Goodbye high street clothes shopping. Hello Amazon.

Amazon is not all bad.
Small businesses use the site to sell and the link below shows details of a scheme that is being rolled out worldwide to staff.
My son has worked for Amazon for 4 years in CZ, he has been partly responsible for rolling out this initiative.
www.inc.com/scott-mautz/amazon-is-paying-its-employees-12000-to-train-for-a-job-at-another-company-its-brilliant.html

I have an account with Amazon and have bought all my books from them but wasn't aware they had clothes as well. For clothes, I've used the outlet stores of Littlewoods/ Marks and Spencer and Charity shops.
My last pair of shoes, this month, which were " tried only " cost me £4.99 and are Clarks Un Blush Go which are marked up at £59.77 ! A Hospice shop online which I'd rather the money go to them. They were brand new with the box.

You can buy on;line and not shop at Amazon. I do not choose to buy clothes or appliances online, but I buymuch else. I just use any company but Amazon.

Lucretzia

It's fine to use Amazon.

And I didn't vote for Brexit, *biba70 *

Neither did I vote for Brexit and I would be lost without Amazon and other on line stores. I physically cannot walk more than a few yards so shopping is very difficult. I’m not sure that how we voted in the Referendum has anything to do with our shopping habits!

I have a few go-to online shops which I prefer to use including Amazon, such as John Lewis, Lakeland, AO, M&S and also my local hardware shop which offers click and collect.

I think that the stores that will survive in the marketplace are those that adapt to new ways of shopping and offer good online shopping as well as maintain some real estate eg John Lewis. If I do go shopping, I only go to out of town retail parks where I can park in the disabled spots and only pop in for one specific item.

I’ve had to use Amazon this year for gifts for my SIL as that’s where he told me to get them. Otherwise I’ve had a John Lewis Christmas (free delivery) because DH has been told to shield.

Not a great clothes shopper but I hope I’ll be able to go back to my old routine sometime soon - a drive into Newcastle, hair cut in Fenwicks, wander down beautiful Grey Street for a coffee and some purchases in the Grainger Market. Once a month and it makes me feel civilized again. Such a lot of lonely (I’m not) rely on the City Centres/High Streets for contact, company and ‘entertainment’ and we need to hang on to them at all costs.

I love Amazon - easy shopping !!

MOnica we very recently bought our whole kitchen refit online from Howdens, including all white goods, integrated oven and hob. New dining table, bench and chairs from another company, similarly blinds. The flooring I did get a sample sent. Not one foot was put outside of this house, kitchen and flooring companies came here to measure up, the kitchen design was agreed over email. The paint colour for decorating was designed by getting sample pots sent. We are extremely happy with everything having used it all for about three weeks, so it is possible if you have faith in your own ability and the companies you choose.

Oh and I doubt you could tell from any of my posts MOnica how I voted in the referendum.

Ordered from Boden for years now. Very good service and quick to refund unwanted garments. Often sales with good reductions too.

Amazon shoppers are all Brexit voters?? What a hoot.
I would love to support my local shopping centre but with Debenhams, Zara, Top Shop, New Look and Dorothy Perkins all about to close there are very few shops left . I don’t think the closures have anything to do with Amazon but feel free to correct me.

JaxJacky
MOnica. You have the wrong poster. That one is a poster who lives in Switzerland but some how not only know how we all voted but how we shop, what state our high streets are in.
In fact: everything about us. Amazing, isn't it.

Our council started forming plans for a 'different' high street about 3 yrs ago.

petra thanks, I will resist further comment ?

Oh biba put a sock in it.
I support our town centre & independent shops very much. Award winning butcher on Flixton Roas (do Amazon even sell meat? I’ve never looked), our fabulous independent bookshop, coffee & wine bar, a cheese emporium - to name a few.

Amazon for me is Alexa, stuff I enquire about first in local shops that don’t stock what I’m looking for when I’ve asked and UK goods par excellence that I cannot source locally.

A Scottish malt whisky as a Christmas present for my stepfather for example - with a woven Highlands tartan rug in ‘his’ family clan design - to keep his knees warm. Much appreciated by him I can tell you!

Amazon doesnt appeal to me, for a variety of reasons. I would rather buy direct from companies.

Due to the lockdown I've bought neatly all my grandchildrens presents from Amazon, I have 5 and 2 live down south so easy peasy ordering from Amazon and getting them to deliver to them saving me the postage you can even get Amazon to wrap them. Individual companies sell through Amazon, I've just bought a eco British wool duvet delivered today, I belong to Amazon Prime which delivers next day. I still support my local shops.

Team Amazon here, for things I can't buy locally. I wouldn't buy clothes but then I've got loads of charity shop clothes I love and don't need to replace.

I may be being simplistic but my understanding is that Amazon pay 100% of the taxes they are asked to pay. I don't deny that they should be asked for more but I don't know any individuals who would willingly pay more tax than they are asked for either.

My latest Amazon order was today. For a thingy to help open bottle tops, especially the bleach bottle kind.
I am officially old.

Yes Ailidh I'm another supporter of Charity Shops locally, buying and donating, I love them.

My favourite denim skirt which I've worn now for several summers, came from Amazon and is remarkably good quality for £21! But I haven't been inclined to buy any more garments from that source. However, you cannot blame only Amazon for the 'death of the high street'. In the town with which I am most familiar, the high cost of parking has caused a majority of people to shop either by mail order or in out of town shopping centres. Both a favourite department store and M&S have stores in such locations and M&S in the town centre has, along with the much lamented BHS, vanished.
The cost of postage plus huge queues at the few post offices left in our towns, exacerbated by the necessary spacing this year, have made me grateful for the ability to send gifts by Amazon Prime, making it well worth the annual subscription. I regret adding to the already deep pockets of Jeff Bezos, but continue to live in hope that one day he and his ilk will be obliged to pay their taxes like the rest of us.
Oh and FYI, I was and still am a remainer.

I agree with annodomini Amazon is not solely to blame for the demise of High St shops
All the reasons given are accurate plus the failure of some stores to update and move with the times. I too would like to see the return of smaller independent shops but it would take concerted effort with town councils, business owners and shoppers to achieve this.

I love Amazon. I like the fact that I can return things easily and I can put things in the basket and get notified if the price goes down. I purchased the PC I am typing on through Amazon as well as my Kindle and I have spent most of my Xmas money for GCs presents on Amazon. I am quite capable of seeing when it may be cheaper elsewhere, but it has been brilliant for searching out little handy items that would take ages to source on the High St. Above everything else I love my Kindle books, I devour books then forget the titles, Amazon immediately tells me if I have already purchased it.

It doesn't matter who you order from online in the US- The shipping delay for the postal service is approaching one month- FedEx and UPS are also delayed- Amazon has its own shipping capability, and managed to deliver within days during the holiday rush but according to the listings they too are running into delays-

I use ebay, but due to delays haven't seen the orders I placed weeks ago-

Also Amazon partners with the postal service for rural area deliveries, which most of the U.S. is-

I think the Pandemic has cemented Amazon’s position in online selling and I can understand why many now rely on it.

I know times and shopping habits are changing, but it concerns me that once Amazon has complete monopolised the market they will have the power to do, and indeed charge what they like.

I try if possible to buy ethically, and if any one else does too it’s worth looking up “Ethicalconsumer.org” to see why Amazon is best avoided.

So those of us who don’t use our town centres and local shops will allow Covid to continue??

How many of these local shops do you give your custom to biba...none!

Wrong guess re. Leavers/remainers vote.

Stop and think about the many, myself included who are advised to self isolate/shield. Are you suggesting we should all go out shopping too, contract the virus as a means to eradicate Covid?? If shopping online is my only access for our needs, I don’t need you judging me. Life is difficult enough at the moment without an added guilt trip from you.

That, beggars belief!