shopping in the high street

[Hedgecutter]

12 hours ago, oaksoft said:

One of the major problems for town centres is that the opening hours for the shops have largely not changed in at least a century.

Shops can complain all they like about footfall but when they collectively open after everyone is at work and then close before anyone gets home from work you have to question their sanity.

Shops don't seem to have realised that women no longer stay at home when their husbands are working.  For about the last 30 years, there is therefore no meaningful footfall during the weekdays meaning the retail industry largely relies on Saturday shopping to stay alive.

I will never understand why shops and cafes don't routinely stay open until 10pm on weekdays.

Aberdeen has 'Thursday night shopping' in which shops seem to stay open until ~9pm, not sure if this is a standard thing elsewhere? 

Funnily enough, you'll see the place pretty busy as folk finish work and decide to go for a wander into the centre, which is exactly what I used to do when I worked within walking distance.  Would even pop into hmv, highlighting the dinosaur in me. 

I went into Aberdeen centre for the first time in a couple of months yesterday, and that was simply to catch a train.  That said, I don't think I've bought anything other than the standard weekly shop at the supermarket and the baker / butcher in the suburbs.  

[SlipperyP]

The guys further up on the thread that suggested high streets should have become a entertainment hub.

Who would go to these places?

Cinemas, bowling, ice rinks, pubs & restaurants, were all mentioned.  These places have been closing down, just as much as she high street shop.

People what I've noticed in the last few decades (UK) have become very introverted & would rather sit on the computer or phone for hours speaking to however, mostly people they have never or will ever meet.

Ye's are all fucked up to put it bluntly 

[Brother Blades]

The guys further up on the thread that suggested high streets should have become a entertainment hub.
Who would go to these places?
Cinemas, bowling, ice rinks, pubs & restaurants, were all mentioned.  These places have been closing down, just as much as she high street shop.
People what I've noticed in the last few decades (UK) have become very introverted & would rather sit on the computer or phone for hours speaking to however, mostly people they have never or will ever meet.
Ye's are all fucked up to put it bluntly 

I’d agree with this whole heartedly, as a massive sweeping generalisation (which in this case, I believe to be truly reflective), the UK population seems to have lost the “family” idea of spending time together, when I was young, Saturday was always spent with my parents doing things they couldn’t do through the working week - high street shopping, entertainment (shows, bowling etc), or very occasionally a meal at a restaurant- which was very rare & looked forward too by all.
Large chunks of Europe, the Middle East & South East Asia - which are my scope of reference, still tend to do family things when outside of normal working hours, therefore shops are busy, as are restaurants & entertainment venues. Every time I’m back in the UK everything is slowly dying.

[welshbairn]

I've given up buying clothes or footwear online, they seldom fit and I'm too lazy/forgetful to send them back. Or they just look shite compared to the online image. Cinemas should definitely be brought back to the centre of towns, bit of shopping, catch a film and go for a meal, instead of being stuck in an out of town car park not being able to drink. 

[welshbairn]

27 minutes ago, Brother Blades said:

I’d agree with this whole heartedly, as a massive sweeping generalisation (which in this case, I believe to be truly reflective), the UK population seems to have lost the “family” idea of spending time together, when I was young, Saturday was always spent with my parents doing things they couldn’t do through the working week - high street shopping, entertainment (shows, bowling etc), or very occasionally a meal at a restaurant- which was very rare & looked forward too by all.
Large chunks of Europe, the Middle East & South East Asia - which are my scope of reference, still tend to do family things when outside of normal working hours, therefore shops are busy, as are restaurants & entertainment venues. Every time I’m back in the UK everything is slowly dying.

Have to say I used to hate being dragged around the shops when I was a kid. That said, most places outside the UK or maybe Northern Europe tend to have all ages mixing together even fairly late at night, even if the youngest and oldest have dropped off. That's where the McCanns went wrong.

[D.A.F.C]

Flats pubs cafes restaurants and small supermarkets along with districts for specialist shops is the future imo.

[welshbairn]

5 minutes ago, D.A.F.C said:

Flats pubs cafes restaurants and small supermarkets along with districts for specialist shops is the future imo.

With covered markets for knock offs, repairs while you wait, phone unlocking and stuff you used to only find in Woolworths before they went sweeties and dvds.

[Jacksgranda]

1 hour ago, welshbairn said:

Have to say I used to hate being dragged around the shops when I was a kid. That said, most places outside the UK or maybe Northern Europe tend to have all ages mixing together even fairly late at night, even if the youngest and oldest have dropped off. That's where the McCanns went wrong.

You think it would have been a good idea to leave Gerry alone with the twins?

[Hillonearth]

I've heard quite a lot about the death of the high street  recently normally from the same dimwits who mourned the closure of Woolworths like it was a close relative but hadn't actually been inside one for a decade.

There seems to be some perception that actual businesses should continue to operate loss-making town centre locations as some sort of living museums - when it comes down to it, the paradigm of how we shop has fundamentally changed over the last decade or so and we can't have it both ways.

[Gaz FFC]

2 hours ago, MixuFixit said:

Poundland is closing down just to further underline the point...

Aren't they all?

Certainly ours shut a while back

[8MileBU]

The local council have taxed the shops so much in Dunfermline that even a McDonald’s closed.
Compared to the 1980s its chalk and cheese. Shithole full of deadbeats and junkies.

Falkirk in a nutshell except the High Street McDonalds is still open as far as I’m aware.

Falkirk High Street is an absolute dive and bizarrely there are hundreds of people who claim that all that needs to happen is for Primark to open and it will be saved.
They completely ignore the high probability that Primark would have no intention of opening a shop in a dead town.

There’s no good reason Falkirk High Street can’t still be a half-decent shopping hub. It’s all simply due to the Council’s ridiculous rent rates killing the chances of most traders making a profit. But when you compare shopping in similar-ish sized towns like Stirling and Livingston with Falkirk, they’re like chalk and cheese. It has to be said though, it seems like Stirling and Livingston are on a slow downward spiral as well now too.

However, as much as I’d like to see Falkirk thriving again, I really wish Exit & Quest would close down.

[Shotgun]

4 minutes ago, 8MileBU said:

There’s no good reason Falkirk High Street can’t still be a half-decent shopping hub. It’s all simply due to the Council’s ridiculous rent rates killing the chances of most traders making a profit. But when you compare shopping in similar-ish sized towns like Stirling and Livingston with Falkirk, they’re like chalk and cheese. It has to be said though, it seems like Stirling and Livingston are on a slow downward spiral as well now too.

 

Let's suppose the council set the rates at a reasonable level - whatever you deem that to be - which retailers do you think would be likely to set up shops on the High Street of Falkirk (or any other similar sized town.) Realistically, who do you think would be able to make a go of it?

[BFTD]

2 hours ago, MixuFixit said:

Went to the wee cake shop where I stock up on pastries for taking to work each week and he was complaining even Saturdays are deathly quiet.

Poundland is closing down just to further underline the point...

TBF, that's more to do with Mike Mulraney wanting to turn the building into another one of those modern dancehall venues that the youngsters like to visit, to do their jitterbugging and get their Charleston on.

Also, as Falkirk McDonalds has had a mention, that's easily the worst I've ever been in. Only a matter of time before it shutters too IMO.

[BFTD]

1 minute ago, MixuFixit said:

I heard it's becoming some drug dependency centre

Doesn't necessarily negate what I heard TBF.

[8MileBU]

Let's suppose the council set the rates at a reasonable level - whatever you deem that to be - which retailers do you think would be likely to set up shops on the High Street of Falkirk (or any other similar sized town.) Realistically, who do you think would be able to make a go of it?

I’ve no idea, but if some retailers can do alright in the likes of Stirling and Livi, I see no reason they couldn’t do so in Falkirk. But again, can see Stirling slowly going down the pan too.

[Gaz]

13 hours ago, 8MileBU said:

Falkirk in a nutshell except the High Street McDonalds is still open as far as I’m aware.

There’s no good reason Falkirk High Street can’t still be a half-decent shopping hub. It’s all simply due to the Council’s ridiculous rent rates killing the chances of most traders making a profit. But when you compare shopping in similar-ish sized towns like Stirling and Livingston with Falkirk, they’re like chalk and cheese. It has to be said though, it seems like Stirling and Livingston are on a slow downward spiral as well now too.

However, as much as I’d like to see Falkirk thriving again, I really wish Exit & Quest would close down.

 

Falkirk Council don't own many of the buildings in the town centre. They don't control the rents - landlords do. They don't control the rates - they are set nationally.

Also, I've never understood why people compare Falkirk Town Centre to Livingston. Livingston isn't a town centre.

[Gaz]

13 hours ago, MixuFixit said:

Councils would rather 1 business paid silly rates instead of 5 businesses paying sensible ones.

Business rates aren't set locally. They're set nationally. Local councils don't have any control over them.

[8MileBU]

Falkirk Council don't own many of the buildings in the town centre. They don't control the rents - landlords do. They don't control the rates - they are set nationally.
Also, I've never understood why people compare Falkirk Town Centre to Livingston. Livingston isn't a town centre.

Will take your word for it. Always just put it down to the Council due to the sheer amount of times I’ve heard “the council were charging too much”.

The Falkirk/Livi comparison is really pretty simple and a natural one to make in that they’re similar-ish sized shopping hubs, with many folk from Falkirk now heading to Livi since Falkirk’s deid.

The “I don’t get it, Livi’s not a town centre” chat is just silly nonsense though.

[Gaz]

25 minutes ago, 8MileBU said:

Will take your word for it. Always just put it down to the Council due to the sheer amount of times I’ve heard “the council were charging too much”.

The Falkirk/Livi comparison is really pretty simple and a natural one to make in that they’re similar-ish sized shopping hubs, with many folk from Falkirk now heading to Livi since Falkirk’s deid.

The “I don’t get it, Livi’s not a town centre” chat is just silly nonsense though.

 

I don't really see why it's silly nonsense. Falkirk is a town that's hundreds of years old and has clusters of residential and commercial buildings right on top of each other, narrow streets, parks, schools etc. within five minutes from the town centre.

Livingston (as a town) is fifty years old and doesn't have any of that - they've effectively had a clean slate to design a shopping district as they see fit, with an abundance of empty land to build on that Falkirk doesn't have.

[8MileBU]

I don't really see why it's silly nonsense. Falkirk is a town that's hundreds of years old and has clusters of residential and commercial buildings right on top of each other, narrow streets, parks, schools etc. within five minutes from the town centre.
Livingston (as a town) is fifty years old and doesn't have any of that - they've effectively had a clean slate to design a shopping district as they see fit, with an abundance of empty land to build on that Falkirk doesn't have.

They are both places with a similar amount of shops within a similar size area of land, only Falkirk’s are half empty. Whether one was purpose built for shopping or not is largely irrelevant.