No Wonder the High Street is Dying

noodle_doodle

It's not just online shopping, it's particular online shops. I do most of my present shopping on amazon, as they allow me to post stuff to different addresses from where my visa card is registered, thus saving my the erseache and expense of packing and posting. I remember play.com took a brainfart when i lived in a flat and their numbering system couldn't cope with the edinburgh tenement numbering system (flat 3F1 mofo) and they started declining my orders so I never used them again.

One thing that increased my use of online shopping was, after I moved address, my local royal mail delivery office was only 5 minutes walk from my work. If they can't deliver it's still easier to reach the delivery office than go into town. Previously, at my old address, the delivery office was on the outskirts of the city miles from anywhere else I was likely to go, so a missed delivery would put me off ordering online again for a while

FTBFun

noodle_doodle wrote: »

It's not just online shopping, it's particular online shops. I do most of my present shopping on amazon, as they allow me to post stuff to different addresses from where my visa card is registered, thus saving my the erseache and expense of packing and posting. I remember play.com took a brainfart when i lived in a flat and their numbering system couldn't cope with the edinburgh tenement numbering system (flat 3F1 mofo) and they started declining my orders so I never used them again.

One thing that increased my use of online shopping was, after I moved address, my local royal mail delivery office was only 5 minutes walk from my work. If they can't deliver it's still easier to reach the delivery office than go into town. Previously, at my old address, the delivery office was on the outskirts of the city miles from anywhere else I was likely to go, so a missed delivery would put me off ordering online again for a while

Indeed - I used to have to drive to my old office to in North London but now its a couple of minutes from the station so I nip in before work. It's also open to 8 on Wednesdays and on Saturday mornings.

lostinrates

custardy wrote: »

yes,I as obviousy having a go at the disabled.....

How very ungracious of you, what a pity.

The problem is you did respond with similar lack of grace to someone who could have got offended for just that reason, thankfully, no chip on my shoulder!

Interestingly of course, your later responce goes on to make your line of argument even less valid, we are a two adult household, spread over two locations, with one car so arguably less shackled to a car than most, even you, but i do need my car to visit any highstreet.

lostinrates

custardy wrote: »

Im not really sure where you park your bike
with intelligent bike location and proper locks
the theft issue is minimised
my saddle and wheels are ftted with security bolts,I don't need to take parts of my bikes for a stroll
always plkenty of excuses for staying in the car
I hear it all the time at work from folks who are in walking distance

Yes, there are plenty of excuses, in some points you are cleary right. However their are always excuses for rudeness and narrowmindedness to its worth noting.

Jennifer_Jane

My car is my shopping trolley. I prefer to go shopping every few days, rather than every day, so have heavyish things to carry. I go swimming and take my car down to the leisure centre, do some shopping in town perhaps, then return - rather tired and with heavy packages - up the hills in my car. Cycling is for younger people. I get into town faster than the cyclists, and am protected from poor weather.

By the way, when I'm walking anywhere, the darn cyclists are all over the pavement and when I scowl, they shout as they narrowly miss me 'It's a cycling pavement' - um where did that come from? Surely pavements that allow cyclists are marked as such? Drivers hate cyclists, cyclists hate drivers and pedestrians, pedestrians hate cyclists.

Idiophreak

custardy wrote: »

Im not really sure where you park your bike
with intelligent bike location and proper locks
the theft issue is minimised
my saddle and wheels are ftted with security bolts,I don't need to take parts of my bikes for a stroll
always plkenty of excuses for staying in the car
I hear it all the time at work from folks who are in walking distance

I don't know where you park your bike at home. I'm not you, sorry. Personally, I'd put it in the bike shed outside and take the saddle in with me. I thought I'd use myself as an example...as I'm me.

In my nearest city there are several secure car parks, covered by CCTV and with security guards, so my car's always there when I get back. How many secure cycle storage facilities do you think there are? It doesn't matter where I leave it, if you walk around the city you see knackered bikes *everywhere*.

In the summer I've been known to do a 50 or 60 mile off road ride on a Saturday. When fit (struggling with injury at the mo) I run 30+ miles per week. I'm not exactly a "big blubbery car driver", but I sweat a lot and like to be clean. If I cycle for more than 10 minutes, I'll need to shower afterwards. You may not, you're obviously immune to sweat, the world's fittest man and I bet your poop doesn't stink, muchless your sweat. Great for you, well done.

I think it's probably best that we congratulate you, agree that you're the superior human being and award you a :bdaycake: for not being as despicable and lazy us the rest of us.

custardy

Idiophreak wrote: »

I don't know where you park your bike at home. I'm not you, sorry. Personally, I'd put it in the bike shed outside and take the saddle in with me. I thought I'd use myself as an example...as I'm me.

In my nearest city there are several secure car parks, covered by CCTV and with security guards, so my car's always there when I get back. How many secure cycle storage facilities do you think there are? It doesn't matter where I leave it, if you walk around the city you see knackered bikes *everywhere*.

In the summer I've been known to do a 50 or 60 mile off road ride on a Saturday. When fit (struggling with injury at the mo) I run 30+ miles per week. I'm not exactly a "big blubbery car driver", but I sweat a lot and like to be clean. If I cycle for more than 10 minutes, I'll need to shower afterwards. You may not, you're obviously immune to sweat, the world's fittest man and I bet your poop doesn't stink, muchless your sweat. Great for you, well done.

I think it's probably best that we congratulate you, agree that you're the superior human being and award you a :bdaycake: for not being as despicable and lazy us the rest of us.

Idiophreak wrote: »

Excellent in theory, but I think you're missing out a couple of things:
1) You're making the wonderful assumption that all of your bike, having been left while you "pick up what you need" is still actually there when you want to head back. And that all the wheels are still circular and not "pringled" - this is in no way guaranteed in my nearest city.

2) You've got back before the car driver, sure...But now you're going to have to take a shower, stick your clothes on to wash, faff about with locking the bike up, removing the saddle etc.

Don't get me wrong, I used to romanticise about the bike being faster a lot when I was younger...but I was drastically underestimating the convenience of getting out of a car, pressing "lock" and being completely done...

hmm and there was me thinking you were referring to what I have to do?
As for mangled bikes,thats the abandoned bikes that every city has.
I see many bikes locked up around Edinburgh every day.
Dont think Ive seen/heard many reports of damage to parked bikes as an everyday occurence

Kennyboy66

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

I've just pointed out that you could have a shop rent free and still not be able to compete with online prices.

So obviously that is not the deciding factor.

So you point out something that is self evidently wrong ?

A rent free shop would easily compete with online prices.

Rents are crucial as they are fixed, paid in advance and almost impossible to reduce in the medium term.
A greengrocer pays £15800 to rent a year for a 785 square foot shop on a high street near me (Liverpool).

You probably haven't got the first idea about how expensive it is just to get traffic to a website, never mind properly integrate orders, payments deliveries and returns.
Amazon took years before they were profitable - Ocado aren't there yet, and there is no end of websites that have failed for numerous reasons.

Clothing will be one area that will always struggle to compete on price alone (although it will compete on convenience) - not least because in the case of womens online clothing approx 30% of product is returned - vastly more than shop returns and it is costly to handle returns and repackage them for sale.


People will pay for service - its just that the UK isn't great at retail service. If people bought purely on price, women might be getting their hair cut and coloured at home by mobile hairdressers at half the price of going to a salon. In general they don't.

Kennyboy66

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

I've just pointed out that you could have a shop rent free and still not be able to compete with online prices.

So obviously that is not the deciding factor.

So you point out something that is self evidently wrong ?

A rent free shop would easily compete with online prices.

Rents are crucial as they are fixed, paid in advance and almost impossible to reduce in the medium term.
A greengrocer pays £15800 to rent a year for a 785 square foot shop on a high street near me (Liverpool).

You probably haven't got the first idea about how expensive it is just to get traffic to a website, never mind properly integrate orders, payments deliveries and returns.
Amazon took years before they were profitable - Ocado aren't there yet, and there is no end of websites that have failed for numerous reasons.

Clothing will be one area that will always struggle to compete on price alone (although it will compete on convenience) - not least because in the case of womens online clothing approx 30% of product is returned - vastly more than shop returns and it is costly to handle returns and repackage them for sale.


People will pay for service - its just that the UK isn't great at retail service. If people bought purely on price, women might be getting their hair cut and coloured at home by mobile hairdressers at half the price of going to a salon. In general they don't.

noodle_doodle

FTBFun wrote: »

Indeed - I used to have to drive to my old office to in North London but now its a couple of minutes from the station so I nip in before work. It's also open to 8 on Wednesdays and on Saturday mornings.

oh yeah, and the other reason for using Amazon is that they do use the Post Office to deliver. Other sites use some half-arsed delivery company that usually has one depot per region of the country. At one point some halfwit delivery boys were expecting me to go to the far side of livingston (20 miles) to pick up a parcel. I told them to send it back and I'd cancel the order. I'm harsh like that me. If I'm asked to go to Livingston.