Town centres

[whiplash]

….also if it was Free Parking, workers in town would take advantage, leaving NO spaces for shoppers

Shops!!!! What shops?

[said]

The net has killed the high street , I for one like to shop in my local shops . And I firmly believe that local businesses need help to survive , it's so easy just to right off our local shops, and by doing this we are putting local people out of work thereby becoming reliant on benefits which are funded by taxation .

It is so easy to reiterate that which appears in the press - it may sound good, but it is wrong! The internet has not killed the high street shops.
Shareholders in the large chain stores wanted greater returns on their investments - many large stores employed controllers as opposed to managers to run stores and laid off floor staff to save on costs which led to complaints from customers in not being able to find someone to help them with locating their desired purchases in any particular store. To save even more costs, the stores cut back on many of the lines that they were selling - leaving many customers dissatisfied. Then the stores purchased cheaper made products - in particular clothing, for which there are no uniform fittings. Customers were forced to seek what they wanted elsewhere.
There is now a trend towards smaller privately owned shops set up under proper management. A good manager of any local enterprise is happy and capable of dealing with the challenge of local marketing changes - a controller does not have this talent.
People do not want to purchase items on line, the items are unseen, fitting cannot be tried out and the quality cannot be ascertained. It can take longer than two weeks to be able to obtain a correct fit etc., with continuous returns.
Mail order was widely promoted in the seventies and the eighties - where people could order items and return them at will. Mail order practically died out - leaving the alternative of Argos outlets.
No, the internet is not to blame. There is more imagination and talent required in the local area with people who are willing to work hard to make a success of a business. This is shown in the South of England where smaller enterprise is becoming very successful and attracting a large number of customers.

[gsgsgs]

The 2 large supermarket car parks (ASDA & Morrisons) are usually very busy, the car park on Tulketh St opposite Sportsdirect is usually full, Sainsbury is very busy with a swift turn round of cars, 3 of the above all charge. On street parking is pot luck, certainly you'll be lucky to get a spot on Lord Street after 10am.

Charges for parking simply isn't the cause for the demise in town centres, online shopping and out of town retail shopping is the real cause.

I go in to the town centre several times a month to meet up for coffee/lunch with friends, other than that I have no need to go!

[said]

Imagine requiring a new suit, would you prefer to purchase one on line or would you like the choice of half a dozen shops selling different designs, fittings and sizes locally?
Perhaps you are working on some DIY and you suddenly find you need a piece of equipment that you had not thought about - are you going to order on line and wait a couple of weeks for it, or would you prefer to buy it locally immediately?
You need a special set of headphones - would you like to purchase locally when you need them, or would you like to wait purchasing several of these to find which ones you want and which ones fit?
Toys? How many children are likely to sit with a computer and decide what they want in preference to going along to a shop and choosing?
Going to town for a coffee? I have not yet found one coffee shop in town that serves a decent cup of coffee - it is all processed cr..!

[salus.populi]

Imagine requiring a new suit, would you prefer to purchase one on line or would you like the choice of half a dozen shops selling different designs, fittings and sizes locally?

Hardly a frequent purchase for the overwhelming majority of the population but frankly there is far more choice online than there are in half a dozen shops in Southport.

Perhaps you are working on some DIY and you suddenly find you need a piece of equipment that you had not thought about - are you going to order on line and wait a couple of weeks for it, or would you prefer to buy it locally immediately?

Immediately if they have it in stock at a reasonable price. Often local shops don't and you rarely have to wait 2 weeks for delivery from many online retailers.

You need a special set of headphones - would you like to purchase locally when you need them, or would you like to wait purchasing several of these to find which ones you want and which ones fit?

Again far more choice online. How many shops in Southport sell decent headphones and how many let you try them on?

Toys? How many children are likely to sit with a computer and decide what they want in preference to going along to a shop and choosing?

Again, few toy shops in Southport and therefore limited choice.

[gsgsgs]

Imagine requiring a new suit, would you prefer to purchase one on line or would you like the choice of half a dozen shops selling different designs, fittings and sizes locally?
Perhaps you are working on some DIY and you suddenly find you need a piece of equipment that you had not thought about - are you going to order on line and wait a couple of weeks for it, or would you prefer to buy it locally immediately?
You need a special set of headphones - would you like to purchase locally when you need them, or would you like to wait purchasing several of these to find which ones you want and which ones fit?
Toys? How many children are likely to sit with a computer and decide what they want in preference to going along to a shop and choosing?
Going to town for a coffee? I have not yet found one coffee shop in town that serves a decent cup of coffee - it is all processed cr..!

If you avoid the chains there are plenty of local cafes that serve decent coffee.

[steve]

I will use local independent outlets where I can but admit most purchases are online like Amazon, great to review different products, read questions and reviews, and in many cases next day delivery. Last item I purchased was last Saturday night at 10pm and was delivered by 10am Sunday.

Reviews, ratings, and fast delivery are the key for me. Can also choose a charity to donate part of the selling price.

just wish this useless government would work out a way of companies like Amazon paying more tax in the UK

[Ceam]

Perhaps you are working on some DIY and you suddenly find you need a piece of equipment that you had not thought about - are you going to order on line and wait a couple of weeks for it, or would you prefer to buy it locally immediately?
You need a special set of headphones - would you like to purchase locally when you need them, or would you like to wait purchasing several of these to find which ones you want and which ones fit?
Toys? How many children are likely to sit with a computer and decide what they want in preference to going along to a shop and choosing?
Going to town for a coffee? I have not yet found one coffee shop in town that serves a decent cup of coffee - it is all processed cr..!

DIY...Not sure where you shop online, but I think you need to update your favorites.

Headphones... If they are specialist you have already picked what your going for.

toys.. kids have already seen multiple review online on youtube etc. Know exactly what the toy does and it's pro's and con's over alternatives. Welcome to the next generation.


I tend to buy expensive electronics locally t.v.s, Drones etc. Then if there are any issues they are easier to solve. Electronic games i.e. Xbox, playstation, p.c. etc. I tend to now get digital downloads. food etc. I buy locally. general purchases I buy quite a lot of Amazon and E-bay, sports direct(online).

[gsgsgs]

Imagine requiring a new suit, would you prefer to purchase one on line or would you like the choice of half a dozen shops selling different designs, fittings and sizes locally?
Perhaps you are working on some DIY and you suddenly find you need a piece of equipment that you had not thought about - are you going to order on line and wait a couple of weeks for it, or would you prefer to buy it locally immediately?
You need a special set of headphones - would you like to purchase locally when you need them, or would you like to wait purchasing several of these to find which ones you want and which ones fit?
Toys? How many children are likely to sit with a computer and decide what they want in preference to going along to a shop and choosing?
Going to town for a coffee? I have not yet found one coffee shop in town that serves a decent cup of coffee - it is all processed cr..!

Wait a couple of weeks? Amazon can deliver the next day, I ordered a cable that I couldn't get locally at 10pm on a Friday it was delivered at 09:30am Saturday, order from Next before midnight for next day delivery. Doing DIY, order from Screwfix before 8pm for next day delivery, order from B&Q before 7pm for next day delivery.

[said]

Hardly a frequent purchase for the overwhelming majority of the population but frankly there is far more choice online than there are in half a dozen shops in Southport.
Immediately if they have it in stock at a reasonable price. Often local shops don't and you rarely have to wait 2 weeks for delivery from many online retailers.

Again far more choice online. How many shops in Southport sell decent headphones and how many let you try them on?
Again, few toy shops in Southport and therefore limited choice.

Far better to know what you are buying rather than press a few buttons and hope for the best. There is a lot of choice on line - almost everything one purchases is manufactured in China - but the greatest number of items are unbranded and sold direct from China at cheaper prices as they do not have to conform to all the criteria that is imposed by the EU. Items sold from Germany for instance are also manufactured in China, but these are far more expensive as they are made to specific regulations. But that does not mean that they are better quality. Good quality items are a rare commodity but it would be far more satisfying being able to choose in a shop as opposed to the internet.

[said]

Wait a couple of weeks? Amazon can deliver the next day, I ordered a cable that I couldn't get locally at 10pm on a Friday it was delivered at 09:30am Saturday, order from Next before midnight for next day delivery. Doing DIY, order from Screwfix before 8pm for next day delivery, order from B&Q before 7pm for next day delivery.

Would that apply to all your purchase needs or only specialised items?

[Ceam]

Far better to know what you are buying rather than press a few buttons and hope for the best. There is a lot of choice on line - almost everything one purchases is manufactured in China - but the greatest number of items are unbranded and sold direct from China at cheaper prices as they do not have to conform to all the criteria that is imposed by the EU. Items sold from Germany for instance are also manufactured in China, but these are far more expensive as they are made to specific regulations. But that does not mean that they are better quality. Good quality items are a rare commodity but it would be far more satisfying being able to choose in a shop as opposed to the internet.

Do you just make this up as you go along?

If I buy a Blu-ray on line, it's exactly the same as the one I buy in the likes of HMV.

Yes you can buy cheap crap from China, but you don't have to. You can buy branded items exactly the same as you can in a shop.

[gsgsgs]

Would that apply to all your purchase needs or only specialised items?

It would apply to all my needs, why wouldn't it? From the retailers I quoted they have far more choice online than in store.

Yes there will be occasions that I need something there and then so will go to a shop but for the majority of my informed purchases I will buy online, this said I don't food/grocery shop online.

[salus.populi]

Far better to know what you are buying rather than press a few buttons and hope for the best. There is a lot of choice on line - almost everything one purchases is manufactured in China - but the greatest number of items are unbranded and sold direct from China at cheaper prices as they do not have to conform to all the criteria that is imposed by the EU. Items sold from Germany for instance are also manufactured in China, but these are far more expensive as they are made to specific regulations. But that does not mean that they are better quality. Good quality items are a rare commodity but it would be far more satisfying being able to choose in a shop as opposed to the internet.

I'm talking about reputable brands. Far more choice online.
Yes it would be more satisfying to buy immediately and locally but the choice is far to limited for my tastes.

[*concerned*]

, this said I don't food/grocery shop online.

Why not, NEW customers get a nice introductory discount, and the prices are the same as buying 'in store' then if you don't buy again for a while, you get another 'welcome back' discount voucher.

Most supermarkets on line service offer these discounts