It suddenly came to me a few minutes ago how rarely now I actually go into an ordinary shop.
We need a cat flap. It's an everyday kind of thing, you just pop into Woolworths, local ironmongers, etc.
I've had no luck finding one, and I can't be bothered wasting any more time. In these circs Amazon is your friend. 10 seconds later and one is on order, arriving in a few days, £6.78 delivered.
I realise now that is the answer to most shopping needs. Millions of other people are realising the same thing. We don't need shops, post offices, etc, just places like Amazon, and the internet.
If you need something a bit more specialised, of a particular size, the high street is useless.
I needed a new tyre and tube for a sack barrow. B&Q or the farmer's coop probably do them, but only one size. But in seconds on line I can find a place that sells every single size of tyre, also wheels if I want them every axle size, every bearing dimension.
So what is going to happen to high streets? What is the purpose of towns at all in the 21 st century?
It seems we only need the internet, Spar, and filling stations.
Last edited by: Cliff Pope on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 10:26
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>> We need a cat flap. It's an everyday kind of thing, you just pop into
>> Woolworths, local ironmongers, etc. I've had no luck finding one
Argos can be quite handy for that sort of thing - they have 5 starting at £9. I also find Robert Dyas quite good. But yes, I do regularly get stuff on Amazon as well.
Last edited by: Focus on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 10:36
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A pet shop would be a good local place to try and get a cat flap.
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>> A pet shop would be a good local place to try and get a cat
>> flap.
>>
My Jack Russell often makes a cat flap.
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>>My Jack Russell often makes a cat flap.<<
My late basset hound sometimes made a bolt for the door...
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>>My late basset hound sometimes made a bolt for the door<<
Woss he like on japanned hinges??
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>> I also find Robert Dyas quite good.
Likewise. Until it was turned in to Caffe Nero. Is there another in the Greater Reading conurbation somewhere? Then again, we have a spectacular, independent Aladdin's cave of a hardware shop in Caversham by the name of "Homecrafts". Never lets me down. A few years back, I went in (it's tiny, and utterly crammed with gear, stuff hanging off the ceiling) and asked for a coal scuttle. I was not expecting a result. The chap scurried off up the stairs in the middle of the shop and returned triumphant with three a choice of three models.
Then there's Drew's ironmongers on Cav Road. The only place I could find a set of drain rods in town this spring, during the drought-deluge. Those were need lickety split, I couldn't have waited two days for internet delivery - I'd have had to have called Dynorod and coughed twice the cost of buying the rods on the call-out alone. The High Street/local shops still serve an excellent distress purchase function.
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>> >> I also find Robert Dyas quite good.
>>
>> Likewise. Until it was turned in to Caffe Nero. Is there another in the Greater
>> Reading conurbation somewhere?
The one in Woodley is walking distance for me; more of a hike for you :)
But there's that big Argos-like store in the town centre which is better than Argos IMO, in the pedestrianised bit along from WH Smiths. Can't remember the name - something foreign.
EDIT: I remembered - www.clasohlson.com/uk/
Last edited by: Focus on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 10:59
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>> But there's that big Argos-like store in the town centre which is better than Argos
>> IMO
...although not for cat flaps.
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Yes, I agree, all these places exist, but you don't know without looking whether they are going to have the particular thing you want. If you go out armed with a shopping list you can spend all morning walking round shops, and still end up not having found something.
I'd forgotten that a pet shop would probably sell a cat flap, but I bet it wouldn't beat the Amazon price, and I couldn't even be bothered finding out.
Whatever the arguments about individual specifics, the overall trend must be that shoppers are deserting traditional high streets. Is this something for concern, or just an inevitable change? What are local authorities doing about it - it must be undermining their income base?
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>> Yes, I agree, all these places exist, but you don't know without looking whether they
>> are going to have the particular thing you want.
Not really disagreeing with your general point but more shops these days do offer an online check and reserve type service, which reduces the risk.
Woodley seems to be doing ok - it has Waitrose, Iceland, Greggs, and a Costa which always seems to be busy, and markets/car boots at the weekend.
Last edited by: Focus on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 11:39
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>> The one in Woodley is walking distance for me; more of a hike for you
>> :)
Didn't know Woodley had one. I work at TVP and take my boy to Woodley Goals every so often, so thanks for the tip. Might come in useful.
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>> Didn't know Woodley had one.
There's a sort of cheap Asian version next door as well which is worth a walk round.
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We are lucky, we have a thriving little high street.
news agent, chip shop, hardware store, butchers, co-op local, dry cleaners, flower shop, hairdresser, car spares shop, plumber, curry house, music shop,
Two sides, about 250 yards long, free parking.
Way to go.
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No High Street within 40 miles of me (only a handful of village shops), and those High Streets that are within 50 miles of me have only a handful of shops - in other words, not much better than the local village shops.
So basically I come into the category of people who only need "the internet, Spar, and filling stations."
It's amazing what I have bought on the internet over the past year or two.
A Honda. (Lawnmower, that is.)
Shrubs. From ebay sellers. Arrive in the post, in a pot, undamaged!
Tea. (My wife's preferred brand is not stocked locally.)
Coffee.
Dental Floss.
The alternative is a return trip of almost 200 miles to Inverness. I also don't feel any obligation to protect the High Streets of Inverness, since I tend to see Inverness shops as the places that undercut and undermine small shops in small communities.
I did, however, buy a pair of trainers recently in Inverness. I wouldn't buy shoes without trying them on - and they turned out to be cheaper than the Amazon price.
Last edited by: tyro on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 12:12
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Without wishing to be at all sexist, I suspect the online experience to be shopping "for boys" (as do I) whereas some girls do it differently.
We might say we want a widget of this size, look it up online, get it bought, job done.
Women seem in my experience to prefer to try this, try that, look at everything else that might be in the shop just in case even if that wasn't what was intended, go across town in case they have something better, come back to the first shop and so forth. Nothing wrong with that, but shops tend to support that method better than online purchases. Serendipity plays a big part.
Which is why, I would contend, that those shops that DO exist in towns, or Bluewater or whatever, are predominantly girls and womens clothes shops.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 13:10
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>> Without wishing to be at all sexist,
Why not? Being sexist is nothing to be ashamed of.
:-)
Last edited by: tyro on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 13:15
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>> We are lucky, we have a thriving little high street.
I suspect Woodley does ok largely due to a relatively old and well off local clientèle, for whom the socialising is an important part of the shopping experience. Same for you Z?
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>> >> We are lucky, we have a thriving little high street.
>>
>> I suspect Woodley does ok largely due to a relatively old and well off local
>> clientèle, for whom the socialising is an important part of the shopping experience. Same for
>> you Z?
yeah basically.
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There is a big R Dyas is the pedestrianised part of Reading town centre.
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That's the one which has been closed down, and the unit turned into a Caffe Nero.
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We have Robt Dyas branches near the office in both High Holborn and Fleet St. Good for more esoteric household products (a decent descaler for example) and lightbulbs.
Always busy at lunchtime.
At home both Towcester and Daventry retain decent high streets in spite of each having a Wiatrose, Tesco and Aldi. Traditional shops gradually going though. Towcester's Aladdins Cave hardware store went a year or two ago. Costa now have a presence so may be days are numbered for independent cafes, though the Ladies Wot Lunch are more discriminating.
I do like Dav where I can park by Aldi, do the main shop in there then walk over to Waitrose for the treats and return via Boots for pharmacy stuff/toiletries. Sometihng like that in a bigger town is a constant drive, park shop, drive park rinse repeat etc and becomes a chore.
Prefer to pick fruit and veg myself not to mention avoiding the delivery charge for intermet groceries.
The big stores in Northampton are increasingly empty though. Now we've established The Lad needs a 15" collar at M&S I guess his next set of shirts will come by post!!
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Sorry for the duff info! I haven't been in Reading for about 3 months so they've been quick with it. As if we need another outlet for overpriced very bitter coffee!
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Robert Dyas is OK but for a proper ironmonger you need to visit Thorns in Norwich.
www.thornsdiy.com/
The hight street is certainly changing but there will always be a place for traditional shops. On line clothing shopping isn't very good if you don't know exactly what you want and a lot of people go shopping because they enjoy it as a social experience rather than one of strict utility.
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The trouble with only using high st shops for distress purchases is that they won't be there if that's all they get.
I'm guilty too. Was I going to go out looking for two M6 40mm stainless button flange screws the other day? £1.70 delivered (ebay) for 10, if anybody needs a couple.
Last edited by: Manatee on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 14:59
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>> Robert Dyas is OK but for a proper ironmonger you need to visit Thorns in
>> Norwich.
>>
>> www.thornsdiy.com/
Absolutely. Fantastic shop but the stairs and all the levels always get me but at least you can buy a single washer, and you get a paper bag:)
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>>Then there's Drew's ironmongers on Cav Road.
That usd to be up on the Oxford Road, same side but just before Sun Alliance, the IDR and Chatham Street car park - most of which has probably gone now.
It lost a lot when it moved. It used to be full of little rooms, creaky corridors and old men (they'd probably have been over 35!) and they knew everything about everything and had a washer to fit it.
Loved that shop.
Is the Standard Tandoori still on Caversham Road, and the Gorge Cafe?
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Go back a hundred years to Bunners in Welshpool: www.rhbunner.co.uk/
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I have a good mate in Llanfair Caereinion up the road. I'll have a look next time I go to see him. I love hardware shops.
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We can have a day out in a good emporium if it's raining.
Especially good ones in Barnard Castle, Leyburn and Middleton in Teesdale.
The best ones are in agricultural ares, where the demographics are no good for B+Q
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The two small towns from which we are more or less equidistant, 4 miles or so, both have High Streets but also both have supermarkets. The one with a Tesco and a Sainsbury's not far apart on its outer fringes has a pretty quiet High Street though, with changes continuing. But it's got a farmer's hardware store, one of those cluttered places selling everything from bottled gas and mini-tractors to baling twine and nails, with a lot of what comes in between them. I love those places and always try them before more formal outlets. Nearby there's a farm shop selling decent bread and so on, and there's a pretty good greengrocer.
The other small town has a Waitrose in its precinct, and its High Street is generally in better fettle. Both towns have classy butchers, and one has a very good wine merchant.
Like most people I can't resist the convenience and cheapness of the national-scale outlets. But they are screwing producers and small retailers all the time. They aren't really friends of humanity.
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>> That usd to be up on the Oxford Road, same side but just before Sun
>> Alliance, the IDR and Chatham Street car park - most of which has probably gone
>> now.
Chatham Street car park has been replaced by some flats and a new Chatham Street car park.
>> Is the Standard Tandoori still on Caversham Road, and the Gorge Cafe?
>>
Oh yes, both much loved by me and my children. For Indian, I prefer the Bina in Prospect Street though, and for fry ups, the Caversham Cafe in the precinct is superior in food terms, although it lacks the atmosphere of The Gorge.
Yours,
Egon Ronay
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Chatham Street car park replaced with flats? Does that mean the Fullers pub around the back has gone - I think it was called The Butlers Arms.
I think the Standard Tandoori was the first time I went out for an Indian meal - early 80s, I think. Maybe 82 or 83.
You can't get decent indian food in Chile. Or Kebabs. Or a fry up. You can get the occasional bottle of London Pride though.
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>> You can't get decent indian food in Chile. Or Kebabs. Or a fry up. You can get the occasional bottle of London Pride though.
Decent meat in Latin America though by accounts. Argentina and Brazil are big on beef but I guess lamb may be easier to get in Chile, or llama? There must be some good local dishes. In fact I remember a rather good bean and pumpkin soup from a cookery book.
I think I'd prefer some nice local pink wine to bottled London Pride too. Or at least some maté through a straw from a gourd and a big wad of coca leaves to take one through the morning...
:o}
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>>I think I'd prefer some nice local pink wine to bottled London Pride too
Well, I don't like pink but I take your point about wine. However, nothing is more desirable than when its damn close to impossible to get - marmite, english mustard, sausages, beer, fresh milk (which I;d sell my soul for) and other things.
In the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile) you may get a meal you don't like, but you're not likely to get a bad one. At least not tin the cities.
From choice, Barbecue in Brazil, Seafood in Chile and Beef in Argentina, but its all pretty good.
But its not a kebab, a hot curry, or a decent fried breakfast.
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A similar Aladdin's cave of everything you could want is Harrison and Dunn in Stamford. Everything from Le Creuset pots to baling twine and sheep dip and everything in between
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I spent the afternoon in Haarlem, Amsterdam. It's beautiful, loads of thriving little shops; busy; pedestrian and bike friendly etc,
Nothing in the UK comes close - our markets are, in general, dumps with crap merchandise and sellers hawking their wares in a way that no one likes. Litter, yoofs, and a burgeoning population focussed o isolationism is the death of the UK high street.
The Polish workers are about the only thing capable of rescuing the high street and I don't think it's enough. I spent £5 in an olde-style sweet shop yesterday yet regretted it afterwards thanks to the attitude from the lady behind the counter, who did a good job of giving the impression that I was completely wasting her time.
My brother lives in Czech; he will never come back to the uk and after spending time n many other European cities these past few months, I completely agree.
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I have lived all over the world. Different places have different things going for them, and different things against them.
Nowhere is perfect.
However, I miss English pubs, the sense of humour, decent manners, personal safety, freedom to be outdoors, the good weather, summer afternoons, cold mornings, marmite, milk, reliable tradesmen, police, education, health care and soo much more.
And give me no grief about safety and poverty in the UK, you should see some of the other places in the world.
I like the UK. I will always live there - but probably not just there.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Thu 13 Sep 12 at 18:17
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>> I spent the afternoon in Haarlem, Amsterdam.
can tell you are a Ryan Air pilot. Haarlem is Haarlem, not Amsterdam.
You'll be telling us next that Charleroi is Brussels.
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Our local high street appears to be doing quite well - no empty shops, a good spread of shops that cover most needs, although a butcher would be a welcome addition (we have a local farm who sell their own meet from a small shop on the farm, but a high street outlet would be more convenient)
The whole town has expanded over the last few years, and a lot of the new housing is centered around a marina (used to be a port for bringing in coal) which has bought a fair chunk of money into the area - this has resulted in a few more high street chains moving in, a Waitrose being built, a Sainsburys about to start being built, and all within a few minutes walk of the high street so that gets some of the knock on benefit.
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re cat flaps...I owned a few pet stores and carried a selection of at least 15 cat flaps. White, grey & wood grain effect. for solid doors, panelled doors, upvc & glass doors. 2 way, 4 way and electromagnetic. 3 year warranty with Petmate. And all spares. And would price match anyone. Free advice and money back if not 100% satisfied.
After selling up I now work a pathetic 38 hours in an old fashioned hardware store, mixing paint, nuts, bolts, tools, plumbing, electrical, garden, homewares. Never a dull moment in the emporium. Not many shops left similar to my current employment.
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I owned a few flat caps decades ago when I used to work outside in all weathers.
Don't see many flat caps about these days though, it all seems to be baseball caps.
Flat caps were more often worn by the working class whereas the shirking class tended to wear bowler hats.
I must say I've yet to see anyone wearing a cat flap though, but you know what it's like, now I've said that I'll most likely see oodles of them.
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>> Flat caps were more often worn by the working class whereas the shirking class tended
>> to wear bowler hats.
Us hunting, shooting, and fishing folks wear flat caps!
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>> Does that mean the Fullers pub around the back has gone - I think it was called The Butlers Arms.
No, the Butlers Arms is still there. There is a new (much posher) car park and flats on the site of the old car park.
Last edited by: Alanović on Fri 14 Sep 12 at 09:32
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The big disadvantage of internet shopping is that you can't see or touch the item before you buy it.
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I don't need to see or touch a "Staywell 7 cat flap" in original sealed wrapping before buying it.
Also I know what a 10 X 4 sack barrow tyre looks like, or an online postage label, or a car tax disc.
It's true I couldn't try squeezing the fruit and veg in the rack before picking the best, but I'd do that at Spar or Tesco.
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I'm using Ocado for the food shop. Never had a problem except when they forgot my curry beans, and I forget plenty when I do my own shop.
Saves fuel and wear and tear on the car, never mind the time. Sometimes the pork chops are a bit bigger or smaller than I would have chosen, but you need a bit of excitement in your life.
I use the village shop 2 miles away for the ham, bacon, bread and papers and the occasional naughty sausage roll.
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 14 Sep 12 at 10:55
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Oh do tell, in what way are their sausage rolls naughty? I love a bit of food gossip.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 14 Sep 12 at 11:26
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The changing face of the High Street - Focusless
