Our fault high street is dying (From Warrington Guardian)

Oh how I agree with you Garry-John. I blame online shopping for the decline in our town centres and I will NEVER shop online, I much prefer getting out and visiting the shops personally and keeping folk in their jobs. Everything's too easy these days and we're becoming lazy !

tarasmum wrote:
Oh how I agree with you Garry-John. I blame online shopping for the decline in our town centres and I will NEVER shop online, I much prefer getting out and visiting the shops personally and keeping folk in their jobs. Everything's too easy these days and we're becoming lazy !

90% of the time items are cheaper on the internet than in the stores, you can't really blame people for shopping online. Anytime ive bought on line its for that reason only, not because im being lazy!

I will go visiting shops BUT if I can get the same things cheaper via Amazon etc, hey, my family's finances are more important than some "social morality". Its not necessarily a case of easier or more convenient....someti
mes its just plain straight forward cold hard cash (and this goes back to the days of the Labour government, not just since Cameron took over).

I dont blame the supermarkets either. I use one near my home and actually meet more people, and chat to more people there than I ever did going around the shops in the town centre.

Before we blame individals, society, the government, whoever...lets look at the high street itself. Of the names who have gone into administration/bust in recent years only Jessops actually surprised me (and it appears this may be staying around under an internet based model). Times change......the shops have to as well.

As regards the high street being "more" than just a place to buy stuff, yep I agree. But once again it depends on other factors. You cant go into town on a Sunday night unless you drive as there are no buses home. Many of the restaurants in town are IMHO overpriced for what you get prefering to rely on "image" rather than value and good service.

Do I shop online? ...Yes. Do I go into town less often to socialise? Yes. Is it my fault the high street is dying? IMHO no. If it doesn't give me what I need why would I use it?

I like shopping on the high street, I like to try on clothes before I buy. Plus I can use my student card rather than buy an NUS card to use online!

However, things are cheaper on the internet and it saves time. If I am looking for birthday/christmas presents, I will browse the web first before I troop around the shops for hours looking for ideas. Plus if you sell online, you don't have to rent a shop, which I'm sure can cripple businesses, so you can pass that saving onto the consumers.

Jessops staff in the shops had the knowledge. How many people would have got all the info in the store but then gone online and found the camera £200 cheaper? A lot I bet.

I really hope Primark will be a massive boost for the town and will be big enough to bring in shoppers from Runcorn/Widnes/St Helens who otherwise would have gone to Liverpool.

Sorry but I disagree.

I don't believe it is our fault that the high street is dying,as shops business models are unstainable.

For e.g., take Woolworths, disappeared from our high street back in December 2008 with the loss of 30,000 jobs.

But have you ever wondered why?

Well as a consumer every time I visited I use to question the experience, in terms of why have I gone in here and what is this place?

I went in there because of the brand name on the high street but I never use to buy anything.Why because it was too expensive.

What was it?

A sweet shop?
Stationers?
DIY?
Music shop?
DVD rental?
Clothes shop?

It was trying to be all things to all folk and it just doesn't work.

For years in was in financial trouble as like most high street shops / chains they are owned by venture capitalists and this one was backed by money from Icelandic banks who went bump in the financial crash.

TJ Hughes was another one.There was nothing in there that you couldn't by cheaper from Tesco or Asda.

December last year,my laptop needed a new battery,so I popped along to Curries at Winwick.They never had it in stock but could order it but it wouldn't be available untill the end of Jan 2013 because of Christmas.It was £99.00 which I had to pay up front.

So I left it.Went home,internet search,found a supplier in Singapore and ordered it for £29.00 inc delivery and was able to track it all the was.It was here within 5 days and just before Christmas.

Thn my adaptor for my laptop needed replacing,so I popped along to Curries at Winwick yet again and yet again they never had it in stock but could order it but it wouldn't be available again untill the end of Jan 2013 because of Christmas.It was £69.00 which I had to pay up front.
yd

So I left it.Went home,internet search,found a shop in Middlesex and ordered it for £14.00 inc delivery and it came the day after on Christmas eve.

Thats not me being lazy,just wanting a service and one thats cost effective.

Its not that I want to avoid interacting with people but I avoid shopping in certain shops because of the rude and ignorant staff. I also begrudge paying for a substandard service which, unfortunately, is an ever increasing issue on the high street. Low wages and a lack of common courtesy is killing the shops, not online purchases and mobile phones. If people felt that they were getting value for money, they would pay in the shops.

The Bridge street and market area are depressing during the day and intimidating by night. Perhaps if it was a pleasant place people would come.