General Chat

I agree with you caroline.Making big bucks is all they worry about for as long as possible.
You are right eventually, the scales will tip.
The majority of us will never earn big bonuses and will generally spend what we can afford on everyday living. Only the rich few take several holidays a year and don't worry about paying the bills.
But I happen to think us ordinary folk are a lot more content with our lives and a lot happier.

Florence in the hebrides

In a nutshell oversea factories are cheaper labour and no one likes to spend more than they have to....but....at some point it will tip and if "normal" people aren't earning they can't spend....business heads don't care about tomorrow they just "worry" about their big bonuses today.....of course I know I'll be told in detail how wrong I am...

Inverness has an indoor shopping centre as well as a pedestrianised walk. However last time I visited back in the early summer, I noticed in the food hall many outlets had shut including, pizza,spud u like, and all that was left was KFC. many units were empty too.
The shops that are there really are not for me. many are specialist and therefore not the kind that you would visit very often.The rents are extremely high and so one imagines that out of high season, these shops don't make enough to pay the rent and take a wage.
Outside of the centre, of course there are pound shops, market shops and charity shops and have to say these are always busy busy.
In general people are on such a tight budget these days, that people shop to save pennies.

Yes we can shop online but you have to pay postage and not always cheapest either.
We talk about this generation of youngsters being referred to as the indoor generation but the more people shopping online will also not need to venture outside.
My dad is 82 and an electrical engineer. Everyday hes off out working for someone doing a few jobs and keeping his brain busy and earning a few pennies the old fashion way getting his hands dirty.
I think its terribly sad seeing companies shutting down after years and years.

Florence in the hebrides

Indispensable eh?

I remember the shock of driving through Lagness and realizing the Lec water tower was gone. That was a shock, didn't know where I was going after that.

Lec closed in mid 2007. Jan. 2007 they phoned me asking me to return until it closed.

Have they been gone that long?

Hi Sharron, my claim to fame...…. I was the last person to retire from Lec in 2006.

It is not just shops.

I don't really understand our economy these days although I am sure I know who can explain it all to me!

The Shripney bye-pass in Bognor used to be end to end with factories and workshops, Lec, Hall and Golding wire goods, and many more. Now there is a Tesco, Sainsbury, Lidl, the ubiquitous golden arches and Burglar King.

There appears to be endless places to spend but nowhere to earn.

How the hell does that work then?

Debenhams seemed to be doing ok today Ann. I always have a look at the customers /
lay out in shops even if I'm not buying, old habits die hard! 'The Entertainer' has taken over part of where BHS was, so went in there to have a look at what ELC stock they carried now, having bought ELC from Mothercare. Not a large amount was the answer, and no Brio train sets. :-( My former assistant manager writes every Christmas so we reminisce about our time there.

Sad isn’t it? All town centres seem to be the same. Ours isn’t doing too bad an upmarket German shoe shop has just opened where HMV recently closed. And both Klass and M&Co have not long opened but our flagship store is Debenhams, a huge store on four floors. We also have a closed and empty BHS.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50825483

'The Book People' has gone into administration.

I have been looking at House of Fraser each time I have gone into town lately, and there are so few people going in, today being no exception, even though the centre itself was busy. I can't see the branch lasting far into 2020. But what does a shopping centre do with the largest shop there, 2 floors?

Mothercare gone almost, who's next? We don't seem likely to be a "Nation of shopkeepers " for much longer.