THE DEATH OF THE HIGH STREET

Facebook are entering the World of ebay and amazon and going into commerce. Apparently it is becoming increasingly popular with so many Members
able to advise on products etc. and makes for more friendly shopping.

Internet shopping has sounded the death knell for the High Street, even today, when Christmas shooppers would be flooding the Towns and cities to
do their shopping, the Weather has seen Sales in the High Street plummet and online shopping soar. In a few years time our Town Centres will be a Ghost town and human contact decrease as the unemployed increase......it"s all very scary, glad I"m not growing up today.

Can't say I am at all surprised, as all city centres look the same nowadays. Next, Monsoon, HMV, Superdrug, M&S, ELC, New Look, Primark, Past Times, Mothercare, Jane Norman, Currys, PC World, Radley Bags, Nandos......... in fact if you asked me to name a "local" shop that is still in existence here, I would be hard pushed to do it.

Oh, yes - Finnies the Jewellers. It's a good job Santander is next door, as you would need a second mortgage to buy anything in Finnies. Still, I suppose there's always Cash Converters, Beaverbrooks, H Samuel and Elizabeth Duke at Argos.

Stratford-upon-Avon is one of my favourite places, and almost all year round there are lots of visitors. However, the disappointment is that the main shopping areas are mostly populated with chain stores and coffee houses like Costa Coffee. Looking across the road from sitting on a bench by the river, there is MacDonald's!!

There are very few eating houses there now that can be called 'traditional,' and one place that calls itself that has a board outside advertising 'paninis.' I did try telling one of the places that does, 'paninis,' that panini is plural, but they couldn't quite grasp what I was trying to tell them!

The City Centre where I live has undergone a massive re-development over the past few years, even John Lewis has opened up here!! Not just because
I live here it really is an attractive City, only two main Streets so easy to find your way around , every single major Store you can think of has an outlet here. However, I noticed the last time I was in Town a few shops had closed down having only been opened a year ago, I"m sure more will close next
year as well. Easy Credit has made buying easier but it also is responsible for much of the Fiscal problems the World faces, where it all end is anybody"s guess but I fear the High Streets will suffer.

The Famous Grouse wrote:Can't say I am at all surprised, as all city centres look the same nowadays. Next, Monsoon, HMV, Superdrug, M&S, ELC, New Look, Primark, Past Times, Mothercare, Jane Norman, Currys, PC World, Radley Bags, Nandos......... in fact if you asked me to name a "local" shop that is still in existence here, I would be hard pushed to do it.

Oh, yes - Finnies the Jewellers. It's a good job Santander is next door, as you would need a second mortgage to buy anything in Finnies. Still, I suppose there's always Cash Converters, Beaverbrooks, H Samuel and Elizabeth Duke at Argos.

Who are elc,jane norman and radley bags

HMV ARE HAVING FINANCIAL TROUBLE,HOPEFULLY WILL SURVIVE,ACING COMPETIION FROM SUPERMARKETS ETC.

Well i must admit i bought everything online.


Only because i cant stand shopping and i too miss the butcher shops and the vegi shops..all we have here are charity shops!

It"s not just the Shops, it"s the chitchat between shoppers and Staff , as more and more people order everything on the
internet they become insular and lose contact with the general public if you know what I mean, plus of course the rise in
unemployment, empty Buildings . Wonder what civilisation will be like in twenty years time.

HOPEULLY WON'T BE A CASE OF WILL THE LAST SHOPOWNER PLEASE TURN OFF THE LAST LIGHTS IN THE TOWN CENTRET

Badboy wrote:HOPEULLY WON'T BE A CASE OF WILL THE LAST SHOPOWNER PLEASE TURN OFF THE LAST LIGHTS IN THE TOWN CENTRET

That"s quite poetic Badboy, let"s hope it doesn"t come to that

ON A SLIGHTY DIFFERENT MATTER MANY CORNER SHOPS HAVE BEEN MAKING MONEY/SELLING OUT OF STOCK BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T GET TO THE SUPERMARKETS ETC IN THE WINTRY WEATHER

Badboy wrote:ON A SLIGHTY DIFFERENT MATTER MANY CORNER SHOPS HAVE BEEN MAKING MONEY/SELLING OUT OF STOCK BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T GET TO THE SUPERMARKETS ETC IN THE WINTRY WEATHER

I must say I'm quite lucky with a supermarket just 10 minutes walk away. So, even when the local roads were awful and vehicles were getting stuck, I could get there easily. My local shops stock a limited range of foods, mostly tinned and a small range of frozen and the vegetables are never very fresh.

AnnaEsse wrote:

Badboy wrote:ON A SLIGHTY DIFFERENT MATTER MANY CORNER SHOPS HAVE BEEN MAKING MONEY/SELLING OUT OF STOCK BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T GET TO THE SUPERMARKETS ETC IN THE WINTRY WEATHER

I must say I'm quite lucky with a supermarket just 10 minutes walk away. So, even when the local roads were awful and vehicles were getting stuck, I could get there easily. My local shops stock a limited range of foods, mostly tinned and a small range of frozen and the vegetables are never very fresh.

I"m very lucky, apart from the Corner Shop, I only have to walk down the road and there is every shop you could wish for so I seldom go into town.

I ventured out yesterday , first time in 3 days and bought a few items in Tescos. The greedy B*****s have put their prices up , especially on the essentials. I very vert seldom shop at Tescos because of their business tactics, preferring Iceland, but Tesco is the nearest and walking on this iced
up snow is dangerous.