Sad demise of the high street

The only answer is to stop shopping online.

We share our house with a young couple who buy everything online so I can't see it happening really unless online shopping is made more expensive.
The girl said she buys multiple sizes and returns free the wrong ones. It is not an environmentally friendly way of shopping. All those delivery vans.

Gabriella , you are so lucky to still have all those useful shops on your High Street, those shops have already disappeared from lots of towns, long may they prosper, especially hardware and haberdashery/wool shops , lucky you,, ?

If high streets were used for morning or afternoon social meetings, cafes with table service, and perhaps mannequin parades or live music, or talks. Really welcoming cafes with table service could belong to M and S or other big online outlet and show off their wares to potential customers sitting in comfort.
Another use for high street premises is smallish meeting rooms for special interests like poetry writing or drawing, and the venues make a nice profit from tea and cakes service.
There is a need for really good slightly arty vegetarian cafes especially those that welcome retired people.

For a while, I have been wondering if there isn't a way to use technology to help town centres and that could be incorporated into retail models.

Take the complaints about M&S for example, they don't have all the garments in all the sizes! What if they kept a limited number of items in all the sizes in stock so that they could only be tried on? If you were satisfied, you could order the item that fitted and a new one would be delivered to your house at your convenience. Nothing to carry. Technology used but not necessarily by the customer. Clothes displayed well too, no crowded racks. You could also have a local 'purchases' area in the town centre where everything you bought could be assembled, either for collection by car or again, delivered to your home. You could leave your car behind and go by bus!

You could see/try before you buy, use the internet but not go near a computer.

A bit radical perhaps.

For clothes Debenhams went cheap & frumpy, House of Fraser matronly and boring, M&S either Per Una overdesigned or frumpy. I told M&S years ago to base their clothing for Grans on Cos, And Other Stories, Finery: stylish and quirky - but no-one took any notice. If you don't want to walk around looking like a set of flowery curtains with a frill you are forced to trawl the internet. No wonder these stores are struggling: they don't listen to their customers.

Our nearest John Lewis took out its fabric and haberdashery dept at exactly the same time as the world was embracing hand crafts once again. Luckily they reinstated it by public demand after a few years.

When the latest boss of JL took it on she said people want high end shoes and hand bags.
Do they?
I think we all vote with our feet. (in comfortable shoes)

NanaMcGeek, excellent idea. I bet the boffins are already working on that if not they are stupid.

Something like Argos, for instance, but more streamlined.

Yes, I have often thought something similar. The only problem is when you need something urgently, either because of a sudden invite or crisis and need to immediately replace something - washing machine or cooker and you need delivery tomorrow.

There are companies who can deliver same day or tomorrow Monica.
NanaMc's idea would mean that shops could be smaller and warehouse space bigger, so more scope for fast local delivery or collection.
Brilliant!

Councils and greed are to blame for the extortionate rents and rates. Naturally retailers have to increase their prices to pay for these services leaving the customers to pay the increases.
It's one greedy and grasping country where everyone has jumped on the bandwagon to make a quick buck. It's horrible !

I trudged to JL in the city centre as I need a new laptop and hoped for proper service and advice.
The guy was not bothered , knew little about the different kinds he was selling apart from what was written on the cards and finally told me I should go online because they don't keep enough stock.
I didn't buy from him.

NanaMacGeek what a good idea.
I think some stores do something similar.
In fatface recently in a small town, I tried on the right size, wrong colour. The girl took the details and had the right one sent out soonest delivery.
Is this the kind of thing you meant?

That shop and that high street are still busy and popular. I suspect it's because it's in an affluent area. Whereas in our local High St discount shops have both closed. Even the charity shops are struggling.