Mary Portas take on dying High St's

Harry_Powell

misskool wrote: »

I prefer self scan tills, I can scan and pack my items and pay by credit card without waiting for a slow checkout person or someone who takes an age to pay. I don't have much me time and when I have to do necessary things, like shopping for food etc, I would much rather have them over and done with as quickly as possible.

I'm exactly the same, I go supermarket shopping to get necessities, not to use it as a social event. I also prefer to pay for my petrol at the pump rather than in the shop, especially when the petrol station is also a mini-mart and people seem to be doing their weekly shop and not even buying petrol! :rolleyes:

I do like interaction when buying clothes because I do see this as more of a leisure/recreation activity. I also prefer to use local shops (butchers, greengrocers/fishmongers) when buying food and have gotten to know the owners really well, invaluable when you want to buy quality items.

Harry_Powell

dopester wrote: »

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1675603

Doesn't matter. What people have to spend matters. Those who have less money to spend find other ways to get past kids needing bigger shoes, without paying local independent.

I've just ploughed through the whole thread and thought it was really interesting. Which retirement option did he chose in the end?

kennyboy66_2

misskool wrote: »

I prefer self scan tills, I can scan and pack my items and pay by credit card without waiting for a slow checkout person or someone who takes an age to pay. I don't have much me time and when I have to do necessary things, like shopping for food etc, I would much rather have them over and done with as quickly as possible.

So you compromise for poor service by doing something yourself - supermarkets must love you.

I think self scans have a place - 1 or 2 items, certainly under 5 items.
Every time I have done it there is always a problem.

"unexpected item in the bagging area".

Makes me want to punch the scanner.

Plus you need someone to check alcohol purchases.

StevieJ

I was looking for a new battery charger for my camera, options were

High street store
Branded item £60
Non-Branded equivalent £40

Ebay
Non-Branded equivalent (new) £7.99.

Nuff said.

StevieJ

misskool wrote: »

I prefer self scan tills, I can scan and pack my items and pay by credit card without waiting for a slow checkout person or someone who takes an age to pay. I don't have much me time and when I have to do necessary things, like shopping for food etc, I would much rather have them over and done with as quickly as possible.

I have Luddite qualities when it comes to things like this, I just refuse to use, as I see it as another job lost. I know they will drag me into line eventually BTW I am certainly not the the only one, I was in the queue at B&Q and they were all expressing disapproval, ironic really as it is a 'Do it yourself store' :rotfl:

Lotus-eater

I watched this program with interest, although I've never been in retail I suppose my heart always has and I have always wanted to open some kind of shop. Both my parents were in the rag trade, supplying mostly small independent shops, so I have seen the bis all the way from the 70's from the inside and it's not pretty.
In the 70's my dad made a very good wage, in the 80's he struggled a bit but still did OK. In the 90's it started going down rapidly, by 2000 he was really struggling as were the shops.
Knowing other people in the bis as well, many were taking on way way more work than they had years before, just to keep the same amount of money coming in.
I could see it was doomed for the mainstream guys, as someone else said, we need it to go right down to the bottom so the ones left are seen as unusual, then they stand a chance. All this recession has done is bring it forward a bit quicker.
Retail needs to change and for most of them if you don't change you will go, in fact most will go anyway.
Napoleon is being proved wrong.


I'm afraid most of the shops shown are pretty doomed unless they change quickly. I really felt for the clothes shop lady, she obviously loved it, but she and her parents are going to lose alot of money, it's very sad.
Dunstable is a bit of a dump, especially the side streets where I think she was, no surprise what is happening there.

The reason I've never opened a shop? Rent and rates, much too high, ridiculous, I think this will have to change and they are going to have to get used to a much lower rental and tax. Credit and property prices have pushed them way way over where they should be. Or the high street is mostly dead for independents.

Generali

StevieJ wrote: »

I was looking for a new battery charger for my camera, options were

High street store
Branded item £60
Non-Branded equivalent £40

Ebay
Non-Branded equivalent (new) £7.99.

Nuff said.

So you need a reason to go to the High Street.

Battery charger from Generali's Strip Bar and Electronic Spares Emporium will cost you £70. Interested?

StevieJ

Generali wrote: »

So you need a reason to go to the High Street.

Battery charger from Generali's Strip Bar and Electronic Spares Emporium will cost you £70. Interested?

You are getting there I saw a programme on Sky last night, and the guy was having his haircut by a naked hairdresser in Russia.

Lotus-eater

StevieJ wrote: »

You are getting there I saw a programme on Sky last night, and the guy was having his haircut by a naked hairdresser in Russia.

Long way to go though....

dopester

misskool wrote: »

I prefer self scan tills, I can scan and pack my items and pay by credit card without waiting for a slow checkout person or someone who takes an age to pay. I don't have much me time and when I have to do necessary things, like shopping for food etc, I would much rather have them over and done with as quickly as possible.

I'm not denying there isn't a market for it - just that you're also not ideal customers for the independent retailer in the first place.

An independent shouldn't be trying to compete for your business, against the power of the supermarkets - as you're not really value customers to them, or don't sound like it. Supermarkets have the edge there.

No offence.. but you and Harry don't sound like people who would pay £500 for an impulse buy dress in fc123's old-shop (and say a £300 margin). Maybe with her tempting you with new shoes just in to go with it (art/skill of selling), or hat, or take a deposit from a select import you're expecting from Italy in 3 weeks. Higher margins to see the independent retailer compete, with their own edge, and succeed..

Scan your own at till mindset... isn't really the market my grocer looks for, with fresh speciality pasta and Pata Negra Iberico ham, imported over from Italy and Spain yesterday, and always seeking to tripling his turnover by always promoting (selling) to each customer what drink or extra will go nicely with it.