Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote

> I don't get quite why a company that used to be very well used, gets to
> this
> stage.

They basically keep doing what used to work for them
and don't notice that the world keeps moving on.

They stuck with High Street stores and didnt notice
or couldn't afford to move to the big malls etc.

And as the business dropped off and they started making
losses, they eventually became so short of money that they
couldnt even pay their suppliers and the whole thing
essentially imploded financially.

> Maybe if all the customers who found it useful pooled their resources
> we could buy it.

But it would still go broke anyway.

> Maybe it was the supply issue that was the underlying issue
> here. If suppliers wanted them to by larger amounts to get a price break,
> and they were unwilling to increase their shelf pricing, it would in
> effect
> die due to lack of stock.

That wasnt the problem.

> There is a for instance going on with a well known Korean company who
> makes
> Roberts products, where they want bigger orders of one particular
> product to
> carry on with a new batch, than can be afforded. The Charity which sells
> and
> loans the product to blind people cannot afford the investment, and
> unless
> they can secure funding, the model will die.
> Its useful to the niche blind market because it has vhf and dab, a cd
> mp3
> player, a cassette recorder and slots for ramsticks and sd cards making
> it
> of use for all kinds of talking books and the like.
> So unless they can raise the funds no more will be made and folk well
> have
> to buy separate devices for each. The selling cost at the moment is over
> 200
> quid, but if you bought these bits separately, I fear the cost would be
> significantly greater.
> Brian

On Fri, 04 Aug 2023 20:01:45 +1000, Colin Bignell
<cpb@bignellremovethis.me.uk> wrote:

> On 04/08/2023 09:45, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>> On 04/08/2023 09:15, Colin Bignell wrote:
>>> On 04/08/2023 03:09, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>>> On 03/08/2023 21:03, Colin Bignell wrote:
>>>>> On 03/08/2023 20:13, Scott wrote:
>>>>>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 19:51:40 +0100, Mark Carver
>>>>>> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 03/08/2023 17:06, Scott wrote:
>>>>>>>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 16:56:09 +0100, Andy Burns
>>>>>>>> <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Likely into administration at least
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me,
>>>>>>>>> but
>>>>>>>>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly
>>>>>>>>> off-beat
>>>>>>>>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
>>>>>>>> I like them too. When I wanted electrical cable by the metre,
>>>>>>>> they
>>>>>>>> were about the only place that sold it.
>>>>>>> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains
>>>>>>> flex. I'd
>>>>>>> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
>>>>>>> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the
>>>>>>> flex !
>>>>>>> I phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't
>>>>>>> get
>>>>>>> what the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm a fan too of Wilkos. I've always regarded them as the 21st
>>>>>>> Century's
>>>>>>> version of Woolies.
>>>>>>> Sad to see them go, though my local branch has had very bare
>>>>>>> shelves
>>>>>>> since Covid.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The guy I heard on the radio seemed fairly confident they can keep
>>>>>> negotiating while in administration and that there are interested
>>>>>> buyers out there.
>>>>>
>>>>> It seems to be a cash flow problem. By going into administration,
>>>>> they get a bit more time to sort out investors or a buyer.
>>>>>
>>>> I would say that they are not a business that has a market any more..
>>>> The internet has destroyed most of the high street,
>>>
>>> Their competitors, like Poundland and B&M, are still doing well.
>>>
>> Are they?
>
> According to the analysts being asked by the media why Wilko is failing.
> They claim that failure to address the competition from them is what has
> caused Wilko to run into trouble.
>
>> I cant say I ever have any reason to go in any of them.
>
> My late partner was very fond of Poundland and Wilko, but they have
> never attracted me. She always liked the idea of getting a bargain,
> while I always thought the quality was poor.
>
>> Shops that simply weren't/aren't worth visiting that used to be regular
>> haunts, back in the day...
>> Woolworths
>
> There is still one of those in Strasbourg, but the continental arm was a
> separate business anyway.
>
>> W H Smiths.
>> John Lewis
>> Marks and Spencers.
>
> I sometimes visit M&S if looking for something specific. I got a nice
> grey fleece and a long padded coat there last winter. However, I usually
> buy from them online. I am a popular size for trousers, so they have
> usually sold out if I go into the shop, and the shops have a limited
> range of longer shirts for tall men.
>
>> I still go to Waterstones a bit though.
>
> There is nothing quite the same as browsing the shelves of a good book
> store.

I have given up on physical books, much prefer kindles etc. Much more
convenient.

>> B & Q very rarely.
>> About the only two shops I tend to visit apart from supermarkets are
>> Homebase and Halfords. They are pricey, but next door to one another.
>> With very easy free parking.
>> I used the local builders merchants when I have a job on, but by and
>> large everything else is online.
>> It's way faster to get exactly what you want.

> Online does, however, need a credit or debit card and there are people
> who can't easily get one of those.

Don't believe that with debit cards.

>> I don't mourn the crap end of the high street. Turn it into hipster
>> accommodation and cafés.
>> Amazon, Aliexpress and ebay are the new market towns...
>> I am faced with a possible 6 weeks of being unable to drive post
>> operation later this year. Thank Clapton the supermarkets will deliver.
>
> You have my sympathy. I had a similar problem after my heart operation,
> but then I still had employees, who were willing to run errands for me
> and to drive me about (during working hours).

On Fri, 04 Aug 2023 20:15:02 +1000, charles <charles@candehope.me.uk>
wrote:

> In article <uaiguh$17ki0$1@dont-email.me>, Brian Gaff
> <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I don't get quite why a company that used to be very well used, gets to
>> this stage. Maybe if all the customers who found it useful pooled their
>> resources we could buy it. Maybe it was the supply issue that was the
>> underlying issue here. If suppliers wanted them to by larger amounts to
>> get a price break, and they were unwilling to increase their shelf
>> pricing, it would in effect die due to lack of stock. There is a for
>> instance going on with a well known Korean company who makes Roberts
>> products, where they want bigger orders of one particular product to
>> carry on with a new batch, than can be afforded. The Charity which sells
>> and loans the product to blind people cannot afford the investment, and
>> unless they can secure funding, the model will die. Its useful to the
>> niche blind market because it has vhf and dab, a cd mp3 player, a
>> cassette recorder and slots for ramsticks and sd cards making it of use
>> for all kinds of talking books and the like. So unless they can raise
>> the
>> funds no more will be made and folk well have to buy separate devices
>> for
>> each. The selling cost at the moment is over 200 quid, but if you bought
>> these bits separately, I fear the cost would be significantly greater.

> I suspect art of their problem is having too many shops full of stock.

They actually have the reverse problem, empty shelves because
their suppliers require cash up front before they will supply.

> That ties up a significant amount of capital. There was once a firm in
> Guildford (Dennis) who made fire engines, but they had too much money in
> spare parts for older products. They, too, went bust.

On Fri, 04 Aug 2023 20:55:59 +1000, Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk>
wrote:

> On Fri, 4 Aug 2023 11:01:45 +0100, Colin Bignell
> <cpb@bignellREMOVETHIS.me.uk> wrote:
>>> Woolworths
>>
>> There is still one of those in Strasbourg, but the continental arm was a
>> separate business anyway.
>>
> I believe they are alive and well in Australia.

Yes, but that has nothing to do with the UK Woolworths,
just happens to share the same name.

On Fri, 04 Aug 2023 21:00:57 +1000, Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk>
wrote:

> On Fri, 4 Aug 2023 03:09:31 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
> <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On 03/08/2023 21:03, Colin Bignell wrote:
>>> On 03/08/2023 20:13, Scott wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 19:51:40 +0100, Mark Carver
>>>> <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 03/08/2023 17:06, Scott wrote:
>>>>>> On Thu, 3 Aug 2023 16:56:09 +0100, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Likely into administration at least
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me,
>>>>>>> but
>>>>>>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly
>>>>>>> off-beat
>>>>>>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
>>>>>> I like them too. When I wanted electrical cable by the metre, they
>>>>>> were about the only place that sold it.
>>>>> I ended up at Wilkos to buy a 5 metre length of 0.75mm^2 mains flex.
>>>>> I'd
>>>>> ordered 5 metres from CPC (as part of another order)
>>>>> What turned up in the box were Qty 5 , one metre lengths of the flex
>>>>> !
>>>>> I phoned to complain, the bloke in customer services just didn't get
>>>>> what the problem was, saying it was supplied per metre !
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm a fan too of Wilkos. I've always regarded them as the 21st
>>>>> Century's
>>>>> version of Woolies.
>>>>> Sad to see them go, though my local branch has had very bare
>>>>> shelves
>>>>> since Covid.
>>>>
>>>> The guy I heard on the radio seemed fairly confident they can keep
>>>> negotiating while in administration and that there are interested
>>>> buyers out there.
>>>
>>> It seems to be a cash flow problem. By going into administration, they
>>> get a bit more time to sort out investors or a buyer.
>>>
>> I would say that they are not a business that has a market any more. The
>> internet has destroyed most of the high street, and if the gummint had
>> any sense they would start changing the shops into cheap accommodation
>
> I still think there is a lot to be said for walking through the
> entrance, buying what you need and leaving through the exit - compared
> with ordering online and guessing when it might arrive,

Most have full tracking now.

> where it is
> likely to be left, whether it gets stolen, whether it is damaged in
> transit, whether it fits and whether it is what you wanted in the
> first place.

On Fri, 04 Aug 2023 21:15:51 +1000, SH <i.love@spam.com> wrote:

> On 04/08/2023 11:57, Robin wrote:
>> On 04/08/2023 10:45, SH wrote:
>>> On 04/08/2023 10:27, Brian Gaff wrote:
>>>> Ah but you were taking the piss, this is a problem of ambiguous
>>>> tagging of
>>>> items.
>>>> Even Amazon say things like 1 off, then a length choice. If they
>>>> had done
>>>> that then it would be obvious what you wanted.
>>>> Brian
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> how is this taking the piss? I gave the customer *exactly* what he
>>> asked for......
>> You sure?
>> Chippies advertise a price for "chips". In ordinary usage that is
>> using "chips" to mean an amount (undefined on the list) of chips. So
>> when someone asks for "2 chips" they are asking for "2 of the amount of
>> chips for which you charge...".
>> Your interpretation of "2 chips" only makes sense if, when customers
>> asked for "chips", you presented them with one chip. I doubt you'd
>> have kept your job (or in some chippies your teeth) for long.
>>
>
>
> Well the customer should have said 2 portions of chips in the first
> place!

You shouldnt have played childish silly buggers.

On 04/08/2023 11:11, Andy Burns wrote:
> Bob Eager wrote:
>
>> Homebase [...] it's been useless for years.
> They do carry some HG products that B&Q don't, and Really Useful Boxes,
> that's all I've bought there in ages.
I use it because its very convenient
- they sell a huge range of LED bulbs
- they are very good on tools
- they sell a reasonable amount of herbicides for the garden
- they have a decent range of hardware, which is hard to find these days.
- some of their bathroom kit is useful
I haven't been in B & Q for year simply because i dont have an easy to
get to one.

--
“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the
other is to refuse to believe what is true.”

—Soren Kierkegaard

On 04/08/2023 11:07, Andy Burns wrote:
>
> Colin Bignell wrote:
>
>> I sometimes visit M&S [...] I am a popular size for trousers, so they
>> have usually sold out if I go into the shop
> I'm an unpopular size for trousers, they've usually sold out of those too.
Its a vicious circle. They less they sell of anything the less they want
to hold it in stock. It is now getting to the stage where stuff is
manufactured to order...

--
Climate is what you expect but weather is what you get.
Mark Twain

On 04/08/2023 14:03, Max Demian wrote:
>>
>> I still think there is a lot to be said for walking through the
>> entrance, buying what you need and leaving through the exit - compared
>> with ordering online and guessing when it might arrive, where it is
>> likely to be left, whether it gets stolen, whether it is damaged in
>> transit, whether it fits and whether it is what you wanted in the
>> first place.
>
> +1

Depends on how much extra that privilege costs you.
driving into town and back is at least a couple of quid, more if you
need to pay for parking.

And the same if you need to return the product.

I get massively accurate delivery dates fir online goods. And its
getting better.
If I really want it tomorrow, amazon will, for a price, guarantee that.

The couriers now pretty much know where I live and small items go in the
letter box. Large ones ? They ring the bell or leave it in the woodshed

I use it because it all works for me, in my location. Which is rural.
Obviously if you live in a crime ridden tower block, things might be
different

--
In a Time of Universal Deceit, Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act.

- George Orwell

On Thursday, 3 August 2023 at 16:56:13 UTC+1, Andy Burns wrote:
> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

Just been reading that Boots (the chemist) are quietly closing a few stores. Even our local village store has been unable to dispense prescriptions on a few days because no pharmacist turned up to work. Is this indicative of a problem developing?

On 05/08/2023 07:41, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 04/08/2023 11:07, Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>> Colin Bignell wrote:
>>
>>> I sometimes visit M&S [...] I am a popular size for trousers, so they
>>> have usually sold out if I go into the shop
>> I'm an unpopular size for trousers, they've usually sold out of those
>> too.
> Its a vicious circle. They less they sell of anything the less they want
> to hold it in stock. It is now getting to the stage where stuff is
> manufactured to order...
>

There is possibly still a supply chain problem from Covid.

Many of the discount type stores until very recently seemed to be out of
stock of no-name brand products and in the interim were stocking branded
products which were more expensive.

I went into Matalan a few months ago and the trouser racks were full -
but only sizes 30 and 32 inches. Only recently have they had a full
range of sizes.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 05/08/2023 07:24, Rod Speed wrote:

> Most have full tracking now.

Royal Mail tracking
The item has been dispatched
The item has been delivered - but to somewhere random.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

loved their bike tyres and nuts and bolts by weight

On 5.8.23 8:48 am, John J wrote:
> On Thursday, 3 August 2023 at 16:56:13 UTC+1, Andy Burns wrote:
>> Likely into administration at least
>>
>> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>>
>> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
>> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
>> items without waiting for internet delivery ...
>
> Just been reading that Boots (the chemist) are quietly closing a few stores. Even our local village store has been unable to dispense prescriptions on a few days because no pharmacist turned up to work. Is this indicative of a problem developing?

It is already well developed. I haven't the exact figures, but Boots
have already closed a lot and are scheduled to close another 300.
Lloyd's amd Boots have already closed large numbers (300ish each?) on
the High Streets, and the 237 Lloyd's pharmacies in Sainsbury's now in
process of closing. Large numbers of independent pharmacies are closing
and have been for many years - mine was one that was forced to move into
the local surgery to survive, albeit in a different form, to avoid going
down the pan completely. There are plans for hub and spoke dispensing
that will close many more.

https://tinyurl.com/24xay69c

Successive governments of both flavours are closing as many pharmacies
as possible by cutting their payments to uneconomic levels to save money
so that they can employ more useless civil servants to administer what
is left of the broken service.

--
Tetbury, Gloucestershire , UK

Licentiae, quam stulti libertatem vocabant - Tacitus

On 05/08/2023 02:08, Rod Speed wrote:
> Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote
>
>> I don't get quite why a company that used to be very well used, gets
>> to this
>> stage.
>
> They basically keep doing what used to work for them
> and don't notice that the world keeps moving on.
>
> They stuck with High Street stores and didnt notice
> or couldn't afford to move to the big malls etc.

The 'high street' tried big malls and these are the ones with 50% vacant
shops and/or are dying.

What seems popular where I live is small retail parks within the town
where people can either drive or walk to. Free parking for cars rather
than expensive high street parking charges.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} ut

On 05/08/2023 08:48, John J wrote:

>
> Just been reading that Boots (the chemist) are quietly closing a few stores. Even our local village store has been unable to dispense prescriptions on a few days because no pharmacist turned up to work. Is this indicative of a problem developing?

Boots in my town had two large stores in the high street
plus a couple more Opticians and hearing aid providers.

They have rationalised by closing stores.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 03 Aug 2023 at 16:56:09 BST, "Andy Burns" <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

> Likely into administration at least
>
> <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66395824>
>
> It's funny, none of their shops are amazingly convenient for me, but
> they often turn out to be the one place you can buy slightly off-beat
> items without waiting for internet delivery ...

The Times today says that they've not been paying their business taxes
recently, and that the bailiffs are likely to turn up soon.

--
All of science is either physics or stamp-collecting.

Ernest Rutherford

On 5.8.23 10:53 am, alan_m wrote:
> On 05/08/2023 02:08, Rod Speed wrote:
>> Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote
>>
>>> I don't get quite why a company that used to be very well used, gets
>>> to this
>>> stage.
>>
>> They basically keep doing what used to work for them
>> and don't notice that the world keeps moving on.
>>
>> They stuck with High Street stores and didnt notice
>> or couldn't afford to move to the big malls etc.
>
> The 'high street' tried big malls and these are the ones with 50% vacant
> shops and/or are dying.
>
> What seems popular where I live is small retail parks within the town
> where people can either drive or walk to. Free parking for cars rather
> than expensive high street parking charges.
>

That's one of the main problems these days. No parking, no business. The
local council here keep pushing up the parking charges (in the rare
cases where there /is/ any parking) to fund more assistance schemes for
perverts and weirdos (Liberal controlled, of course). The latest one (in
an area with a very high elderly population) is to have paybyphone and
card only parking so the old folk (and many younger ones, we have
observed) have no idea how to operate them and so go to somewhere with
free parking - around here that is usually well out of town. Most places
can't be reached by bus - mainly because we don't have any bus services
to speak of.

--
Tetbury, Gloucestershire , UK

Licentiae, quam stulti libertatem vocabant - Tacitus

On 5.8.23 11:02 am, alan_m wrote:
> On 05/08/2023 08:48, John J wrote:
>
>>
>> Just been reading that Boots (the chemist) are quietly closing a few stores. Even our local village store has been unable to dispense prescriptions on a few days because no pharmacist turned up to work. Is this indicative of a problem developing?
>
> Boots in my town had two large stores in the high street
> plus a couple more Opticians and hearing aid providers.
>
> They have rationalised by closing stores.
>
>

There is economic sense to the companies in rationalising, but it
creates a huge sociological problem when large numbers of folk are thus
rendered much further away from their nearest pharmacy. More to the
point, with hub and spoke dispensing and thus often with no pharmacists
running the spokes, they are left further away from their nearest
pharmacist - who is becoming more and more needed now it takes an
eternity to get to see a GP doctor. You have no idea how glad I am to be
retired from pharmacy and not a part of all this damage to what was once
an excellent service to the public.

--
Tetbury, Gloucestershire , UK

Licentiae, quam stulti libertatem vocabant - Tacitus

On 5.8.23 11:09 am, Bob Henson wrote:
> On 5.8.23 10:53 am, alan_m wrote:
>> On 05/08/2023 02:08, Rod Speed wrote:
>>> Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote
>>>
>>>> I don't get quite why a company that used to be very well used, gets
>>>> to this
>>>> stage.
>>>
>>> They basically keep doing what used to work for them
>>> and don't notice that the world keeps moving on.
>>>
>>> They stuck with High Street stores and didnt notice
>>> or couldn't afford to move to the big malls etc.
>>
>> The 'high street' tried big malls and these are the ones with 50% vacant
>> shops and/or are dying.
>>
>> What seems popular where I live is small retail parks within the town
>> where people can either drive or walk to. Free parking for cars rather
>> than expensive high street parking charges.
>>
>
> That's one of the main problems these days. No parking, no business. The
> local council here keep pushing up the parking charges (in the rare
> cases where there /is/ any parking) to fund more assistance schemes for
> perverts and weirdos (Liberal controlled, of course). The latest one (in
> an area with a very high elderly population) is to have paybyphone and
> card only parking so the old folk (and many younger ones, we have
> observed) have no idea how to operate them and so go to somewhere with
> free parking - around here that is usually well out of town. Most places
> can't be reached by bus - mainly because we don't have any bus services
> to speak of.
>

P.S. Just saw this one. Whilst the drivers are being a tad cheeky
admittedly, fining them £100 for parking in the "two hours" free park
and walking across the road to another shopping centre is one of the
worst example of the unmitigated greed of big business that I have ever
seen. No wonder shoppers avoid them and head out of town.

https://tinyurl.com/2dxz7orh

--
Tetbury, Gloucestershire , UK

Licentiae, quam stulti libertatem vocabant - Tacitus

On Sat, 05 Aug 2023 11:36:29 +0100, Bob Henson wrote:

> P.S. Just saw this one. Whilst the drivers are being a tad cheeky
> admittedly, fining them £100 for parking in the "two hours" free park
> and walking across the road to another shopping centre is one of the
> worst example of the unmitigated greed of big business that I have ever
> seen. No wonder shoppers avoid them and head out of town.
>
> https://tinyurl.com/2dxz7orh

The silly thing is that both shopping centres are run by the same
organisation.

--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

On 05/08/2023 11:02, alan_m wrote:
> On 05/08/2023 08:48, John J wrote:
>
>>
>> Just been reading that Boots (the chemist) are quietly closing a few
>> stores. Even our local village store has been unable to dispense
>> prescriptions on a few days because no pharmacist turned up to work.
>> Is this indicative of a problem developing?
>
> Boots in my town had two large stores in the high street
> plus a couple more Opticians and hearing aid providers.
>
> They have rationalised by closing stores.

Yes. We still have four within a radius of two miles though. One in the
local town centre, another a mile away on a small retail park, another
1/2 a mile from that in a massive shopping centre and a fourth, 2 miles
from the first, in a smaller shopping centre.

Pharmacies are needed local to people, but I'm not sure that four full
retail stores are.

On 05/08/2023 07:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 04/08/2023 14:03, Max Demian wrote:
>>>
>>> I still think there is a lot to be said for walking through the
>>> entrance, buying what you need and leaving through the exit - compared
>>> with ordering online and guessing when it might arrive, where it is
>>> likely to be left, whether it gets stolen, whether it is damaged in
>>> transit, whether it fits and whether it is what you wanted in the
>>> first place.
>>
>> +1
>
> Depends on how much extra that privilege costs you.
> driving into town and back is at least a couple of quid, more if you
> need to pay for parking.
>
> And the same if you need to return the product.
>
> I get massively accurate delivery dates fir online goods. And its
> getting better.
> If I really want it tomorrow, amazon will, for a price, guarantee that.
>
> The couriers now pretty much know where I live and small items go in the
> letter box. Large ones ? They ring the bell or leave it in the woodshed
>
> I use it because it all works for me, in my location. Which is rural.
> Obviously if you live in a crime ridden tower block, things might be
> different

Although, if you live somewhere where deliveries are problematic, you
can always specify that the goods are delivered to a local collection
point - usually a local shop, sub-post office or set of lockers - for
you to collect at your convenience ... and without struggling into a
town centre where the closest shop for what you are buying might be.

On 05/08/2023 07:37, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 04/08/2023 11:11, Andy Burns wrote:
>> Bob Eager wrote:
>>
>>> Homebase [...] it's been useless for years.
>> They do carry some HG products that B&Q don't, and Really Useful
>> Boxes, that's all I've bought there in ages.
> I use it because its very convenient
> - they sell a huge range of LED bulbs
> - they are very good on tools
> - they sell a reasonable amount of herbicides for the garden
> - they have a decent range of hardware, which is hard to find these days.
> - some of their bathroom kit is useful
> I haven't been in B & Q for year simply because i dont have an easy to
> get to one.

I'm lucky. I have a B&Q warehouse, a Screwfix, a Toolstation, a plumbers
merchants a timber yard, a steel yard, plus a couple of local hardware
shops, two car parts shops and two car parts wholesalers, within 2.5 miles.

On 05/08/2023 10:53, alan_m wrote:
> On 05/08/2023 02:08, Rod Speed wrote:
>> Brian Gaff <brian1gaff@gmail.com> wrote
>>
>>> I don't get quite why a company that used to be very well used, gets
>>> to this
>>> stage.
>>
>> They basically keep doing what used to work for them
>> and don't notice that the world keeps moving on.
>>
>> They stuck with High Street stores and didnt notice
>> or couldn't afford to move to the big malls etc.
>
> The 'high street' tried big malls and these are the ones with 50% vacant
> shops and/or are dying.
>
> What seems popular where I live is small retail parks within the town
> where people can either drive or walk to. Free parking for cars rather
> than expensive high street parking charges.
>
Yes, that's what I have that I use in preference to the high street.
Homebase, Halfords and a Burger Kings., plus some other shops I don't use.

Anther one with Wickes and Tescos pretty much adjacent, and an
industrial estate with builders merchants and tyre fitters and the usual
plumb base and screw fix etc.

High street is for cafés and bookshops and that's about it...
Prescription drugs come from the surgery, and most of the off
prescription stuff is now available in the supermarkets.

I still use Boots for glasses though.

--
New Socialism consists essentially in being seen to have your heart in
the right place whilst your head is in the clouds and your hand is in
someone else's pocket.