As I was listening to the radio yesterday
and heard that Barratt's and Price-less had gone to the wall it occurred to me:

Most of the places that have gone tits up were shit anyway.

The high street will be a better place with out these shitholes churning out crap.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 8:41, 12 replies)

^ This
I've only ever once ordered anything from MFI.

It was a desk, and instead they sent me half a desk, and a child's bed. It took three weeks to arrive, and then another three weeks to get the rest of it to turn up so I could finish the desk.

I still have the bed, I built it one day to pass the time.
(Gazebo will eat you on, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 8:52, closed)

Yup
Not one of the failed retailers currently exiting the high street has had my custom in years - if ever.

Fuck 'em and their shit shoes.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 8:56, closed)

yeah but
the gaps on the high street will be derelict shops, on which the landlords won't be able to pay the mortgage and the rates, and will either let to even shittier short term lets - you know, the kind of shop that opens with a closing down sale - or get repossessed.

then the better retailers will pull out and take their business to faceless malls, rather than the high streets. and gradually the village and town high streets will die off, leaving empty town centres.

i am spending my working life negotiating surrenders and forfeitures at the moment. it's not looking good!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 9:00, closed)

in an entirely selfish manner
It's made bugger all difference in Exeter, so I don't really mind!
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 9:10, closed)

^^^
Although just up the road in Tiverton the high street is looking a bit quiet now Woolworths, Threshers and I suspect soon the shoe shop are gone.

Mind you, it's a nice Devon market town so I'm happy to live here and have a nice quiet high street :)
(golddust QOTW now revolves around being a cunt, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 9:14, closed)

aye, but then
you get the squatters moving in and trashing the place.

although.

i get at least one squatter action a month, and some of them look like pretty good parties!!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 9:24, closed)

hehe, action
:-)

golddust: didn't realise you were local. although I try and steer clear of places in Devon and Somerset that begin with T....
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 10:41, closed)

But
if all these 'identikit' businesses move out of the city centres then rent prices will have to come down to attract new businesses, this could then encourage local business people to open shops in the city and village centres, giving a lot of towns their own character back?
(Fuckarma was masturbating into your handbag, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 10:34, closed)

i'd love to agree with that
but sadly most shoppers will head in their thoughtless squealing stopping in the middle of the road droves to malls. and the giant landlords of those malls can afford huge rent free and fit out cost contributions to encourage tenants, whereas locals can't.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 10:52, closed)

on the other hand...
pay an arm and a leg to park in a town centre carpark, walk in the pissing rain from one side of town to the other to visit the 2 shops that sell what I want, only to find they are closed at midday on Wednesdays or 5.30 any other day.(Still the case in Chesterfield)

Or drive 15 minutes to Meadowhall, park for free, be nice and dry and choose from a dozen shops at 8.00 at night.

Sometimes town centre shops don't help themselves.
(turtles head is touching cloth poked a dwarf on the forehead at, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 19:24, closed)

Yeah but
Pound a bag man makes it all worthwhile!
(cherrynicola, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 20:48, closed)

Agreed
This is the first thing that came to my mind when Woolworths kicked the bucket. The vast majority of what they sold was available elsewhere for less. Sure I used to love getting Pick'n'Mix from there as a young 'un but businesses can't survive on nostalgia alone.

Now if only Argos would follow suit, for it is the King of nothing shops.
(rich.cicatriz should be doing something more constructive on, Tue 27 Jan 2009, 19:24, closed)