So many shops closing, so much online shopping

It’s the same here nanna8 it is a shame……

Whenever we have been in Australia, particularly Melbourne, I shopped in Country Road. There children’s wear used to be good quality.

Our DD was fascinated by the big clock on the wall in one of the Malls, I think it’s the one which had (or used to have) the high end Japanese department store.

We also have umpteen coffee shops and loads of charity shops. Even big stores have shut down.

I don't necessarily think that people only buy cheap clothes on line.

I much prefer to order clothes on line and try them on at home. The postage equates to the petrol and car parking cost so any easy decision for me.

Shopping habits have certainly changed.

What we need is to turn the upper floors of the shopping districts into nice homes and have bars, restaurants and independent retailers on the ground floor. These then open e.g. afternoons and evenings (noon - 10pm?) when the people living above have time to patronise them.

nanna8, that is happening here, but innovative local authorities are following Septimia's model, turning large department stores into small retail spaces on the ground floor, with residential units above.
Hopefully, this will keep town centres alive.

Cheap clothes can be badly made using cheap fabric or mid to high end clothes bought relatively cheaply at a reduced price in a sale and everything in between.

It’s maybe the chicken or the egg. The stores didn’t have much choice so you look online. Our big stores turned into Primark which is great but not what is wanted all the time. There is Next which can have some decent clothes but Monsoon closed down and Laura Ashley is long gone. M&S isn’t bad but the quality is varied. If you are up to a trip into central London for John Lewis you might be lucky or find some items ridiculously expensive. So how easy to look online for an idea of what is available. Have had some great buys.

I miss all the lovely big clothing stores we had. I could go in, try something on and within minutes I knew that it was or wasn't right for me. I could then either buy it or hand it back. Easy peasy. Buying online and then maybe returning an item is too much faffing about for me at my age.

I agree- I can’t be bothered sending things back so if none of my kids want it I just send it to an op shop. Waste of everyone’s time and money really but I suppose the charities benefit.

I live in a small market town.

I try and ‘shop local’ even if it’s a bit more expensive.

I bought a tin of Brasso this morning from our independent diy type shop, just looked online, could have got it 25p cheaper. No worries, it’s a jolly useful little shop.

Plus I recently bought cod liver oil from our health food shop, looked it up online, his was actually cheaper than the identical online stuff.

If we don’t support our local shops, there’ll just be nothing to go out for.

Septimia

Shopping habits have certainly changed.

What we need is to turn the upper floors of the shopping districts into nice homes and have bars, restaurants and independent retailers on the ground floor. These then open e.g. afternoons and evenings (noon - 10pm?) when the people living above have time to patronise them.

I agree with this.

Habits have changed because people prefer online shopping. Rather than try to turn back the tide, councils should be looking at ways to make the best of what is actually happening, not what a few people would prefer to see happen.

We need more homes, so opening flats above commercial premises would help with that. I would also like to see community hubs in various forms in ex-retail outlets - places where people of all ages can gather that don't involve spending money or drinking alcohol. They could be for education, leisure, hobbies, socialising, Arts - all sorts of things depending on what people in the area want.

Too many housing developments have no 'centre', so people don't get a chance to meet one another, which causes loneliness. Shopping used to be a reason to mingle with others, but as it's dropping out of favour I think that reason needs to be replicated. Pubs are struggling, too, so another way in which people got together is in decline. Community hubs could help to solve these problems, but would need funds and an ability to look forwards, not hark back to a time that has passed.

The shopping mall in my local town has lost their flagship store. M&S closed just before Christmas and Trespass has quickly followed. A new development was built to include a leisure complex with shops and cafes. Although the leisure and café concerns are doing well not one of the shops has been taken and that's almost 2 years now.

nanna8, maybe the days when shopping was a "leisure activity" have gone?

I don't enjoy shopping but i know other people did. I haven't enjoyed it since I was about 16 when I used to go into the city after school to mooch about.

Now I think it's great to try clothes and shoes on at home and just send back. I don't keep anything I don't want (except this week as it happens - a long sleeved undershirt/vest that I forgot about because I went down with a cold/flu).

I'd like a decent haberdashery store locally and an art shop but think I can whistle for those! Unfortunately outside of London I can't think where I'd even look.
Most independent stores can't afford to carry niche stock.

If there was a demand for high street stores they would not close. When a store closes people complain however if asked did they shop there most say no they prefer the vast choices of online shopping.

Business rates and increasing energy costs haven’t helped shops, far fewer overheads online. I’ve shopped predominantly online for nearly ten years, but was never one for a days outing the shops.
In an ideal world Doodledog such centres could include community/satellite health hubs.

I've always loathed shopping. Online has been a godsend to me.

But it's obvious that this has caused high streets to all but disappear. And it will disappear

My Gen Z grandsons would think it crazy to suggest having a look round the shops.

You can't have your cake and eat it.

I went into a DIY store recently to enquire about kitchen appliances.

He told me without any hint of irony that he uses an on-line store because it is much cheaper.

He said he goes into stores, finds what he likes and then goes to this on-line supplier which is not the same as the one that employs him.

Lemmings voting again. I wonder if he realises that people buying stuff from the store are keeping him in his job?

I'm beginning to think that people really enjoy punching themselves in the face. How long before they realise they are the ones that are hurting?

My grandchildren (of the right age) love nothing more than a mooch round the shops and then a visit to a coffee shop or restaurant.

kittylester

I don't necessarily think that people only buy cheap clothes on line.

I much prefer to order clothes on line and try them on at home. The postage equates to the petrol and car parking cost so any easy decision for me.

I completely agree, I shop regularly in M&S online for both clothes and shoes, and Next for clothes and presents.

Online doesn’t = cheap.

I also shop online at John Lewis and House of Fraser

Our nearest small town must be bucking the trend, in the last year Lakeland, Jo Malone, The White Company have all opened. Hotel Chocolate is just about to open. All of them joining Jigsaw, Phase 8, and the other usual ones, but none of the cheaper clothes outlets. There are still plenty of independent shops ranging from jewellers to hardware.
I think it’s due to the new homes, a mainline station and rural location that’s attracting relocation from London.

Cossy the High St. near you is unrecognisable nowadays, as is the High St. in the City

To visit a decent physical shop in our neck of the woods I suppose it’s Chelmsford or Lakeside.

I dislike shopping but rarely buy anything online. I occasionally do go online to source a particular book, since the Council forced our bookshop and other independents out to "attract restaurants" (which hasn't happened). I also go online for garden plants as we have no Nursery around here and I no longer drive. I know what plant I am looking for, usually.
I did try buying clothes online once but found it useless. None of the items I purchased were suitable. They looked good in the pictures but terrible on me. I need to try things on and I don't want the delay and hassle of buying, trying, returning, ad infinitum.

I do go online sometimes to see what is available and where. Then, if there is a physical shop available to me, I go to the shop to see, feel, try on and either buy or move on. When I do buy, it is often something I had not previously spotted on the web-site.

Even when I do buy from non-physical shops following an online search, if possible I place the order and pay over the phone. I severely restrict what I do on my computer for security reasons.

I would much rather buy online than endure Chelmsford or Lakeside nowadays. I am, incidentally, sitting in a very comfortable armchair purchased in Chelmsford!