Nice People 13: Nice Save

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

I think pn might remember as the sparkly shop, to buy something I think ( I got lion earings from there last year which I love and wear a lot) and its gone....

I remember the sparkly shop

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

I remember the sparkly shop

Well, now we have to forget it . Its now sort of gifty stuff I think....faux vintage, shabby chic and 'pretty things'.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

Well, now we have to forget it . Its now sort of gifty stuff I think....faux vintage, shabby chic and 'pretty things'.

I blame daft/high rents. Closing businesses down, making them unprofitable, making stuff cost more.

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

I blame daft/high rents. Closing businesses down, making them unprofitable, making stuff cost more.

The shopkeeper was Lin the local paper blaming council for high parking and planning for encouraging foot fall out of town centre I think, skimmed while looking to see if selling on line.

People damn middle men but good buyers are really valuable editors of the plethora of STUFF available out there.

lostinrates

On the plus side my wonderful friend gave me a kitchen stool today! It should make long cooking jobs a lot easier, just in time for seasonal kitchen grind.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

lostinrates wrote: »

The shopkeeper was Lin the local paper blaming council for high parking and planning for encouraging foot fall out of town centre I think,. .

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not having free parking stops me going into towns. If I want something I can usually find it at a supermarket or some other out of town shopping place with free parking. .

Of all the various pressures on high street retailers, this is one of the biggest I think, I will almost never shop in the city centre when I can go to an out/edge of town retailer with convenient and free parking.

The anti-car councils treating motorists as cash cows, making it difficult to park, creating congestion with bus lanes, pedestrianised roads, barmy one-way systems, etc, has completely killed the high street.

PasturesNew

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Of all the various pressures on high street retailers, this is one of the biggest I think, I will almost never shop in the city centre when I can go to an out/edge of town retailer with convenient and free parking.

The anti-car councils treating motorists as cash cows, making it difficult to park, creating congestion with bus lanes, pedestrianised roads, barmy one-way systems, etc, has completely killed the high street.

If they put me in charge I'd have shops opening until 7pm, creating part-time after school jobs opportunities for young people - and I'd have free parking after 4pm. That'd give a balance between raking in the parking, jobs opps and encouraging people into the High Street. For those who work full-time, the local shops are closed as you're driving past/home.

vivatifosi

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Of all the various pressures on high street retailers, this is one of the biggest I think, I will almost never shop in the city centre when I can go to an out/edge of town retailer with convenient and free parking.

The anti-car councils treating motorists as cash cows, making it difficult to park, creating congestion with bus lanes, pedestrianised roads, barmy one-way systems, etc, has completely killed the high street.

I do think a big part of this is that local businesses don't get a vote, therefore are never democratically represented. My local town has a plan to build a bunch of houses in the town centre and in doing so remove something like 180 parking spaces. Mad.

LydiaJ

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not having free parking stops me going into towns. If I want something I can usually find it at a supermarket or some other out of town shopping place with free parking.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Of all the various pressures on high street retailers, this is one of the biggest I think, I will almost never shop in the city centre when I can go to an out/edge of town retailer with convenient and free parking.

The anti-car councils treating motorists as cash cows, making it difficult to park, creating congestion with bus lanes, pedestrianised roads, barmy one-way systems, etc, has completely killed the high street.

vivatifosi wrote: »

I do think a big part of this is that local businesses don't get a vote, therefore are never democratically represented. My local town has a plan to build a bunch of houses in the town centre and in doing so remove something like 180 parking spaces. Mad.

Why is that all of us understand this, but councils seem oblivious? My local council is full of plans to "regenerate" the high street, making more of it pedestrianised and sinking loads of money into various ways of tarting it up. They think this will bring shoppers back. It won't make any difference. People don't decide where to shop based on whether or not the place has a fountain and some trees etc. They shop where they can conveniently park. End of.

lostinrates

LydiaJ wrote: »

tc. They shop where they can conveniently park. End of.

Park, vital. and also what shops there are. I like a variety of independent shops along side some useful reliable chains ( m and s for tights, a shoe shop or two, a big chemists, if I'm very lucky a space nk, and somewhere like a lush or something.) ...happy to swap the purchases of any of the chain type places for independents if they are inspiring in someway....Independent shoe shops , for example, can be really exciting..but more frequently aren't.

There is no point going to x town if y town has all the same shops and eateries and parking. In fact its just ruddy boring.