My new shredder (from Amazon) packed up the other day. After spending the obligatory ten minutes cursing Amazon (as you do) I discovered that I had just blown the fuse! It's 13 amp for some reason as it's only a motor spinning but I discovered that I had none in stock. So I pillaged one from an extension lead and all good. I visit the local hardware shop for some fuse replacements. I know that they are closed on Saturday afternoons but I get there at ten to one and they normally shut for lunch between one and two - to give the overworked staff some rest! I get there at ten to one, but they are shut already! Turns out that on a Saturday - their potentially busiest day of the week - they shut at midday! Extrmely p1ssed off I do an internet search when I get home. "The Fuse Company" should be simple. I search for a domestic 13 amp fuse and ... nothing. So good ol' Amazon and bang! 13 amp fuses? No problem and they are ordered and, as is my norm, other stuff is ordered as well - which would of happened in my local hardware shop. Whilst I have no particular like of Amazon, they know how to sell. My local shops don't I would be surprised if that shop took more than £1000 per week. It cannot pay!
As is the norm on a Saturday, a steady stream of delivery vans about. The media is very concerned about the death of the High Street. I don't GAF!!!!!
Barbers, Nail Bars, Tattooists, Frothy, Skinny Coffee Barristers and Charity Shops will soon be all that‘s left on the High Street.
A 6mm cut bolt makes a perfectly good household plug fuse. Just be careful not to kill anyone or burn your house down.
Our family run a high street shop and it’s my wife’s livelihood, no wonder the towns are dying with your attitude, we open 7.30 to 5 six days a week and stock fuses.
To many shops with the word “Artisan” in them as well. What exactly is an Artisan Pumpkin Seed Soda Split Pan Loaf? and why does it cost £6? Give me a loaf of mighty white for 68p. Artisan my arse. Amazon, eBay and Ali Baba are the way forward.
Until there isn't really an alternative and they are in a monopoly... Then you might find yourself longing for the good 'ol days when you could go into town and collect everything you wanted/ needed, try it out and see if it fitted, or speak to someone who could actually give you advice.
To be honest your not helping the local shops, buy the shredder from Amazon and expect the local hardware store to be open for you to spend all that money on a bloody fuse
I see where you are coming from, however my local town, Bath, has terrible public transport from where I live, terrible traffic on the weekend, terrible and expensive parking facilities, shops that charge more for the same item you can get online, full of flying rats, charity worriers everywhere, it’s dirty, shall I go on! Unfortunately I for one, don’t want a “shopping experience” I know what I want and I go and buy it. convenience is and will always be king (or queen) “They” also already have a monopoly, the government saw to that when we were forced into lockdown which has destroyed out economy for the foreseeable future. Sorry if this hits small privately owned local businesses, I really am.
Nobody sells a shredder within 20 miles and I can't travel. I don't expect them to be open just for me but if they don't open then they sell nothing. Then they close down complaining that people don't shop local. I shop at my local Co-Op and they open 7 days per week from 6 'till 10 - no lunch closing. They employ lots of local people. So, for food, I can spend local and local people get jobs. The Co-Op gets it and thrive - hopefully stay thriving. The Post Office is also a One-Stop - same hours but not for the PO! These shops get it and are busy. It's dinosaurs like the hardware shop don't. If I could not shop locally then I would get deliveries from Tesco or Sainsbury. I don't use them now because I like to shop local. I just need some cooperation. If you can't buy a 13 amp fuse in Berkeley on a Saturday afternoon, then you can't blame people fro not shopping locally. If I had my car and a valid driving licence then I can go to Sainsburys or Tesco - all at least 5 miles away but I am happy to shop locally and still will once I get my driving license and a car. But if there are no shops, then I can't!
It was said tongue in cheek - to be honest remember when it was all shut Sunday and sometimes wish it still was ( except the pub ) I was bought up in local village shop, then a Tesco started a free bus service ! Not just the internet that has screwed local shops
Bath is a bit unusual but all right with me. I was working there in tu last but one job. I could go there by train from my local station without a change and when I started using the bike, I had free covered parking. And the A46 from Bath to the M4 is brilliant - once you learn where the speed vans hide!
Makes me laugh when people say support the high street. In a town in Dorset the local stationary supplier was banging on about paying a bit extra and supporting your local shop, he was seen in Asda buying his meat when there is a butcher on the high street. Best one was when the south Wales steel works was at risk of closing and they interviewed workers leaving the place. Their message was for the British car industry to buy their steel. They were interviewed in a Renault and an Audi.
I agree that when places like Tesco opened up they screwed local shops. But, I spent my early years in Chiswick, London and I remember most shops closing on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. They were ripe for being shafted by new shops coming in and opening 7 days per week with much longer hours. Supermarkets just understood finance better. They got it that to maximise their return on investment it made sense to open longer hours and have more choice.
Why would you waste time, fuel, pay OTT parking charges only to find the shop does not have what you want. I hardly ever go to the high street anymore for the above reasons. Add to that the chuggers, undesirables and scroungers. The whole high street experience has gone down the tubes. £1.99 on flea bay delivered, it’s a no brainier.
I used to be intrigued by the, "Got any spare change, mate?" How can money be spare? And I guess now with the "no cash only cards" era, beggars need a wi-fi connection and a card reader. I like progress!
Yes you should. Jobs, taxes, crime and environmental impacts all worsen as local shops close. Buy local, work local, live local.
