What will happen to our towns if we all shop online?

With the best will in the world, people on average salaries are not going to think about the long-term future of local towns and shop in their high streets when they can get everything they want on line cheaper and therefore satisfy their short-term needs of making their income go further. Internet deliveries also bring energy savings for the customer who doesn't have to travel and then pay for parking - as has been said, another case of local councils shooting themselves in the foot. The thing which can't be bought online is the social contact that unfortunately the heavy government messaging has persuaded us to minimise - so unless we all decided to frequent coffee shops and restaurants more often, our towns will gradually die in the form we know them now. Maybe they should though because going down one high street is very much the same as another - the same shops, the same chains, more money for big business that has an outlet in every town. Truly independent shops should, I feel, be supported, but they too can have an internet presence if they want, and maybe that's how independents need to evolve.

I shop almost exclusively online simply because I don't really like the layout of our local town. It's designed like a crossroads which necessitates far too much walking for me to cope with now. When we really have to go there we usually park in Morrisons for free for two hours, usually long enough for us.

But the town itself still has lots of independent shops plus M&S, Morrisons, Lidl, Sainsbury's, Iceland, WHS, Waterstones, several banks and opticians, shoe shops, small clothes shops and countless hairdressers. Three chain stores and the fishmongers closed over the past two years, but have reopened as something else, so there are not too many empty premises. Inevitably a few more coffee shops have appeared (mostly independents), and are popular, so perhaps they encourage people to shop in town.

There were always a lot of charity shops in our town and I thought they would flourish in the wake of Covid, but several have closed. A notice on the door of one said 'We've closed. We can't take any more of your junk' Rather rude and ungrateful I thought!

I am among the few who detest trawling around shops. I do use Amazon a lot. I live on a bost in a marina...it is simple having items delivered rather than driving miles and not being able to find what I want. I buy clothes on Ebay...I prefer preloved good quality clothes to flimsy new stuff. I do shop in village coop and click and collect at Tesco.

Naninka

How do you tag someone's name?

@Naninka

I am unconcerned.
Lets say I want house paint. If I go to shops I have to hunt for the shop that has the colour options that I want and then buy testers. After i have chosen my colour I then have to find a shop that has enough of the colour that I want in the paint type that I want. This is not fun or recreational. I drive from shop to shop using up fuel and sometimes paying parking charges. Online I order my testers on line and these are often free or at least very cheap....same with wallpaper samples.....I order the number of cans that I need and its all delivered to my door. Its the same with loads of DIY and similar dull but necessary stuff. If I want a large or heavy item, why wouldn't I get it delivered to my door rather than struggle with it myself? I think that town centres will have to change to being leisure and service venues.
The last time I went into my local city centre was for my covid vacs, not the booster, that was local. I have to say I don't miss it one iota. I never enjoyed supermarket shopping and was doing it online long before covid.
My local bank is about to close so that will be one less reason to go to the local village...actually I don't go there often because I have an old frail dog who can't be left alone or get into my car....got to say I don't miss that either.

Politics gets in everywhere. Nice straight forward discussion again spoilt by biased politics. Successive Governments over the years regardless of which party have eroded all social funding. So stop blaming which ever party you don't support and making everything political.

Doodledog

I'm not sure I understand why people won't pay for parking but are happy to pay postage and packing charges to get items delivered, particularly when they are the same people who are complaining about the death of the high street.

My local council brought in parking charges a while ago. they were 30p, yet people were furious, and claimed to be travelling to different towns or out of town retail parks where the oaring was free. it would have cost more in petrol to do this, so it always struck me as cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

Most towns now have new build housing estates on the outskirts. I think that this is a cause of a lot of congestion in town centres, and leads to a need for parking charges. If the council subsidised buses (in this area free bus passes are not available to those under 66) from the outlying estates they would reduce the demand for parking. That would also mean that there could be designated spaces for those unable to get around even with a bus.

It is, IMO, very short sighted to make policies on the assumption that everyone has a car, and that everyone wants to use it for relatively short journeys. It would be better for the environment, and for congestion, as well as for local economies, loneliness, employment and all sorts of things if people could more easily get from one small town to another, and to town centres from outlying estates and villages without taking a car.

The assumption (wrong) that those over 66 would be willing to struggle to do their shopping via bus?! Really? Nonsense. Our gen are the first to have cars from early age and one we bought , not leased by daddy! We're independent still got all our marbles and personally I literally cannot remember the last time I used a bus to go anywhere! Make cars impossibly expensive for all those teens and up to 23s that clog up the roads drive like lunatics and cause the majority of accidents, make THEM use the buses and give THEM a free bus /train pass! I would really used that in my teens early 20s when we were broke and starting out. But I suppose young gen don't want to have to wait for anything they want what we've taken 50 years to gain- in their teens!! The demise of the huge shopping malls is somewhat bitter sweet. Jobs lost, yes. However the monstrous white elephants filled with the same dross countrywide and promoting over spending , Debt and the pursuit of junk we don't need using dosh we don't actually have should be a reason to applaud. The quicker we're able to transition to retail that's local and independent for essential stuff with the non essential stuff being bought online or click and collect to be freely returnable when we realise we don't want/need/suit it after all -the better.second chance spending online is really a good idea. How many times in past have items lain unworn and unreturned because of the sheer hassle? Exactly! Shopping has changed forever gone are the days of shopping for a new spring/summer/holiday outfit by trudging down to town or city on ' a day out' treating it like an event only visited 2-3 times a year at most!

Mummer
I can assure you that if you ever see a roundabout going nowhere here in Essex you can lay money on the fact that there will be a development of some sort.

Interesting, the Sunday Times supplement have listed a lot of successful small retailers. They all look decidedly up-market!

Our nearest town centre is full of charity shops, small cafes and nail bars. There are three ‘developments’ on the edge of the town which sucked out the heart of the town centre. (Since Covid, many of the shops there have closed). Shopping therefore involves a lot of walking, or car parking fees, which makes it difficult for the elderly, the disabled, mothers with small children etc. Therefore is it any wonder that people are using the internet?

The large Tesco Extra, just out of our town centre, killed off a lot of little independent shops where I live. It opened years ago and now there are shops with boarded up windows or are used as pigeon coops. Online shopping and these huge supermarkets have a lot to do with death of our little towns.

The key word in your statement is "COTSWOLDS" !! Bourton on the water? Stowe? Cirencester? Try surviving in non monied/tourist trappy Wigan , Accrington, Rochdale! Use it or lose it is all very well when you actually have money to blow in an art gallery coffee shop craft shop perfumery(yes I've been to bourton) and all the other arty farty outlets, most town centres are need for affordable food/clothing/toiletries etc. We'd love to " use it" if only the chains not making mahoosive profits cut and ran leaving us abandoned premises that can never be filled

Oh my goodness, not for the first time have I really wished for a 'like' button on this forum, I so agree with so many of these posts

There's a pub and a nightclub - so you don't go near the shops when walking the dog of an evening - loads of youngsters about.

Of course, if you want to drink coffee, get all dolled up and socialise - it's the ideal place to live!

Catch 22 Mummer

A survey on footfall is done - if there isn't a certain footfall retailers will not open up in a town.
However, if they don't have a presence in the town, then footfall will be down.

We love to shop in small towns and villages. We even venture out with our dog for a wander up and down a high street, with one standing outside holding the dog for the other to pop in for a browse and a small purchase

What one if the biggest killers to high streets is parking. Poor amount of parking, can see it/find it easily - people drive on by

With the lack of parking on the actual high street, there is very little passing trade. Gone are the days you could be driving by, something catch your eye and you could quickly park up, pop out and have a look. All it needs are a few half hour parking spots on a high street so people can stop. One town near us, the only self evident parking is a Waitrose. You can’t see the two parking lots for the town as they’re behind the high street and poor signage. Little alleyways to get to them. No one stops. It’s a wealthy village but the boutiques are all slowly being replaced by charity shops. (Mind you, nice stuff in there!)

Oh dear, typos, I need to buy a new stylus.
I bought these in our local £1 shop but it closed!

I'm on the edge of London. Around a decade ago, we lost our local library, post office and bank. Next, the baker and greengrocer went - so everyone had no choice, really, but to use the supermarket.

We now have three barbers, two hairdressers, a tanning shop, tattoo shop, pet shop - and several takeaways, cafes, coffee shops and restaurants. Oh, and a nail bar, two beauty salons and a couple of 'corner' shops where you can still buy bread, thankfully!

Riggie

Ours hasn't been great for years. People keep saying we need John Lewis but then when a more upmarket shop moved in last year..."its too expensive, won't last long"

As someone who doesn't like shopping much my habits haven't really changed during lockdown.

Agree. Our town went crazy trying to get M&S here! It was cancelled twice. Second time after main carpark shut for over a year to install services! Then even though we have a big lovely Booth's foodhall-M&S has finally landed, food only.... Basically selling a fraction of Booth's offerings and not that popular in a town not known for the loaded doing their shopping here! The after big sports retailer closed low and should a sports direct opened,,really? Bonkers. It's all discount shops a Costa gaps where Burton dotty P greenwoods and various café closures languish.a mess. I wish experienced female shoppers had a major say in what makes a town centre work! And IT'S NOT bookies slots and estate agents with a 'wheres there's pain there's blame' outlet slap bang in middle!

huge rise

Dickens, you don't live in Bourton on the Water do you? It has the poshest co-op I have ever seen!

There have been reports about the decline of market towns for decades.

First of all the out-of-town superstores were blamed, the out-of-town shopping centres, the hug rise in business rates then Brexit, now Covid and on-line shopping.
The rise in rents and rates is a very large factor msoa reasonable footfall is needed to make businesses pay and make a profit.

I think many niche shops have opened up and some of them provide an online service too, so perhaps that is the way forward.

I mentioned parking but it is not 30p, it is well over a fiver and sometimes I don't feel safe in the car park. I remember me and my friend went to a workshop in the town and there were two women chasing the dragon on the stairwell from the car park to the street - so that is off putting too. Not that I don't have sympathy for the homeless and people with addictions but my closest big town has lots of problems (and it could be lovely)

Buffy

I’d love to know where all you people live in the small towns with independent butchers, greengrocers etc., In our small city even the charity shops are closing. It’s depressing to walk through town except on market days.

My small town - in The Cotswolds - is thriving. It has:

butcher
baker
greengrocer
Co-op
gift shop (where you can also order books)
delicatessen - combined with coffee shop
flower shop
ironmongers (the busiest shop in town)
fish & chip shop
Thai take-away
hairdresser
chemist
dentist (2)
optician
solicitors
tea rooms (2)
art shop/ gallery
clothes shop
newsagent
charity shop
antique shops (2)
pubs (3) all serving food

... obviously footfall fell during the last couple of years, but it is reviving.

The local 'shopper' magazine carries the motto, "Use it or lose it". And so we do. As well as ordering online.

I think residential apartments are a good Idea in principle but rent only as apartments are notoriously impossible to re sell! Thi GS like playschools/fitness studios/salons for beauty/therapies/ dentist/GPs /main post office / at least 2 decent bank branches that take deposits and withdrawals for all banks essential.all these types of activities should and could be located ona 'high street' we have to negotiate piddling little backstreets and nil parking to go to GP or pay! Same for dentists. Playschools are99% dependent on having a car because of their out of the way locales. If the high street properties were made available at decent affordably rates/rents, then independent retailers could benefit from a tsunami of footfall from other activities. As usual those without a clue who don't ever use or even live in the town centres are making the decisions on a map! Ever heard the one about the roundabout that led nowhere? It was where the builder put his brew on the plans!!