Retailers 'facing critical financial issues'

BobQ

GeorgeHowell wrote: »

Retailers do not do themselves any favours. We walked to the local shops this morning to pick up up a couple of common or garden, typical, Christmas Eve-ey type items. One was sold out, the other apparently not available. Given the timing and the type of items I will not be buying them over the internet. But there have been numerous times when I have done so in similar circumstances. Or sometimes have not even looked in shops in the first place, in anticipation of the familiar and depressing : "We do have them, but we're out of stock." "So when will you be getting more in ?" "Dunno, the delivery's next week, but we never know what they're going to send us."
Hmmm.

I find this too, add also the additional cost of parking or buses and the question arises of whether we have reached the tipping point of viability for many highstreet retailers. I think I only go there now when I need something urgently (which often is not stocked) or for things I want to see or try before I buy

molerat

Just come back from the boxing sales with ........... 4pts of milk, a bunch of half price flowers and 2 bottles of Halfords oil (cheap +10% off) that I ordered on line Christmas eve !! Most stores clearing the leftover tat from summer, nothing much that interested me, the majority of "bargains" were at their normal every day of the week sale price anyway. Christmas wrapping paper was not even reduced. Back to the keyboard hunt for bargains.

BobQ

Its tragic how bad chain stores are becoming.

I went to my local PC World last week on a inner city retail park. I had selected the £600 purchase I was about to make but was told that it was not in stock. They then advised Currys in the city centre had 20 of them. No offer to get one to PC World in say 24 hours.

I remember thinking why would I choose to drive into the city centre, pay to park, walk to a highstreet pedestrian precinct, and then lug it back to my car just because they cannot control their stock. Anyway an hour later I was buying a similar product from another store where the salesman was also able to answer technical questions.

PC World appear to have learned nothing from the Comet collapse.

gfplux

We/you get the retail landscape we deserve.
100 +/- years ago it looked different.
50+/- years ago it looked different
25+/- years ago looked different
Last year +/- it looked different.
It always changes, the only constant is how long the previous model lasted.
When I was growing up "everyone" ha ha said we love our corner shop, I only go to the supermarket for a "few items" ha ha ha.
Tomorrow it will be different.
I have been a salesman in retail, wholesale, import, export, one item (unit) to 1,000,000 units, dozens, tens, bushels and millions, In front of the counter and behind. I have bought for $1 and sold for $30 and also found myself with a warehouse full of items that were worth one day nothing and then worth ££££££
It just changes, it is what the consumer chooses, not necessarily what they want, but they are a herd, a flock, a pack. They hunt the biggest discount (not the best value)
If you watch your TV. What appears important is not what it costs BUT what it WILL cost or did cost.
Who, who yes you, can buy a sofa that WILL cost £2000 after the event for...... Wait for it £300 NOW. .........,. UNBELIEVABLE but sadly true.
We sit there and decide to visit that exciting out of town furniture store, yet surely we can not, can (con) not believe that they actually say what they say out loud with music on TV that broadcasts into our home.

i_love_it

My own shopping habbits are buy best you can afford at time and keep for long as possible.

it works

So I haven't really made any large purchase in over 10 yrs but all of a sudden everything needs replacing.

Im shocked how the high street for such purchases has changed.

In the last decade my shopping has been clothing, absolute bargains on impulse on a small scale and even at that mostly online.

Then small pleasures of dvds, books & gifts.

But, this year, everything needs updating, large purchases like d!cor, sofas furniture, technology

I returned to the high street, expecting a bit of a welcome, some advice, a bit of knowledge

Jeez how things have changed. I am pretty decisive and don't really require being sold to, but if for instance im 99% certain I want some new sofas at 4k I am kind of expecting a bit of enthusiasm from the SA possible offer of getting a swatch sample to match up d!cor but instead I end up counseling said SA on how tough a day they had and feeling guilty that they gotta fill out some paperwork to order my pesky 4k sofas
hahaha

i_love_it

What appears important is not what it costs BUT what it WILL cost or did cost.


couldn't agree more

But I honestly think im not suckered into this and cant understand why the majority is.

It is a brave statement, maybe I have been But I am unaware?1?

there is one exception, wine. I know nothing about wine despite drinking it by the bucket load, I choose wine by how half price it is but everything thing else, well I like to think I'm pretty savvy elsewhere

grizzly1911

BobQ wrote: »

I find this too, add also the additional cost of parking or buses and the question arises of whether we have reached the tipping point of viability for many highstreet retailers. I think I only go there now when I need something urgently (which often is not stocked) or for things I want to see or try before I buy

Car Par Tax and Business Rates are the biggest killers IMO. Successive governments, national and local, have ruined the high streets as much as poor retailing /online competition.

Makes you wonder how long some of the retail parks will have when you look at the cost of fuel and with road pricing becoming areal possibility.

dtsazza

BobQ wrote: »

True but as ever the problem is that you could be wasting your money saving the high street while the rest of us look short term and go to Amazon etc.

Is it really short term, though? Does the high street deserve saving?

If a shop isn't offering things that people want at a price they're prepared to pay (including the whole expertise, pleasant experience etc.) - does it have an innate right to survive? I would suggest that it doesn't.

If a high street shop can't survive on merit, then it probably should lose business to its alternatives, and close down.

Thrugelmir

BobQ wrote: »

True but as ever the problem is that you could be wasting your money saving the high street while the rest of us look short term and go to Amazon etc.

I've found that if you spend some time looking. There's still plenty of independents that'll match prices on bigger ticket items.