Support our high street shops and save the planet

neilmcl

HollyTrees said:

But if you are out physical shopping its much more unlikely for a person to buy one item. The whole concept of shops are so you see other things that will tempt you into buying other things. 
I know for a fact if I go in ASDA with the aim just to get sandwiches, I end up buying a newspaper,  and God knows what else by the time I leave. Shops are designed this way I am certain of that.
But when you shop online it might be for one item, and its normally left at that, well it is from my perspective anyway. 
But the debate I heard was people dont realise when ordering one item will mean yet another van comes out for that which in reality isn't practical Thats all I heard. 

Wrong. Most of the time I go into the High Street in order to pick up a specific item. I want straight away or at my convenience, or something I wouldn't necessarily buy over the internet. If you're the sort of person that easily gets tempted to empty their wallet or purse when they go out then that's down to your poor discipline, and tbh you can as easily accomplish this on the internet.

powerful_Rogue

HollyTrees said:

But if you are out physical shopping its much more unlikely for a person to buy one item. The whole concept of shops are so you see other things that will tempt you into buying other things. 
I know for a fact if I go in ASDA with the aim just to get sandwiches, I end up buying a newspaper,  and God knows what else by the time I leave. Shops are designed this way I am certain of that.
But when you shop online it might be for one item, and its normally left at that, well it is from my perspective anyway. 
But the debate I heard was people dont realise when ordering one item will mean yet another van comes out for that which in reality isn't practical Thats all I heard. 

Not for me. If on the rare chance I have to pop into 'town', it will only be for one item I need quickly from say Argos.

The rest is done online, mainly Amazon. Tomorrow I have 5 items arriving  - Things I either can't get without a PITA drive, or at a substantial price discount.

HollyTrees

Spank said:

HollyTrees said:

But if you are out physical shopping its much more unlikely for a person to buy one item. The whole concept of shops are so you see other things that will tempt you into buying other things. 
I know for a fact if I go in ASDA with the aim just to get sandwiches, I end up buying a newspaper,  and God knows what else by the time I leave. Shops are designed this way I am certain of that.
But when you shop online it might be for one item, and its normally left at that, well it is from my perspective anyway. 
But the debate I heard was people dont realise when ordering one item will mean yet another van comes out for that which in reality isn't practical Thats all I heard. 

Are you seriously saying that when you order an item they take it, put it on a van snd drive it to you on it's own?

You can't be that daft. As others have said it's loaded in a van with 10's or hundreds of other parcels that are being delivered in your local area.

I don't doubt that, but the debate was a van will travel from for example Middlesex to Cornwall just to deliver 30 items to 30 people. How on earth is that viable trips? 

Andy_L

HollyTrees said:

Spank said:

HollyTrees said:

But if you are out physical shopping its much more unlikely for a person to buy one item. The whole concept of shops are so you see other things that will tempt you into buying other things. 
I know for a fact if I go in ASDA with the aim just to get sandwiches, I end up buying a newspaper,  and God knows what else by the time I leave. Shops are designed this way I am certain of that.
But when you shop online it might be for one item, and its normally left at that, well it is from my perspective anyway. 
But the debate I heard was people dont realise when ordering one item will mean yet another van comes out for that which in reality isn't practical Thats all I heard. 

Are you seriously saying that when you order an item they take it, put it on a van snd drive it to you on it's own?

You can't be that daft. As others have said it's loaded in a van with 10's or hundreds of other parcels that are being delivered in your local area.

I don't doubt that, but the debate was a van will travel from for example Middlesex to Cornwall just to deliver 30 items to 30 people. How on earth is that viable trips? 

It wont because, as you say, that isnt a viable trip.

All middlesex parcels are sent to a nearby depot (in middlesex) there they will be loaded onto a big van. At the same time a van will arrive from say Yorkshire and unload. Any parcels that are going from Yorkshire to Cornwall will be loaded onto that van (and so on for every other county). As will any parcels that are going to the counties on the way (Somerset, Devon etc). That van will then drop off and pick up at county level depots along its journey. Smaller Vans will then load up and distribute to sub depots across the county. You might get even smaller vans distributing to sub sub depots until you get down to the DPD guy in his car delivering a full bootloader to 10 houses

molerat

HollyTrees said:

I don't doubt that, but the debate was a van will travel from for example Middlesex to Cornwall just to deliver 30 items to 30 people. How on earth is that viable trips? 

Only if they are very large items in a very large van.  No way would that happen for ordinary parcels.

Manxman_in_exile

HollyTrees said:

Spank said:

HollyTrees said:

But if you are out physical shopping its much more unlikely for a person to buy one item. The whole concept of shops are so you see other things that will tempt you into buying other things. 
I know for a fact if I go in ASDA with the aim just to get sandwiches, I end up buying a newspaper,  and God knows what else by the time I leave. Shops are designed this way I am certain of that.
But when you shop online it might be for one item, and its normally left at that, well it is from my perspective anyway. 
But the debate I heard was people dont realise when ordering one item will mean yet another van comes out for that which in reality isn't practical Thats all I heard. 

Are you seriously saying that when you order an item they take it, put it on a van snd drive it to you on it's own?

You can't be that daft. As others have said it's loaded in a van with 10's or hundreds of other parcels that are being delivered in your local area.

I don't doubt that, but the debate was a van will travel from for example Middlesex to Cornwall just to deliver 30 items to 30 people. How on earth is that viable trips? 

For God's sake!  What programme on R4 were you listening to?  As others have already pointed out, that obviously isn't going to happen - it would be daft.

If you want to do something about this, contact More or Less and ask Tim Harford whether internet or high street shopping is more damaging to the environment.

coachman12

Goodbye HollyTrees.

badmemory

Maybe some people should follow the Amazon tracking of their parcel, maybe then they would realise what a minor drop in the delivery ocean their parcel was.  I do know that when my Amazon delivery is due the driver usually gets out of his van with at least 3 parcels for 3 drops.  I know this because I can track the delivery & can tell from that tracking where his van is & doesn't move from!  There is no way that can be more unenvironmentally friendly than all 3 of us getting our cars out & driving somewhere to buy our stuff half of which is unlikely to be available on the high street anyway.

Just as an aside - I would be unlikely to get a birthday or Xmas present or card from my son without online deliveries as he does not leave the house, so that would be a bit of a bummer!

reliquit

We get a lot of Amazon deliveries of small packages delivered by a chap on foot. He carries two big paper-boy style bags, one over each shoulder. I have watched him do it. He parks his van at the end of our road and goes off on foot like a pack-horse with both panniers full of parcels, and returns to his van about an hour-and-a half later having delivered them all. Seems very efficient to me.

Abbafan1972

I have seen Amazon deliveries here and yes, he gets out and goes to at least 3 different houses on that drop.   With regards to high street shopping, most of the shops in my local town have gone, so shopping there is pointless unless I want a specific shop.  M&S have gone, Argos.  I can still go to Wilko, B&M.