Author Topic: Is This The End Of Retail?  (Read 64738 times)

rogerzilla

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #75 on: 28 June, 2018, 08:22:18 am »
John Lewis now reporting zero first half earnings, waitrose store closures and massive upheavals.  Thevpartener bonus is down from ten to 5%.

I'd say retail is a bit like a Norwegian blue, sick, pining for the fjords etc
Never seen the appeal of John Lewis.  Overpriced and (with the exception of the blueberry muffins) Waitrose's food isn't good enough.  People can't afford it any more.
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ElyDave

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #76 on: 28 June, 2018, 08:25:46 am »
John Lewis customer service is excellent, their pricing is keen but not always the best, as always it's a trade off.
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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #77 on: 28 June, 2018, 08:37:19 am »
John Lewis now reporting zero first half earnings, waitrose store closures and massive upheavals.  Thevpartener bonus is down from ten to 5%.

I'd say retail is a bit like a Norwegian blue, sick, pining for the fjords etc
Never seen the appeal of John Lewis.  Overpriced and (with the exception of the blueberry muffins) Waitrose's food isn't good enough.  People can't afford it any more.

And, there you have at least 50% of the problem in a nutshell. Not having a go at you, rz, but for you and millions of others, it's all about price. But it isn't. JL customer service remains head and shoulders above the competition and their prices are keen when shopping at retail establishments. That's not a good enough combination, apparently. Tesco may be be cheaper than Waitrose, but their quality (especially of the cheap lines) is a bit shit, only exceeded in shittiness by the way they treat their suppliers.

I'm not having a go at those who truly need the lowest prices in order to survive, there's a place for that. But those who can afford to take responsibility for the quality of their food and service and choose on price alone get everything they deserve.

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #78 on: 28 June, 2018, 08:40:12 am »
Waitrose in Bristol is always full of students, which probably says as much about universities as about Waitrose.
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Jaded

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #79 on: 28 June, 2018, 09:10:33 am »
As Ham says, we’ve become obsessed with price, not value.

To get low prices you squeeze staff, suppliers, landlords, contractors. Fewer jobs, less meaningful jobs, fewer businesses, less local profit in the system.

Ouch.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #80 on: 28 June, 2018, 09:16:22 am »
Ham says:   Tesco may be be cheaper than Waitrose, but their quality (especially of the cheap lines)

The 'cheap lines' are there to create what I think is referred to as an illusion of choice. Tesco have three tiers of products  -  the normal brand, the cheap line which is branded something like Farm or whatever then the luxury line, Tesco Choice or something. From what I have read tis is a careful marketing strategy designed to make you feel better. It is not really to help you shop cheaply.

I beleive that you are MEANT to think that the value brand is not as good as the normal brand - even though they migth be identical.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #81 on: 28 June, 2018, 09:37:51 am »
Ham says:   Tesco may be be cheaper than Waitrose, but their quality (especially of the cheap lines)

The 'cheap lines' are there to create what I think is referred to as an illusion of choice. Tesco have three tiers of products  -  the normal brand, the cheap line which is branded something like Farm or whatever then the luxury line, Tesco Choice or something. From what I have read tis is a careful marketing strategy designed to make you feel better. It is not really to help you shop cheaply.

I beleive that you are MEANT to think that the value brand is not as good as the normal brand - even though they migth be identical.

That may be the case, in some cases it is likely there is little difference between basic and normal offerings however in some cases it is deffo crap. For purposes of comparison, I would pitch Waitrose "Essentials" range against the standard Tesco offerings, not the cheap ones. It's marketed as "affordable quality"; you can tell where it's aimed by virtue that things like "Essential avocado", "essential blueberries" and "essential asparagus" exist.

From my experience, Tesco standard items are exceedingly variable in quality, Waitrose far less so. I'm happy to pay that premium.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #82 on: 28 June, 2018, 01:13:45 pm »
John Lewis now reporting zero first half earnings, waitrose store closures and massive upheavals.  Thevpartener bonus is down from ten to 5%.

I'd say retail is a bit like a Norwegian blue, sick, pining for the fjords etc
Never seen the appeal of John Lewis.  Overpriced and (with the exception of the blueberry muffins) Waitrose's food isn't good enough.  People can't afford it any more.

They were the cheapest place for Tampax when I was a teenager, actually!

Their customer service and quality are good.

The almost 'once in a lifetime' stuff is very good.

But selling stuff which can last >20 years is unsustainable if people are tightening their belts.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #83 on: 28 June, 2018, 03:06:02 pm »
People aren't tightening their belts. They're buying on price alone.

I'd like to think I know something about buying (it's my job) and although price is a major consideration we should also look at the total cost of acquisition which includes service, maintenance and cost of disposal.

I don't find the death of historic retail a particularly bad thing. It's just changed. I don't miss C & A or BHS. Society is different and we get the 'High Street' or more likely 'Out Of Town Retail Park' we deserve.

I do almost all my buying from a keyboard. I've got dozens of things I'd rather do with my time than wander amongst the masses who do retail as entertainment.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #84 on: 28 June, 2018, 03:48:57 pm »
If they are buying at all. NOT buying trumps any purchase for me some of the time and I can't be alone.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #85 on: 29 June, 2018, 12:04:27 pm »
I can't blame people for going for price and convenience, despite whoever else is getting squeezed. Was looking at a particular book I wanted and checked on Amazon and Waterstones. Waterstones was £12.99 and could order free click and collect so could wander out from work on Monday and pick it up as close to a branch. Amazon was £5.99, and as have Prime membership for £3.99/month I could have it delivered for free to my house between 6-10 tonight if ordered before 12-00. When they can offer things that cheap, quick, and easy, then it's a pretty big pull to go online.

Jaded

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #86 on: 29 June, 2018, 12:07:03 pm »
How does that work out financially if you don't buy anything else for a year from Amazon?

It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #87 on: 29 June, 2018, 12:07:50 pm »
How does that work out financially if you don't buy anything else for a year from Amazon?



Rather well for Amazon.

Jaded

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #88 on: 29 June, 2018, 12:11:49 pm »
and of course, it also works out rather well for them if you think "I've paid for Prime, I might as well carry on shopping at Amazon."
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #89 on: 29 June, 2018, 12:14:00 pm »
The trick is to take advantage of their 'Try Amazon Prime for free for 30 days' offer.
The clever bit is remembering to cancel it before the 30 days is up.
I've done this twice so far.
I'll be surprised if they offer it to me for a third time.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #90 on: 29 June, 2018, 04:18:21 pm »
I'm still waiting for them to offer it to me a third time, it's been quite a few years now.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #91 on: 29 June, 2018, 04:35:28 pm »
Having lots of shops is an indicator, possibly a symptom, of a weak city centre.
Quote
So, that behind us, how do strong and weak centres differ? Basically, like this:



Click to expand.

Strong city centres have a nearly three times as big a share of space dedicated to offices (62 per cent, compared to 23 per cent in weak centres). They also have a far smaller share of space dedicated to retail (43 per cent, compared to 18 per cent).
https://www.citymetric.com/horizons/podcast-fat-land-4024
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ian

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #92 on: 29 June, 2018, 04:39:30 pm »
As ever, you get what you pay for. I fall for the dubious charms of Amazon too. When I had a Tidy Hair hair shaver fail a year back, a new Wahl head strimmer was in my paws on the same evening. I wanted some security cameras recently – I suppose I might have got them from Dixons (or whatever it's called these days) if they had them and in stock, but that last few times I've been they've not endeared me to return and if you want me to pay a premium, well, that's got to be tip top.

We buy big stuff (like TVs) from John Lewis. Decent service, delivery, you know you won't get quibbles if there's a problem, and it's nice to have the opportunity to go look at it before purchase. On that basis I'm willing to pay more. I could have gone and ordered the same product online for cheaper, but you know, if you want service aspect you have to support it. It's the same for the internet, I'll put up with some adverts because I'm not paying for the content. It has to be paid for somewhere.

Cheap always has a cost.

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #93 on: 27 August, 2018, 03:38:52 pm »
Shops might be dying but shopping isn't. In fact we're buying more than ever before, more than we know what to do with. Buying online is so easy, and so cheap for us thanks to cheap shipping and global cost differentials, and we can do it anytime from anywhere. We're buying more than ever before.
Quote
In 2017, Americans spent $240 billion—twice as much as they’d spent in 2002—on goods like jewelry, watches, books, luggage, and telephones and related communication equipment, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which adjusted those numbers for inflation. Over that time, the population grew just 13 percent. Spending on personal care products also doubled over that time period. Americans spent, on average, $971.87 on clothes last year, buying nearly 66 garments, according to the American Apparel and Footwear Association. That’s 20 percent more money than they spent in 2000. The average American bought 7.4 pairs of shoes last year, up from 6.6 pairs in 2000.
Buying 66 garments a year seems crazy but it's what people do. The figures in Europe might be less, though I doubt they're much less, but the pattern is the same. It's not only more than we need, it's more than there is room for, even secondhand:
Quote
Secondhand shops can’t resell all of the donations they get. Cline estimates that 85 percent of the clothing that is donated to secondhand stores ends up in landfills every year.
Perhaps we shouldn't feel so good, or at all good, about taking stuff to the charity shop.

This is all happening online, but physical shops are still with us. It's just that they're not for shopping anymore. They're all about creating experience, getting on to social media and "capturing an experience" or at least a momentary simulation of an experience, thus "connecting the in-store retail experience to a global market in real and virtual time and space." What this seems to result in is customers marketing brands as experiences.
Quote
Twitter or Instagram are most often used for product-release announcements and requests, then Venmo for point of sale, forging an entire movement of “social merchants” out of the infinite scroll of immaterial content. It’s almost like a virtual pushcart rolled up to the social-media services where buyers’ eyeballs spend most of their time anyway.

Well, maybe.
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CrinklyLion

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #94 on: 27 August, 2018, 05:40:07 pm »
One reason to buy electricals from John Lewis is that they offer a 2 year warranty as standard, and they price match so long as the cheaper price isn't from an online only seller.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #95 on: 25 October, 2018, 01:36:53 pm »
And now Debenhams is the latest department store to fall victim to over-expansion/becoming a showroom for Amazon.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45972428

What odds on Mike Ashley blowing Newcastle's transfer budget on buying them up and merging with House Of Sports/Fraser Direct?  :demon:
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #96 on: 25 October, 2018, 01:41:32 pm »
Not surprised. The last time I went in our local Debenhams was about two years ago when they had half-price jeans. It's a large building and it felt almost as dead as BHS, which was opposite, though Debenhams had customers under 60. The surprising thing in all this really is that Sports Direct itself hasn't died!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #97 on: 25 October, 2018, 03:04:24 pm »
In all of the mix above is income with many working people not having had a pay rise for some years, increased housing costs, hence declining spending power, and maxed out credit. Despite current RPI stats their reality is that out of London price inflation far exceeds quoted levels, so price becomes the overiding consideration.

The fleecing of the motorist via inner city parking also has a part to play. Its now upwards of £20 in Cambridge, for example, although park and ride is available.
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Torslanda

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #98 on: 25 October, 2018, 08:51:52 pm »
Significant - maybe - is the oft reported precursor to collapse that the retailer is attempting to renegotiate its rental agreement(s) with its landlord(s).

When did it become the thing for large companies to not own the real estate they trade from? And what particular brand of fucknugget decided it was a really jolly wheeze to sell the real estate assets so they could rent them instead?

VELOMANCER

Well that's the more blunt way of putting it but as usual he's dead right.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #99 on: 25 October, 2018, 08:54:35 pm »
Pert of the drive for short-term profits to satisfy shareholders.