Disappearing shopsops

The changing rooms in all clothes shops have been closed JenniferEccles, not just M&S, because they are confined spaces. They are reopening from tomorrow.

Oh my mistake then Casdon
I thought I had read they would be able to open when shops reopened a few weeks ago, but the point about enclosed spaces makes sense.

I will try again next week.

I have given up on buying clothes on line. I am short, long legged and short waisted and nothing I have ordered has fitted. Jumpers down to my knees, trousers tight in the waist, baggy round the thighs. I shall e delighted when the remaining shops open their changing rooms. I just hope J Lewis in the town near us does not close. I heard today Argos is closing and the nearest Sainsbury store, where they are relocating is miles away, so our small market town now has half the High Street empty. Vey sad.

I'm not bothered about shopping in shops, as I rarely did it pre-Covid. I don't drive, and it is difficult to get to out of town 'centres', and in any case I think we should be cracking down on the number of cars in town centres to keep the air clean.

I would like to see specialist shops on high streets, with things like household items delivered with groceries. Clothes shopping as a leisure activity is showing signs of becoming unfashionable, which I think is a good thing. If we go back to buying good quality things less often, we wouldn't need convenient clothes shops - we could make occasional trips to the ones we like, as people used to do.

High streets could become community hubs, where people could go for entertainment, to socialise, learn, meet up, eat, play, whatever, with far less emphasis on consumerism. That would help to cut loneliness, cut emissions (if people aren't carrying lots of 'stuff' they could walk to town or take a bus) and stop high streets from decaying into grotty areas with nothing but charity shops, nail bars and boarded up windows.

With a positive attitude and a bit of imagination, we could change the demise of the high street from a problem to an opportunity .

We have lost several shops in our small town, but I have to applaud the ones who changed the way they do business. Many shops offered a ‘click and collect’ service after literally taking photo’s of new stock and advertising it on the local FB page. Pubs, shops and cafes opened up delivery services. Our local haberdashers (yes, we still have them) could be contacted and would go to the shop to collect specified items and deliver them. We have actually got a few new shops/businesses ready to open tomorrow, including the ubiquitous charity shops (I think our small town now has 14).

I don`t think it is completely our fault, the consumers,,, the exorbitant rents charged has contributed a lot to the closure , of especially the large stores.. they have complained about the rents for years.

I’m looking forward to new, smaller, independent shops. I’ve hated the recent past where every high street looked the same with their chain stores. Surely we really don’t all want to look the same.
Shopping and bartering, buying and selling have constantly been subject to change and, undoubtedly, will continue to do so.

Apparently over 50% of the clothing that has been purchased online is returned - that doesn't take into account those, like me, that have several items stuck in a draw, unworn because you either couldn't be bothered or the return postage was nearly as much as the item!
I want to buy clothes that I can see the quality of the fabric, feel it, take a look at the actual style. Can't say that I always try things on when I buy them, but at least I have a better idea of how it will be if it is in front of me rather than from a photo taken on a size 10 model and I'm plus size!
Personally, I think it will go full circle as people realise how much wastage there is in buying online.

Disappointed.

I've been wondering what on earth a 'shopsop' was all weekend

Now I've discovered it's a typo

I never liked the faff of trying clothes on in shops but I’m all in favour of shopping locally. However when you go into places like M&Co, Matalan etc, and would like to buy something in a size that’s not on the rail, question the shop assistant and she tells you that you could buy it online I give up! I walk out of the store thinking ‘well you’re doing yourself out of a job there’.

I do like the wandering around the shops have a touch and feel of clothing etc. But even before covid I’ve started shopping online unfortunately a lot do change for returns and a lot don’t. Which is the downside. I tend to look for the ones with free returns. But I’m a ppl person I like to see ppl and I’d rather go into a store and support shops and staff. Since covid I’ve started using my local veg shop etc I find the stuff lasts longer than supermarket stuff but I’ve noticed a lot of smaller shops are opening by me too.

The old business model no longer works

Adapt or die.

Doesn't the decline in the ability of small traders to survive go way back to the gradual end of Resale Price Maintenance in the 1960s?

As shops leave premises empty my hope is that they will be converted into residential properties to ease the housing problem. Rather than building huge out of town estates lets bring folk back to form communities. In our village small town many of the shops were previously terrace houses and could easily be converted back to living accommodation.

I've never liked trekking round shops trying to find something that I like that's in stock in my size + the colour I want. How much easier to sit at home, use the laptop and see in an instant whether it's in stock.
I know the brands whose sizing fits me (Cotton Traders is my main go-to) and really enjoy browsing online.
Strangely, both of my AC absolutely love wandering around shops, looking at everything - which is why I refuse to go shopping with them, as I want to scream after the first half an hour...! ?
You're either a shopper or a buyer - and I'm definitely a buyer. I can't remembered the last time that I bought an item of clothing in an actual shop - certainly not for the last five years - so the demise of the High Street doesn't bother me at all (all those queues - aaaargh...!! ?)

I've just resorted to buying nighties on line. They arrived today and if I had seen them in a shop , I would have walked past . Now it's too much hassle to return so it's a case of - They will do !

mrsmopp...I know, the disappearance of our much loved shops is heartbreaking. I was so upset when when Woolworths disappeared, it held so many childhood, teenage and adult memories for me. I felt like I was grieving. The toys, the sweets, the clothes the homeware, music and cafe, especially at Christmas. ??. I loved BHS too, I always went there to buy especially nice things. And now Debenhams, it's upsetting to say the least. All that's left in Harrogate of our recently closed Debenhams, is a lovely historic massive empty building full of rubbish, it looks so dark and dismal inside. I loved their clothing and handbags department plus their cafe, I could spend hours in Debenhams. I too like to see what I'm buying, I like to feel the fabric on clothing, and see the quality of things before I purchase, the Internet I find is very deceiving. Come back shops please, I miss you.!!!!!!!

According to Orsola de Castro in her book ‘Loved Clothes Last’,
“online retailers lack the capacity to check and reintroduce returns into the main system”
Allegedly About 25% of returns end up in land fill. And a greater percentage of clothes donated to charity shops go either to Africa, thus damaging local economies and are responsible for the demise of local textiles and traditional styles of dress. Or go to landfill, which means cheap clothing made from man made fibres will be around for a long time polluting our planet.

Much as I love fashion and buying new clothes I am now putting a halt to unnecessary spending and upcycling garments that are no longer fashionable.

That is my rant over.

During lockdown I ve bought three items of clothing online all three are unwearable but paying another lot of postage which is nearly as much as the item is not an option I ll have to keep them and hopefully sell for a tiny amount on marketplace

Our local town's shops have been disappearing for years. Tesco arrived just outside it, walkable to most people, and that was it. The butcher's, fruit shops, bakeries, etc have all gone.
I started work when I left school in a local shoe shop as a trainee manager and the whole street had busy shops in it. Now there are charity shops and hairdressers, that's it. People don't want to pay parking to go to a couple of shops when they can go to Tesco and park for free.
We have a castle, a lovely Marina and yet the town is a complete dump. The local councils need to come up with ideas to draw people back there and pronto.

I got fed up with the same old chain shops long ago. Bill Bryson summed it up nearly forty years ago when he first arrived in the UK. Although he loves it here, the first thing he noticed on his tour around the country was the same shops in every town. Boots, WH Smith, Woolworths, Debenhams, Laura Ashley, Monsoon, Body Shop and so on. I love the small independent shops but high rents and rates means they can’t afford to trade on the high street, and quite frankly I’m bored with the chains. I agree that allowing supermarkets to sell and out price all kind of goods hasn’t helped at all either.
I’m in dire need if some new clothes now having shielded for over a year but it will have to be online, where at least you can still find small independent traders, some selling lovely clothes in natural materials which I’m sticking with nowadays in my quest to cut down on plastic and plastic fibres.

Read a report middle of last year that high streets were going to be pretty much a thing of the past in approximately 10 years . But with covid this timetable was at 5years because of the way our shopping habits have changed

BlueBelle

merylstreep there is no joy in shopping for clothes online if you think back to when you used to buy an item of clothing on the High Street you would probably try 20 items on and although they looked lovely on the rail, looked awful on you or just didn’t fit well.
By the time you chose an item online pay the postage, it arrives and you decide you don’t like it then you ve got to send it back, paying more postage, and start all over again

But everyone’s right the High streets have gone for now ours is dire but after we are long gone probably a few generations on someone will come up with the idea of having shops in the high street and everyone will laud this brilliant new and totally unique old fashioned idea

100% agree !!

A good few years before Covid our very large Debenhams was in dire need of customers! Such a shame

I agree with Hetty58. However, until the parking charges are dropped in town centres people will continue to shop online.