Is traditional high street shopping dead?
Discussion
Since 2007 I've had a small high street bricks and mortar shop.
Retail, pre covid, was already in decline, with the online trend gathering speed.
18 months of Covid seems to have accelerated this trend.
The high street is now seemingly dominated by the service industry.
Food and drink is booming.
Is this the end for traditional high street shopping?
Retail, pre covid, was already in decline, with the online trend gathering speed.
18 months of Covid seems to have accelerated this trend.
The high street is now seemingly dominated by the service industry.
Food and drink is booming.
Is this the end for traditional high street shopping?
Quite possibly. Manufacturing is in China, the High Street is all estate agents, coffee shops and charity shops, and everything else is in a giant warehouse with Amazon written on the side.
So, (1) it's made in China, (2) you buy it (thereby transferring more cash from the skint West to wealthy East), (3) it gets shipped halfway round the world to a giant warehouse with Amazon written on the side, then (4) it's delivered to your door by a migrant worker (because ours are watching telly on benefits). (5) You use the item until an upgraded version is launched, whereupon (6) you take the old item to the charity shop, have a coffee, look at the houses in the estate agent's window, then go home. Rinse and repeat.
So, (1) it's made in China, (2) you buy it (thereby transferring more cash from the skint West to wealthy East), (3) it gets shipped halfway round the world to a giant warehouse with Amazon written on the side, then (4) it's delivered to your door by a migrant worker (because ours are watching telly on benefits). (5) You use the item until an upgraded version is launched, whereupon (6) you take the old item to the charity shop, have a coffee, look at the houses in the estate agent's window, then go home. Rinse and repeat.
I moved to the US a few months ago, currently back for a visit. It's interesting to see how well retail is managing there. Yes, we buy a lot from Amazon, but our nearest small town retail is still fairly healthy. Some shops have closed, but some new ones are opening. Our nearest main shopping street has an outlet mall and many many shops around it and up and down the street. It's always busy.
The difference? Parking. I can drive to any store or restaurant or service provider (the vet, the doctor, dog groomer, whatever) and I can park, guaranteed. Many have off street parking, but if they don't there's always on street parking. Compare that to Huntingdon, my nearest town in the UK, which means paying for parking, which is packed, then walking some distance to a pedestrianised shopping area. I either can't be bothered, or have one of my kids with me who both have mobility problems at the moment. Buy something large and heavy? Tough, carry it. No thanks, I'll order from Amazon or drive a bit further to a shopping centre in Peterborough.
Councils have killed the high street, business rates don't help, but I believe that shops can compete with Amazon and do well if these blockers were removed.
The difference? Parking. I can drive to any store or restaurant or service provider (the vet, the doctor, dog groomer, whatever) and I can park, guaranteed. Many have off street parking, but if they don't there's always on street parking. Compare that to Huntingdon, my nearest town in the UK, which means paying for parking, which is packed, then walking some distance to a pedestrianised shopping area. I either can't be bothered, or have one of my kids with me who both have mobility problems at the moment. Buy something large and heavy? Tough, carry it. No thanks, I'll order from Amazon or drive a bit further to a shopping centre in Peterborough.
Councils have killed the high street, business rates don't help, but I believe that shops can compete with Amazon and do well if these blockers were removed.
Parking is a very good point
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
Until we as a nation start to encourage the shopper, rather than milk them, it will not improve. Shopping needs to be an experience that delivers something above just going out and buying what you need.
I don't think the high street is dead, but I think that certain types of shops are doomed - Footwear, certain types of clothing, non-specialist books & toys being examples.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
Until we as a nation start to encourage the shopper, rather than milk them, it will not improve. Shopping needs to be an experience that delivers something above just going out and buying what you need.
I don't think the high street is dead, but I think that certain types of shops are doomed - Footwear, certain types of clothing, non-specialist books & toys being examples.
DSLiverpool said:
I’ve seen some success with hybrid online / b&m shops. Click & collect plus free personal local delivery are strong growth drivers.
I agree with that, hybrid shops can do well, as do shops/brands with a unique USP. On the whole, they are all fighting for a smaller part of the pool though given the scale Amazon is at with most things covered under their roof. The ease and speed that Amazon can service the materialistic needs of the west is worrying, as it has become an unstoppable juggernaut now.
Muzzer79 said:
Parking is a very good point
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
Until we as a nation start to encourage the shopper, rather than milk them, it will not improve. Shopping needs to be an experience that delivers something above just going out and buying what you need.
I don't think the high street is dead, but I think that certain types of shops are doomed - Footwear, certain types of clothing, non-specialist books & toys being examples.
I think suburban shopping in small shops selling specialist goods still has a bright future e.g. Childrens shoes, twice a year at least you need to get the kids feet measured and there is room for a good shop that breeds loyalty and repeat visits for years and years. But it needs to be very local and have good easy free parking.I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
Until we as a nation start to encourage the shopper, rather than milk them, it will not improve. Shopping needs to be an experience that delivers something above just going out and buying what you need.
I don't think the high street is dead, but I think that certain types of shops are doomed - Footwear, certain types of clothing, non-specialist books & toys being examples.
The suburban shopping areas in Leeds all always seem to be busy, but Leeds city centre the council have priced everyone out with sky high parking charges and public transport pushed to the edges to make the huge centre car free. e.g. last Tuesday afternoon we went into the city centre for lunch and cinema (the out of town cinemas weren't showing anything Tuesday afternoon given current low footfall). The car park cost £24 for 11am to 3.30pm!
Robw73 said:
Food and drink is booming.
I regularly visit my local chippy. The owner has been consistent in the replies to my asking how business is; no where near pre-covid. A lot of people don't have the money and are tightening their purses.Online retail appears to be getting a dependency on then 'buy now pay later' model which could end badly.
Muzzer79 said:
Parking is a very good point
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
.
But who is going to provide free parking? If you owned land for parking you'd want to be paid for its use.I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
.
I live in a wee town outside Edinburgh, where our town center is thriving especially since the time I moved here when it was like a ghost town.
The main thing? Free Parking & the shops are not chain shops so our town center is full of unique shops, art gallery, take away, usual mix of nail/beauty/hairdressers, butchers, oldest cinema in Scotland etc. so it has lots of character.
My neighbour who opened a shop down there not long before Covid is now getting one of the biggest units down there in addition to her small shop and is now looking ot expand to other small towns in the area as she is so busy.
Folk come from other towns to visit our butcher, the reason? Good quality.
Personally I've almost stopped using Amazon, I got fed up with knock offs and returns. I now prefer going to a shop to look at what I need to buy and deciding if it's worth it or not and I hate clothes shopping online more than I do in real life.
The main thing? Free Parking & the shops are not chain shops so our town center is full of unique shops, art gallery, take away, usual mix of nail/beauty/hairdressers, butchers, oldest cinema in Scotland etc. so it has lots of character.
My neighbour who opened a shop down there not long before Covid is now getting one of the biggest units down there in addition to her small shop and is now looking ot expand to other small towns in the area as she is so busy.
Folk come from other towns to visit our butcher, the reason? Good quality.
Personally I've almost stopped using Amazon, I got fed up with knock offs and returns. I now prefer going to a shop to look at what I need to buy and deciding if it's worth it or not and I hate clothes shopping online more than I do in real life.
Frimley111R said:
Muzzer79 said:
Parking is a very good point
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
.
But who is going to provide free parking? If you owned land for parking you'd want to be paid for its use.I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
.
mr_spock said:
The difference? Parking.
Yep.I've been banging on about this for years. Local councils who rely on business rates to keep their well-paid jobs, never join the dots. Most small towns in the UK make visiting as painful as possible with expensive parking and enthusiastic wardens. The result is that people find it easier to use Amazon - it's cheaper and hassle free.
The high street needs to be a 'destination', somewhere easy and amusing to visit. Not in my town.
StevieBee said:
Frimley111R said:
Muzzer79 said:
Parking is a very good point
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
.
But who is going to provide free parking? If you owned land for parking you'd want to be paid for its use.I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think we will look back in years to come and be astounded that we charged people to park to physically go shopping.
My local shopping centre charges around £1 an hour in a multi-storey. Less car-friendly places are, obviously, more.
.
Private, independent car parks will still need to be paid for but shopping centres will need to choose between footfall and parking income.
Frimley111R said:
But who is going to provide free parking? If you owned land for parking you'd want to be paid for its use.
Our glorious council purchased two two shopping centres at a cost of £50 million, last valued @ £12 million! Me thinks that money could have been better spent on free parking FFS! (which they own anyway!!!)Online is not so rosey either, IMO we are all set for a perfect s
t storm this winter & next year.I live just outside a small market town on the North Wales border. Whenever I visit it is always busy, the car parks are at 80% full and there are plenty of people around. Whether they are buying anything or not I can't say. I don't go to town on a weekend so can't say what it is like then, but I guess it will be busy. Yet every time I visit Wrexham the nearest normal size town it is empty, well not nearly as busy as it was before covid.
Why do the council charge for parking on streets that we have already paid for with road tax?
Parking is what stops me going into the high street but then again there's nothing there that I want anymore, all banking is on line, food is supermarket and shopping is recommendations of stuff I didn't know I needed on PistonHeads!
Parking is what stops me going into the high street but then again there's nothing there that I want anymore, all banking is on line, food is supermarket and shopping is recommendations of stuff I didn't know I needed on PistonHeads!
mr_spock said:
I moved to the US a few months ago, currently back for a visit. It's interesting to see how well retail is managing there. Yes, we buy a lot from Amazon, but our nearest small town retail is still fairly healthy. Some shops have closed, but some new ones are opening. Our nearest main shopping street has an outlet mall and many many shops around it and up and down the street. It's always busy.
The difference? Parking. I can drive to any store or restaurant or service provider (the vet, the doctor, dog groomer, whatever) and I can park, guaranteed. Many have off street parking, but if they don't there's always on street parking. Compare that to Huntingdon, my nearest town in the UK, which means paying for parking, which is packed, then walking some distance to a pedestrianised shopping area. I either can't be bothered, or have one of my kids with me who both have mobility problems at the moment. Buy something large and heavy? Tough, carry it. No thanks, I'll order from Amazon or drive a bit further to a shopping centre in Peterborough.
Councils have killed the high street, business rates don't help, but I believe that shops can compete with Amazon and do well if these blockers were removed.
Hear, hear. Although High St isn't doing that well in the bit of the USA I know well (Lancaster County, PA.)The difference? Parking. I can drive to any store or restaurant or service provider (the vet, the doctor, dog groomer, whatever) and I can park, guaranteed. Many have off street parking, but if they don't there's always on street parking. Compare that to Huntingdon, my nearest town in the UK, which means paying for parking, which is packed, then walking some distance to a pedestrianised shopping area. I either can't be bothered, or have one of my kids with me who both have mobility problems at the moment. Buy something large and heavy? Tough, carry it. No thanks, I'll order from Amazon or drive a bit further to a shopping centre in Peterborough.
Councils have killed the high street, business rates don't help, but I believe that shops can compete with Amazon and do well if these blockers were removed.
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