AIBU to think the High Street deserves what is coming to it.

I live in commuter belt, our High St is ok, not big enough to be a town more a large village.

If I want to clothes shop or browse I drive to our County Town or a large shopping centre (Lakeside or Bluewater). Even there I often order in store for home delivery as they do not hold stock.

What are the home counties? it always reminds me of WW2 and navy suited ladies pushing little models round a map.

Re: why no stock in common sizes
You’ve answered your own question, common sizes sell out first.

They should order more in common sizes, but often times there are a set amount Allotted to each store

I must say that a charming young man served me on the Clarins counter at a well-known store today.
And yes, they did have what I wanted in stock!
However, I had to travel to get there

Usually I find if I go shopping with something specific in mind, I can't find it, so now I buy something when I see it or have to resort to ordering online.

Parking charges, cheapie shops, high rents and rates, out of town Malls are all contributing to the death of the High Street.

Totally agree. The staff probably appreciate that their days are numbered as well. Especially Debenhams.

I live in an area that was famous for it's 'street' where all manner of busy shops were to be found. People would come on day trips to shop here.

That 'street' is now all but closed down. All the nice shops have gone. Debenhams is hanging on but I think it's going in December. We have an M&S where the staff are a bit hit and miss. Some are great, some useless. I love their food. Coffee shops? Plenty of those. But who wants to stop for a coffee in an area surrounded by grotty/empty shops?

'Online' is what's killed off the shops. There's business rates and parking etc but the pleasure of a trip to the shops doesn't really exist any more.

I'm to blame. I buy everything online now. As do most of my peers. One of my daughters will shop but son and younger daughter are all onliners.

Just a change in society. Pretty seismic one but not much we can do.

I used to go into our large town centre at least twice a week -but went in to go to Boots and the bank the other day for the first time since about April.It is just so depressing to see my hometown that I've always felt so proud of looking so shabby and run down.We lost our M &S earlier in the year,not that there was much choice there.
The two similar sized towns nearest to us have councils that seem to be trying much harder to think alternatively, and come up with initiatives to boost local pride.
But where the town centre was once buzzing and the outlying villages were struggling there seems to have been a reversal.If not shopping online now I go to them for independant gift shops,lovely cafes and bakers and farm shops.I really try to use them as often as possible whilst still driving.They deserve all the support they can get.

M&S send me emails. Last year they sent me one telling me that Holly Willoughby had a new range. No, I'm not trying to dress like a young woman but there was a nice coat. I went into the store, no sign of them so I asked. The assistant said 'oh you won't get those here. You'll have to go online'. Ridiculous.

It's not just Britain. We went to the US for the first time in three years earlier this year and the changes there are as marked as in the U.K. Although they don't have as much of a tradition of a High Street as the UK, the number of empty shops in malls and indeed malls that have closed entirely was astonishing.

We went to one mall so I could visit a particular shop and it was like something from a Western movie - near empty car parks and probably three quarters of the shop units were deserted, filthy dirty and build-ups of mail along with graffiti and old fliers. I would not have been surprised to have seen tumbleweed rolling past.

Our local little town is much better than the county town, no large stores but interesting shops staffed by nice friendly people. Next have moved out of the town centre to a retail park, at least there if they have not got your size they will order it in and you can collect the next day, this is good because parking there is free. it is the combination of lack of stock and an unhelpful attitude which really grates. I've totted it up and I would have spent £156 yesterday if any of the goods have been either available or if anyone had bothered to serve me.

I try to support the high street, I'd hate to see it's total demise and wouldn't look forward to the day when everything has to be bought via Amazon or the like, who I try hard to not to patronise.

M&S always seem to have a lack of staff on the tills which is annoying and perhaps it's my imagination but they appear to crank that up when they have their 20% off occasions, queues are longer and strangely that seems to come as a surprise to them because certainly there aren't any more tills open

Strangely, after years of poor service in Debenhams had an occasion to visit one in nearby town for a couple of purchases in the sales, the members of staff we dealt with couldn't have been more helpful. Got into conversation with one she told me she was from Peru and the other too was also from overseas, so maybe the common factor.

In a local market town, a jewellers shop moved from a side street to a prominent high street location. They made the new shop look very smart, an asset to the town. Unfortunately, security shutters were installed before planning permission was granted, or so I understand. After quite a time, the old shutters have been removed and a new frontage put up.

All this must have come at considerable cost and upheaval to the proprietor. I understand proper permission should have been granted before work was originally undertaken, but feel that if they had just called it a day it would not have been surprising, and another empty, unloved shop would have graced the high street.

We have a very busy town centre but goodness knows what everyone is doing. The Debenhams is hanging on and we have heard is not likely to close anytime soon, the M&S and BHS stores have been filled by cheap goods shops and the old department store is a Primark. One or two good independent small shops but it all looks run down from years ago. It may be age but I no longer go 'window shopping' as my mum and her friends did, mostly buy online.

IMO, one of the problems with the high street is the emphasis on retail (Mary Portas influence?). Whereas in my youth a high street offered so much more: dentists, doctors, cafes and pubs, shoe menders, bike menders, small appliance menders, stationers and printers, newsagents. A great mix of service providers (and retail of course: bakers, butchers, clothing, homewares). All now driven out by high rents and business rates. If councils could encourage a return to that mix, with more 21st century amenities like drop in centres for the elderly, mother & toddler groups, small injuries clinics maybe, then the high street could return to being an amenity for the community in which it is situated. In an ideal world!!

We have no post office in our area except for a van which visits the car park of assisted living flats for one hour a week. If you need to post a parcel you have to drive 7 miles and pay to park which makes it expensive postage.
We can't buy GD clothes beause she is nine but in 14/15 year old clothes and they don't stock them in the shop.
£1 shops, nail bars and hairdresser/barbers outnumber every other shop and don't get me started on those poncey coffee shops that do not get one penny of my money.

Another thing I've noticed recently is the musical chairs that seems to take place with shops. Not the big chains, who can't really move, but clothes and shoe shops especially seem to move premises every five minutes. What was a cafe in our town is now a Jack Wills, whose former premises in an old bank is empty.

Curry's/Dixon is going to be a (different) shoe shop and a former Miss Selfridge unit promises that it's going to bring me entertainment very soon!

TBH I've often thought that there are too many shops selling too much old tat, so I'm not surprised many are closing.

Having said that, I wish there was a Seasalt locally, instead of just the tiddly outlet in John Lewis.

I do still buy the odd thing in M&S but do despair at what their buyers seem to think we want. NB M&S - you need to sack 90% of your women's wear buyers!!!
I looked for a badly needed swimsuit there a month or so ago - it's a big store with masses of swimwear but there was nothing I liked, mostly so garish or with fussy 'bits'.
Ended up paying a lot more for a nice one in John Lewis.

And yet the men's and baby/children's wear in M&S is still worth checking out. Why do buyers think their women customers want horrible colours, patterns, and (mostly) unflattering styles?

I avoid the city centre at all costs. The parking prices are pure extortion. The smell is terrible from all the cars driving though and hovering around as to not pay parking. Combined with the million coffee shops and eateries is an attack on my senses. Then it’s just full of pound shops, nail bars, charity shops and pawn brokers.

I order online or go to an out of the centre shopping estate that has free parking and much stricter on what shops and vendors are allowed.

Gaunt47

I agree with you that a more diverse range of outlets would be better. We have a few empty shops in our high street, and I often think a podiatrist would do a good trade there. Plenty of charity shops, coffee shops and cafes, and a couple of value shops though.

Our local town has a Debenhams that is going to close in 2020. Unfortunately the local Council can't find any large retailer to take over the site so are considering turning it into housing. More housing is definitely needed but it's such a shame that the High Street has come to this.

I think we might be described as a large town. It seems to be thriving apart from House of Fraser which is dismal. We have a mixture of chain and private shops but have to go into one of the supermarkets for meat and veg as there are none of those. I have found the service to be excellent but do still occasionally get the 'order on line' which annoys me, especially Boots. I think ours survives as there are lots of places to eat, a cinema and a small theatre. There are frequent events, especially at weekends and holiday. Bus services are excellent.

We have an excellent parade of shops a few minutes walk from home where we can buy fresh meat, fresh fish and vegetables. Also a bakery and other small shops. One of the reasons we live here is that we could get everything we need from these shops if necessary.

Anyone else think that Robert Dyas always feels like a private shop?

99% of the time shop in line. No interesting High Streets to speak of round here. Blessed with some nice farm shops for food. May do a top up from Aldi in the evening as late as possible for easy parking etc. I can't think of any reason to visit a high street these days.