topic Re: Town centre shopping in Off-Topic

Town centre shopping

sheepdog — Sun, 01 May 2016 10:21:52 GMT

Came across this article on the BBC website complete with a wave of nostalgia about going into town on a Saturday: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36148788

So as the internet has changed our shopping habits, car parking charges are ridiculous not to mention local business rates killing off any businesses hope of survival plus the rise of out of town complexes.....what do you miss about town centre shopping and do you still go into town for anything?

For me its the record shops I miss though the only real reason I have to go in is for the bank.

Re: Town centre shopping

Cleoriff — Sun, 01 May 2016 10:38:53 GMT

I have never been a fan of shopping in town on busy days. The joy for me when working as a nurse, was my shift patterns usually meant I had days off in the week. Going to town on those days was a whole different ball game. No crowds, no queues and far better service.

Nowadays...if it can't be bought online...it doesn't get bought.

I have friends who organise shopping trips to Merry Hill, Lakeside etc etc....I would rather stick pins in my eyes

Re: Town centre shopping

jonsie — Sun, 01 May 2016 10:53:50 GMT

The only time I go in town now is if I need to go to the bank or a night out when my son visits me.

Bolton town centre is now a ghost town. As said, high business rate for stores who find decreased footfall doesn't cover the high overheads, no on-street parking without payment and over-diligent little fascists in uniform just waiting for your ticket to expire or checking if one of your wheels so much as touches a white line.

Pubs boarded up due to high prices and having to go stand in the rain or freezing cold for a cigarette. Buy cheap at the supermarket, drink at home and dodge all the beggars and thieves made homeless by uncaring councils and local services.

I too miss the record stores, the busy market days and the shear numbers of people that you knew and could stop and talk to. Supermarkets, business parks and free parking changed the way we shop. You can buy anything online and get it delivered without venturing out. Local shops went too unless you are an off-license or papershop and now they are even combined. All bought up by faceless people.

Town centres are incorrectly named. The business parks are now the town centre. Bolton has merely an admin centre now, such a shame for a town that once had grandeur's and was in the running to have City status.

Yes I miss the old days but I'm leaving them far behind....

Re: Town centre shopping

Bambino — Sun, 01 May 2016 10:58:40 GMT

Living in London, I'm not familiar with the Saturday shopping thing, or the nostalgia for it, but I would probably avoid it like the plague. It's always crowded in London. I try to go food shopping at off-peak times, and if there's any tech stuff I'm interested in, I'll go look in a PC World or somewhere similar and do my touchy-feely thing, then I'll go home and buy it online, where 99.9% of the time it's cheaper.

Re: Town centre shopping

Anonymous — Sun, 01 May 2016 12:33:34 GMT

Our town centre now mainly consists of restaurants and pound shops. We do have an HMV though, although I probably shouldn't be allowed in there on my own as I spend too much!

Re: Town centre shopping

Anonymous — Sun, 01 May 2016 13:30:04 GMT

I live in a small norrthern town, where there are independent small business ... but have ie recently had Starbucks move in ... now we have all three posers coffee & chemical food places ... loadsa cafe's & pubs ... including some new micro pubs, the Sound Bar has traditional wood dockets for cd's & they play vinyl ... but ... Big Brother is moving in eg taking over our indoor posh market, with rents to London ... the local council don't help at all

I like online shopping, delivered right to my door, but I like mooching around town early on a market day

I don't drive ... & ... am not so adveturous as I once was on the train

Re: Town centre shopping

jonsie — Sun, 01 May 2016 16:02:11 GMT

Long gone are the days when you could stroll around town and bump into many people you know. Now everyone I see is wearing Hejabs or Yashmaks, we all walk around hands in pockets staring at the floor lest we upset someone by having the temerity to look at them. The St George and Union flags no longer fly on the Town Hall and we are a costed by Big Issue sellers, catalogue surveys, street 'musicians' with their sidekick dog so we will pity them and of course the litter wardens who have to walk round in pairs. I swear their are more traffic warden and litter wardens than shoppers.

No going in town is not what it once was....

Re: Town centre shopping

jonsie — Sun, 01 May 2016 16:43:52 GMT

BBC News: 10 High Street stores of 1976 that have disappeared
10 High Street stores of 1976 that have disappeared - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36148788

Re: Town centre shopping

Anonymous — Sun, 01 May 2016 17:40:17 GMT

I remember all of them except Fine Fare. The one I really miss is Woolworths.

Re: Town centre shopping

Cleoriff — Sun, 01 May 2016 17:46:14 GMT

Bit of a shock with BHS. We have lost the Co-op in the Midlands ....which in turn cost one of my lads his job as a delivery driver....

Re: Town centre shopping

Anonymous — Sun, 01 May 2016 17:55:28 GMT

I didn't realise that Co-op is no longer in the Midlands. Sorry about your son's job @Cleoriff

I'm not surprised about BHS to be honest. The one nearest me doesn't have a lot of choice and what they do have is badly laid out. My husband gets some clothes from there but I never find the ladies stuff very inspiring and the sizing is odd.

Re: Town centre shopping

jonsie — Sun, 01 May 2016 17:57:14 GMT

Re: Town centre shopping

Cleoriff — Sun, 01 May 2016 17:59:58 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

I'm not surprised about BHS to be honest. The one nearest me doesn't have a lot of choice and what they do have is badly laid out. My husband gets some clothes from there but I never find the ladies stuff very inspiring and the sizing is odd.

I rarely shopped at BHS for clothes...but their homeware dept was good ....

Re: Town centre shopping

MI5 — Sun, 01 May 2016 18:00:41 GMT

We've still got local co-op stores, but the big superstore is no more.

Re: Town centre shopping

jonsie — Sun, 01 May 2016 18:01:55 GMT

@jonsie wrote:

But who always had the problem that you went to the checkout and you spent more than you spent on a week's grocery....

Re: Town centre shopping

Cairdeas — Sun, 01 May 2016 20:55:43 GMT

Oh I did love that pick n mix I reluctantly go into town every Saturday. Nightmare. Queues..rude people..just not my thing. I order online for myself mostly..though if I'm buying clothes, I do like to feel the material

A lot of the shops in the mall have gone now, as apparently the rent is too expensive now..I can see a time when all shopping will be done online..if we can still afford broadband by then x

Re: Town centre shopping

Anonymous — Sun, 01 May 2016 21:39:36 GMT

the co-op shop in town went a few years ago, the food department was like a big town centre corner shop, you could buy household goods, holidays, the cafe was good, & shop within a shop clothes, there is a Spar shop just the other side of town from me which is doing well & is soon to have a sub-post office moved in with it ...

Loved Woolies pick n mix ... = ... the purple ones were me & my dad's favourite, used to get cd's & dvd's from there, Yorkshire Trading have taken over from Woolies ... seemingly a fairly high-turnover of small shops, yes to do with rent & rates, far too many outerwear shops atm

Re: Town centre shopping

Anonymous — Thu, 05 May 2016 12:43:36 GMT

I bought my first ever single in Woolies - The Irish Rover by The Pogues and The Dubliners (I had strange taste for a 12 year old!).

Re: Town centre shopping

jonsie — Thu, 05 May 2016 13:24:17 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I bought my first ever single in Woolies - The Irish Rover by The Pogues and The Dubliners (I had strange taste for a 12 year old!).

Nothing strange there, I still love the track.

Re: Town centre shopping

Cleoriff — Thu, 05 May 2016 13:36:31 GMT

Here you go @Anonymous Love the way Shane McGowan was smoking a cigarette at the start....