuppa and order online

I agree with use it or lose it, sadly I think we are going to lose it.

My council is going to be building a hugely expensive new shopping "mall", a complete white elephant in the making. Opposition is widespread but they are still ploughing ahead with a scheme that has no future.

Meanwhile a very high proportion of shops in the city centre are empty (ie closed) the others are nearly empty of customers.

So much food for thought here. OldQueen, I wish you all the best with keeping your shop and business going - depending on what you sell and where are you are, I would love to come to your shop and support you!

I get it that so many people have valid reasons for not shopping on the high street and I wouldn't criticise anyone for not doing so. I guess for me I feel really sad for for the future of our cities and high streets and that many people may be out of work as an impact of Covid.

As it is in my gift to be able to shop IRL, I will continue to do it. I'm aware that a lot of shop staff don't want to be there and have their own justifiable concerns about keeping safe during Covid. However I'm sure many of them are also worried about keeping their jobs and that is one reason I wish to support them. I do love shopping and I feel sad that so many businesses have folded / are folding up, and seeing the heart of our cities falling apart.

I'd love to have the money to go out spending in shops to prop up an economy that is based on us buying more and more stuff and safeguard people's jobs, but I don't have it. A lot of people won't have it in the coming months and I suspect that situation is only going to get worse. The high street was struggling before Covid, this is just the final nail in the coffin for a lot of places.