Are other towns like mine !

We have a 10 screen cinema and every single eatery you can think of in my town, including two McDonald's and two Prezzos . There are 3 enormous car parks, and every evening through to about 11.30 pm, they are jam packed. There's obviously money to be made in the catering trade, and I am just glad it brings revenue to my town.

But, then, my walking is bad now, so, to be able to park and walk a short distance to a variety of coffee shops suits me. We were warned that High Streets would change even before the pandemic, it was just hard to visualise how. Now we know.

It is as dead as a dodo round here after about 10 pm. You have to further towards the city if you want late night venues and we can’t be bothered. The shopping centres mostly close around 6.30 pm except for restaurants and supermarkets.

Here in our small market town in Somerset there is a worrying trend of small shops closing, large estates being built on green field sites for mainly commuters and delays in achieving planning/conservation approval for listed properties. Lots of out of town shopping within 5 miles or so. But also a lack of decent restaurants for those who can afford to eat out. And a limited rural bus service.

I’ve heard that some takeaways are used for money laundering - I can believe that. How many takeaways does one street need? I wouldn’t set foot in most of them anyway! ? Burgers/fries/kebabs/curry?/pizzas. I do like a pizza, but I wouldn’t pay £10 for one! ? We have an excellent fish and chip shop in our village though, which is our treat about once a week. ??
At a local retail park, there’s a ‘restaurant’ which is devoted to desserts - a smell of sugar hits you as you walk in! A dentist’s nightmare! ?

Our local area is much the same with lots of trendy cafes springing up. I need a small mortgage to have a cup of tea in them and feel out of place with all the trendies. Micro breweries are also becoming popular with premium prices. Fortunately my reasonably priced cafe is still operating

We have barbers charity shops cafe charity shops vipe shops charity shops b&m and just to top it off charity shops

We now shop almost exclusively online, food, household items, clothes and shoes. The only time I go anywhere in person is to the doctor, dentist or vet. TBH it wouldn't bother me if I never set foot in a shop again.

Our main town is designed in the style of a cross so can involve a lot of walking which doesn't suit me now, so I avoid going there.

But for those who like shopping it is very well served by
Supermarkets: Morrisons, Asda, Lidl & Aldi.
Chain stores: Next, M&S, TK Maxx, Peacocks, Boots, Superdrug, Clarks Shoes, Shoezone, WH Smith, Waterstones, Mountain Warehouse, three Pound shops, and several phone shops.
Banks: at least six, and building societies,
Fast food outlets: McDonalds, Pizza Hut etc. and several Pubs.
Small independent shops including Hairdressers, Barbers, Nail bars, Shoe shops selling good quality shoes with fitting, an excellent Hardware store, Dress shops, Lingerie shops, Bakers, Greengrocers, Health Food stores, Craft Shops and Gift shops. Sadly the Fresh Fish shop and family owned Butcher closed last year.

But there are still a depressing number of closed and boarded up shops, victims of the lockdowns.

Charity shops have multiplied, there's perhaps 15-20 now.

Coffee shops/bars, eateries, small restaurants, sandwich bars etc are increasing almost daily , and their prices are horrendous! I simply refuse to pay £7 for a coffee and a slice of cake or scone however nice it might be . But what bothers me most is the amount of litter they generate and how unkempt it makes the town look given that we are a seaside area that relies on tourism.

Also the small shops are mainly in small side streets branching off the main roads and most visitors don't know they're there because the shops are not allowed to advertise their location with wall signage or A-boards (the Council claim it looks untidy), so how they've kept going over the past few years I don't know.

siedonim my buses are very good I have a bus pass and there is a bus into and back every 20 minutes also to the next biggest town and to my nearest city 3 buses an hour and doesn’t cost me a penny in petrol or parking ?? and the bus stop is outside my house

My original post was not to knock the cafes and coffee shops and the pleasure of a drink with friends Not at all but to wonder how they can all survive with them popping up like Japanese knotweed

Our high street is lined with pubs …cafes…coffee shops….charity shops ….and bookies next to a pawn shop…. there’s a lesson to be learned in the last two I think!
We have to go Milton Keynes or London for decent clothes shop….as I’m in-between the
two . Unless , of course you want to live in ‘Primark’

We have a lot of cafes, charity shops and nail bars. All the supermarkets are out of town apart from Iceland and the only shop to get bits and bobs in is Home Bargains, but it's not that big. We don't even have a Post Office in the town centre, they have been put in the supermarkets.

Has anyone tried a nail bar?
The hairdresser next door to me has retired and it's become a nail bar which offers manicure and pedicure.
Should I ask if they can tackle my toenails?
I think it's run by Chinese.

Grammaretto

Has anyone tried a nail bar?
The hairdresser next door to me has retired and it's become a nail bar which offers manicure and pedicure.
Should I ask if they can tackle my toenails?
I think it's run by Chinese.

I took mum to have her toes "tackled" at a nail salon. The operator used larger/ heavier nail cutters - worked a treat.

We live in a village with Waitrose, Boots, Lloyds, HSBC, estate agents, individual coffee shops, craft shops, a couple of boutiques, an electrical shop, hairdressers, and various other little shops. It’s thriving and lovely.

Grammaretto
Personally I wouldn't go to a chinese nail bar. They use a glue that ruins your nails.

Thanks. Maybe I'll give it a miss until it has some reviews.

Most of the nail bars are run by Vietnamese and are often used to tie the young girls in to servitude

We don't have a high street as such as we live in a large suburb outside a medium sized city. But I do miss all the interesting shopping places we used to have and fun, different little shops. The shopping streets are still there, and sometimes bigger than they used to be. However, they are also filled with nail and hair shops, vape shops, lots of Charity shops, pizza parlors, piercing and tattoo parlors (ugh!). Sigh! Even the drug stores are boring now and ubiquitous. Every shop looks like every other one. I miss Cricket West, DuBarry's, Chasnoff's and Kay's!!!

BlueBelle

Most of the nail bars are run by Vietnamese and are often used to tie the young girls in to servitude

Every shop looks like every other one. I miss Cricket West, DuBarry's, Chasnoff's and Kay's!!!
Gosh I ve never heard of any of those shops

I've always said that if someone can afford to regularly buy a coffee, snack or takeaway, then they aren't really hard up, just budgeting badly. In the 70s we were so hard up we had empty cupboards and I was very careful on what I spent. By Family Allowance day (3 kids) I was desperate for the extra money to buy the food for the rest of the week, and I never wasted any food, it all got made into another meal somehow or another. I worked evenings when my husband got home, and he mended cars for extra money. I'm not saying some people aren't really struggling now, but some that are complaining need to think again.

Sorry I got off topic, Our town is full of cafes, estate agents and charity shops. We haven't had a shoe shop in many years. There's no-where to wander around and just browse.

My grandson has just started at university. There is a Prêt & Starbucks on the campus. He reports that there are long queues outside every morning of students waiting to get their breakfast. All I can say is they must have very wealthy parents.

georgia101

I've always said that if someone can afford to regularly buy a coffee, snack or takeaway, then they aren't really hard up, just budgeting badly. In the 70s we were so hard up we had empty cupboards and I was very careful on what I spent. By Family Allowance day (3 kids) I was desperate for the extra money to buy the food for the rest of the week, and I never wasted any food, it all got made into another meal somehow or another. I worked evenings when my husband got home, and he mended cars for extra money. I'm not saying some people aren't really struggling now, but some that are complaining need to think again.

Indeed.

I think precisely the same. Not popular thoughts.

I agree with georgia101. My mother used to say you have to cut your coat according to your cloth. I think people are bamboozled by all these ads on tv for food deliveries at excessive cost, Just Eat, Pizzas, etc. All this takeaway food and aisles of ready meals in supermarket have made some of us a bit lazy. I sound like a disapproving old crone, I don’t mean to criticise, but I feel some young people have fallen into bad habits as far as preparing food is concerned.