Is the Recession over then ???

fc123

nearlynew wrote: »

With all due respect, you are talking bollox.

Any town big enough to attract starbucks (for example) will be big enough to have lots of other independant cafes/bars. Or should.

Owing to the huge increase in property prices, these massive companies have been able to outbid smaller shops for the best retail space. And then using their muscle have closed them down.


It is nothing less than corporate imperialism and has led to almost every high street in the country looking more or less the same.

I don't call that progress and will be glad to see the back of it.

A town has to big enough to support both. Smaller places are either overrun with chains or the demo is not good enough so they have hardly any chains at all. Cleaver isn't talking Bo***, he's talking about how he feels which is different.

BTW, Anyone want some gossip?

I had a chat with the rates office over the rateable value of my old shop as there was a query over the address ...we were a unit x at no Y but the rates bill always said just no y...anyway...

The rateable value had gone down to 30,000...and the new tenant is throwing in the towel after only 7 months (we were there 11 years)....yet they tried to push our rent UP by 40%. I do despair with the comm property guys...they are so dam slow on the uptake and totally out of touch with what is going on out there.

fc123

Graham_Devon wrote: »

Lot's of places do this already in essence.

B&Q, Comet, Currys, PC Word, Tesco, Argos, Asda, Mothercare, Boots

Have just listed those off as stores that already offer internet order and store collect.

Don't really see the point much myself, however, I do use it, as cashback sites offer an incentive. Otherwise, I would simply go to the store, as I'm going to have to go there anyway if I want something that day. But as they offer 2% or whatever cashback to order first then collect, I'll use it.

That's the teaser..the prize to go out of town to a big brother warehouse thingy.....all for 2% cashback. Then more and more customers go out of town to pick up, then the smaller stores close....and then whooosh...no more 2%..in fact, I will bet you an Aberdonian BTL empire that prices will then go up...as there will be less choice.

phil_b_2

You can count me in as one of those people who can say 'recession... what recession?'. Not noticed a single thing. If I hadnt been reading these forums and avoided watching the news a few times I doubt I would even know what a recession is.

Obviously not the case for some other people, but they are certainly a small minority.

Cleaver

phil_b wrote: »

You can count me in as one of those people who can say 'recession... what recession?'. Not noticed a single thing. If I hadnt been reading these forums and avoided watching the news a few times I doubt I would even know what a recession is.

To be fair, the government printing up £2 billion and using it in part to stop the entire banking system going under probably helped in you not noticing things as much.

FATBALLZ

phil_b wrote: »

You can count me in as one of those people who can say 'recession... what recession?'. Not noticed a single thing. If I hadnt been reading these forums and avoided watching the news a few times I doubt I would even know what a recession is.

Obviously not the case for some other people, but they are certainly a small minority.

Seriously, is this different to any other recession (i'm not old enough to remember). If you don't lose your job, I can imagine it feels like nothing has happened. I've been very much aware of the 'economic climate' through 20% workforce cutbacks and constant references to it everywhere, but financially I'm doing better than ever. Surely it's always the case that unless you lose your job/work you never really notice too much? Although I'd imagine the public sector have been unusually insulated against it this time, so far.

sss555s

I notice in my local paper that the rateable value in my local town is taking a sharp jump.
The town is already struggling and crippled by rates as it is and this will be another nail in the coffin of the town.

All the outertown retail parks are booming and when Tesco moved in a few years ago it was said they took a third of all money spent in the town in that year.

So now they have built another Tesco at the other end of the small town :eek:

Cleaver

sss555s wrote: »

All the outertown retail parks are booming and when Tesco moved in a few years ago it was said they took a third of all money spent in the town in that year.

So now they have built another Tesco at the other end of the small town :eek:

Well, there's still two thirds of the local money left to get hold of...

fc123

FATBALLZ wrote: »

Seriously, is this different to any other recession (i'm not old enough to remember). If you don't lose your job, I can imagine it feels like nothing has happened. I've been very much aware of the 'economic climate' through 20% workforce cutbacks and constant references to it everywhere, but financially I'm doing better than ever. Surely it's always the case that unless you lose your job/work you never really notice too much? Although I'd imagine the public sector have been unusually insulated against it this time, so far.

We personally didn't notice the 90's one as we were in our 20's so it was all just normal. The big difference was interest rates just went up and up and wages stayed the same...so less spending power for many.

The North felt it worse during the 80's and 90's as manufacturing was just decimated and not enough new jobs created for those who lost theirs.


OK, I will be totally honest here. The recession didn't make us shut our shop. The drop in T/O we felt post NR Sept 07 flagged up changes that were already going on and it prompted us to take up a very risky opportunity that a year before, we probably wouldn't have done......... I would honestly say it was a bit of a blessing with hindsight.

I spoke to someone recently who was blaming just The Recsssion for their business woes. I know their business well and they are having a hard time because of how they run things, not just because of the recession and a dip in T/O.

I follow a DFW thread of someone highly geared and her OH business went down. Yes, it's hard but she has now set up a whole new business that could go somewhere that she wouldn't have done had the downturn not affected them.

Graham_Devon

fc123 wrote: »

That's the teaser..the prize to go out of town to a big brother warehouse thingy.....all for 2% cashback. Then more and more customers go out of town to pick up, then the smaller stores close....and then whooosh...no more 2%..in fact, I will bet you an Aberdonian BTL empire that prices will then go up...as there will be less choice.

How long have people been saying prices will go up though?

I remember it around 2000, when Amazon started getting bigger. "Amazon will take over the country" people said.

The shops are still here.

How many have said Tesco's are too big, a cartel, and could take over the country? Walmart is huge, but hasn't taken over the country. People still shop in other shops. There are still other supermarkets.

Mail order companies a few decades ago were seen as the end of the high street, yet the high street is still there.

Online DVD rental will see the end of highstreet rentals. Blockbusters is still there (sure, it's taken over independants, but that was more to do with the price of rentals to these places from the movie stuidos rather than being pushed out).

TV shopping was seen as the big thing by some poor deluded people, remember talking about it in my business studies. High streets still there.

There is always something new around the corner. People said e-mail will have the royal mail shut down.....yet royal mail throughput has gone up. People said mobile phones will take over socialising. Yet we have just gone through the biggest period I think we have ever known where socialising was THE thing to do, highstreets taken over by wine bars, bars, clubs.

Personally, I think it's just a process of moving on in the world. Today's internet sales may be taken over by something else in the next decade.

It's like vinyl records....theres something far more convinient, but will vinyl dissapear!?

fc123

sss555s wrote: »

I notice in my local paper that the rateable value in my local town is taking a sharp jump.
The town is already struggling and crippled by rates as it is and this will be another nail in the coffin of the town.

All the outertown retail parks are booming and when Tesco moved in a few years ago it was said they took a third of all money spent in the town in that year.

So now they have built another Tesco at the other end of the small town :eek:

Tesco Towns....they are all over Brighton..wherever they can open one they open...yet we have Taj Stores in Hove and on The Steine who are busy and buzzing. Their produce is better and cheaper and they sell bags of spices, lentils that you can't even buy in Asda/Tesco any more (as far too low margin)...pause..........................I just went to google then for the link and it says they are 'going bust'?? I am really upset as a new Tesco opened up the road in Kemp Town last year.....so maybe Tesco will win in the end.