The death of the high street.
Discussion
jsf said:
Bullett said:
I've thought for years that the focus on sustainable transport and more capacity (HS2, Crossrail, motorway upgrades etc.) is the wrong approach. We should be focusing on reducing the need and therefore working from home. Very few office jobs need you in the office 9-5 every day.
The technology has existed for years, it's a management and presenteeism culture that is stopping it.
I read that during school holidays the traffic only drops by around 10% but it feels like much more.
Targeting 10% home workers would free up massive capacity for so many people and improve Quality of life, reduce pollution etc. I think you could see an uplift in small high street businesses and people are around in the day and as they self manage can pop out for jobs.
People need the personal interaction to function healthily, working from home can isolate people.The technology has existed for years, it's a management and presenteeism culture that is stopping it.
I read that during school holidays the traffic only drops by around 10% but it feels like much more.
Targeting 10% home workers would free up massive capacity for so many people and improve Quality of life, reduce pollution etc. I think you could see an uplift in small high street businesses and people are around in the day and as they self manage can pop out for jobs.
This is why its never taken off, despite the technology being available for a couple of decades.
jsf said:
People need the personal interaction to function healthily, working from home can isolate people.
This is why its never taken off, despite the technology being available for a couple of decades.
There is also the factor that it is a lot easier having an ergonomic work station in the office than at home. This is why its never taken off, despite the technology being available for a couple of decades.
jsf said:
People need the personal interaction to function healthily, working from home can isolate people.
This is why its never taken off, despite the technology being available for a couple of decades.
I agree, also the amount of info you miss working remotely.This is why its never taken off, despite the technology being available for a couple of decades.
I am home based but generally get in to the office every other week, sometimes more frequently, which works well.
However I have had health problems since November which have prevented me getting into the office.
Amazing how quickly you miss the informal chats to understand what is going on.
Bullett said:
I've thought for years that the focus on sustainable transport and more capacity (HS2, Crossrail, motorway upgrades etc.) is the wrong approach. We should be focusing on reducing the need and therefore working from home. Very few office jobs need you in the office 9-5 every day.
The technology has existed for years, it's a management and presenteeism culture that is stopping it.
I read that during school holidays the traffic only drops by around 10% but it feels like much more.
Targeting 10% home workers would free up massive capacity for so many people and improve Quality of life, reduce pollution etc. I think you could see an uplift in small high street businesses and people are around in the day and as they self manage can pop out for jobs.
I've worked from home predominantly now for a decade.The technology has existed for years, it's a management and presenteeism culture that is stopping it.
I read that during school holidays the traffic only drops by around 10% but it feels like much more.
Targeting 10% home workers would free up massive capacity for so many people and improve Quality of life, reduce pollution etc. I think you could see an uplift in small high street businesses and people are around in the day and as they self manage can pop out for jobs.
I live in a village and I use the volunteer-run village shop to buy lunch, go to the local gym on a morning and meet up with other homeworking friends for an after-work pint in the local pub.
Imagine if parts of a town centre were re-designated as live-work spaces with high speed internet, conferencing facilities, small workshops etc. The same thing as above would be happening on a larger scale.
It's not for everybody I agree but I've been home based for 15 years and don't miss the office at all. All my team are also remote so if i'm in the office its for a specific meeting.
We chat all the time via various apps, chat tools and email plus phones and conferences (video and voice) so no lack of human interaction just not in person. I spend 2-3 hours most days on the phone or in conferences.
I talk to the cat.
We chat all the time via various apps, chat tools and email plus phones and conferences (video and voice) so no lack of human interaction just not in person. I spend 2-3 hours most days on the phone or in conferences.
I talk to the cat.
Bullett said:
It's not for everybody I agree but I've been home based for 15 years and don't miss the office at all. All my team are also remote so if i'm in the office its for a specific meeting.
We chat all the time via various apps, chat tools and email plus phones and conferences (video and voice) so no lack of human interaction just not in person. I spend 2-3 hours most days on the phone or in conferences.
I talk to the cat.
Recently moved jobs and I work from home less but the firm have embraced video calling in a big way unlike my last place where people tapped over the camera etc. I find the video conference works really well so can easily wfh. like I said 1 day a week make a huge difference to traffic volumesWe chat all the time via various apps, chat tools and email plus phones and conferences (video and voice) so no lack of human interaction just not in person. I spend 2-3 hours most days on the phone or in conferences.
I talk to the cat.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Boots also have the distribution network too with Alliance and now do a lot of their repeat dispensing in remote "warehouse" pharmacies and send prescriptions to the branches
I would expect to see the large chain pharmacies start to struggle in the next few years which is karma given they came along and hoovered up large swathes of small independents who were part of the community
pavarotti1980 said:
Celesio are on the bones. No money to invest in their brands (Lloyds) and their homecare division work on very slim margins.
Boots also have the distribution network too with Alliance and now do a lot of their repeat dispensing in remote "warehouse" pharmacies and send prescriptions to the branches
I would expect to see the large chain pharmacies start to struggle in the next few years which is karma given they came along and hoovered up large swathes of small independents who were part of the community
Celesio have AAH as their distribution network; all the multiples are looking at the 'hub and spoke' model in order to save staff costs in their branches. It's a policy that'll end up with them cutting their own throats.Boots also have the distribution network too with Alliance and now do a lot of their repeat dispensing in remote "warehouse" pharmacies and send prescriptions to the branches
I would expect to see the large chain pharmacies start to struggle in the next few years which is karma given they came along and hoovered up large swathes of small independents who were part of the community
Back in the 1970s, I was managing a pharmacy for a small chain (who were later taken over by Lloyds) and was invited for an interview by the local Boots TGM. One of his major selling points, as I recall, was that all their shops were managed by pharmacists and bright young pharmacists could go to the very top working for Boots. If they'd stuck to that policy, in effect, sticking to a model that had worked well and that they knew worked, then they'd be in a very much stronger position today. But in diversifying into a range of consumer goods and businesses meant that they became a jack of all trades and master of none. I turned the TGM down, as I didn't think that I'd ever be the "company man" that you'd need to be to succeed. I went to work for a local independent pharmacy instead, eventually buying and expanding the business, before selling a pharmacy to Alliance, before they bought up Boots. The money they offered made it a no-brainer.
The problem with multiple pharmacies is that they don't value their pharmacist managers, instead they force them to defer to an administrative chain limiting their autonomy. The brightest and best are rewarded by admin jobs away from patients, so that multiples end up with an administrative tail wagging the patient facing dog. Which is why a good independent pharmacy can see off a multiple.
Edited by Paul Dishman on Friday 31st May 10:53
Paul Dishman said:
Celesio have AAH as their distribution network; all the multiples are looking at the 'hub and spoke' model in order to save staff costs in their branches. It's a policy that'll end up with them cutting their own throats.
Back in the 1970s, I was managing a pharmacy for a small chain (who were later taken over by Lloyds) and was invited for an interview by the local Boots TGM. One of his major selling points, as I recall, was that all their shops were managed by pharmacists and bright young pharmacists could go to the very top working for Boots. If they'd stuck to that policy, in effect, sticking to a model that had worked well and that they knew worked, then they'd be in a very much stronger position today. But in diversifying into a range of consumer goods and businesses meant that they became a jack of all trades and master of none. I turned the TGM down, as I didn't think that I'd ever be the "company man" that you'd need to be to succeed. I went to work for a local independent pharmacy instead, eventually buying and expanding the business, before selling a pharmacy to Alliance, before they bought up Boots. The money they offered made it a no-brainer.
The problem with multiple pharmacies is that they don't value their pharmacist managers, instead they force them to defer to an administrative chain limiting their autonomy. The brightest and best are rewarded by admin jobs away from patients, so that multiples end up with an administrative tail wagging the patient facing dog. Which is why a good independent pharmacy can see off a multiple.
They do have AAH but if they keep closing Lloyds OP branches then their supply network will not matter. Even the hospital OP pharmacies are a massive white elephant for Lloyds but many are tied into 5-7 year contracts. There are problems with meeting KPIs as they wont pay for additional dispensing staff which therefore lead to "penalties" for contract breaches etc. Back in the 1970s, I was managing a pharmacy for a small chain (who were later taken over by Lloyds) and was invited for an interview by the local Boots TGM. One of his major selling points, as I recall, was that all their shops were managed by pharmacists and bright young pharmacists could go to the very top working for Boots. If they'd stuck to that policy, in effect, sticking to a model that had worked well and that they knew worked, then they'd be in a very much stronger position today. But in diversifying into a range of consumer goods and businesses meant that they became a jack of all trades and master of none. I turned the TGM down, as I didn't think that I'd ever be the "company man" that you'd need to be to succeed. I went to work for a local independent pharmacy instead, eventually buying and expanding the business, before selling a pharmacy to Alliance, before they bought up Boots. The money they offered made it a no-brainer.
The problem with multiple pharmacies is that they don't value their pharmacist managers, instead they force them to defer to an administrative chain limiting their autonomy. The brightest and best are rewarded by admin jobs away from patients, so that multiples end up with an administrative tail wagging the patient facing dog. Which is why a good independent pharmacy can see off a multiple.
Edited by Paul Dishman on Friday 31st May 10:53
I agree an independent is much better than a multiple, its a shame a lot have gone
surveyor said:
Short term bodge. Reduce high street business rates by putting a surcharge on large warehouses.
Local councils and government need to decide now if they really want to keep the high street. Maybe make it easier/cheaper for for independents to operate on the high street. The cashcow that was the hightstreet has sailed. Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff