Author Topic: Is This The End Of Retail?  (Read 64750 times)

Mr Larrington

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #325 on: 05 November, 2019, 12:47:07 pm »
Mothercare's international arm is doing just fine, though.  It's certainly a metaphor for Brexit, but then so is everything these days.
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rogerzilla

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #326 on: 05 November, 2019, 10:07:06 pm »
ELC also went a while back.  Given that people are still squeezing out rugrats, where are they buying stuff for them?
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Mrs Pingu

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #327 on: 05 November, 2019, 10:09:25 pm »
Can't you buy almost everything for offspring at a giant supermarket these days?
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Kim

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #328 on: 05 November, 2019, 10:10:04 pm »
Some combination of Poundland, Tescos and the Mega-Global Sounds-Like-A-River Corporation of Washington, USAnia?

ETA: Crosspost with Mrs Pingu

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #329 on: 05 November, 2019, 10:50:12 pm »
Home delivery was a godsend when my girls were small (though with twins, the amount of nappies we were getting through triggered some kind of alert with sounds-like-a-river-corp and they refused to sell us any more that month; they must have thought we were reselling them or something...)

telstarbox

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #330 on: 06 November, 2019, 07:08:56 am »
The local Facebook group does a thriving trade in parents selling their stuff on when it's no longer required.
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ian

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #331 on: 06 November, 2019, 09:17:08 am »
Can't you buy almost everything for offspring at a giant supermarket these days?

It seems fairly common for parents to just chuck their baby/child-stuff out on the pavement (or throw into a bush) once their offspring no longer needs it. Which always struck me as a bit bizarre, surely it has some resale value? Or do child seats and pushchairs become unfashionable?

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #332 on: 06 November, 2019, 10:04:35 am »
I think with child seats there's an element of safety panic: "But how do we know it isn't damaged and unsafe for poor little Tesla?" as well as objection from parents to other sprogs' wee and vomit. But they are or used to be a commonly stolen item from cars. Though that doesn't indicate they got sold on, just that they were objects in parked cars. It might even be the thieves who are dumping them in the bushes.
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Wowbagger

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #333 on: 06 November, 2019, 10:07:56 am »
The seat that my grandchildren sat in as very smalls was secondhand when we bought it for then, and was exceedingly threadbare when it was no longer needed.
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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #334 on: 06 November, 2019, 12:21:07 pm »
Selling on children's things is very much a middle class thing apparently.When we had children, we obtained clothes, etc secondhand on a frequent basis.  However if you were on benefits or low wage you bought new.  A pride thing and for those on benefits I think there was a grant as well

Kim

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #335 on: 06 November, 2019, 12:51:06 pm »
But they are or used to be a commonly stolen item from cars. Though that doesn't indicate they got sold on, just that they were objects in parked cars. It might even be the thieves who are dumping them in the bushes.

A friend's mum once had her car window broken.  All that was stolen was a roll of dog poo bags.  People will steal anything.

ian

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #336 on: 06 November, 2019, 12:58:32 pm »
It's rarely just a car seat, there's often a pile of toys etc. like their parents have declared an end to childhood right there and then. That's it, you're six now, go get a job in a call centre.

rogerzilla

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #337 on: 06 November, 2019, 01:06:22 pm »
But they are or used to be a commonly stolen item from cars. Though that doesn't indicate they got sold on, just that they were objects in parked cars. It might even be the thieves who are dumping them in the bushes.

A friend's mum once had her car window broken.  All that was stolen was a roll of dog poo bags.  People will steal anything.
If they'd been full bags, that would have been niche.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #338 on: 06 November, 2019, 01:16:28 pm »
It's rarely just a car seat, there's often a pile of toys etc. like their parents have declared an end to childhood right there and then. That's it, you're six now, go get a job in a call centre.
Eee, when I were a lad we had to call our own centre.

(I'll get my flat cap.)
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Mr Larrington

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #339 on: 06 November, 2019, 06:16:49 pm »
But they are or used to be a commonly stolen item from cars. Though that doesn't indicate they got sold on, just that they were objects in parked cars. It might even be the thieves who are dumping them in the bushes.

A friend's mum once had her car window broken.  All that was stolen was a roll of dog poo bags.  People will steal anything.
If they'd been full bags, that would have been niche.

Scaryduck, fotp, told the story of being held up at knifepoint (or more likely twigpoint) and being relieved of a small plastic bag from a jewellers shop.  Containing not, as he told the villains, Mrs Scaryduck's Christmas present, but rather a freshly-laid dog egg ;D
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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #340 on: 06 November, 2019, 07:15:01 pm »
ELC also went a while back.  Given that people are still squeezing out rugrats, where are they buying stuff for them?

Still available as a brand front The Entertainer stores, plus online.
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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #341 on: 08 November, 2019, 12:14:31 pm »
Chris is spot on. We can afford to buy new kids stuff but rarely do. Except the cloth nappies but some of these lasted two kids and got passed on. A family we know on universal credit want everything new.

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #342 on: 08 November, 2019, 12:26:56 pm »

Mrs Pingu

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #343 on: 08 November, 2019, 07:07:18 pm »
Mamas & papas too it seems
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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #344 on: 04 February, 2020, 01:26:10 pm »
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Woofage

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #345 on: 04 February, 2020, 02:16:31 pm »
The end is nigh...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51369413

Probably the layout and location. I went there once - it's tucked on the edge of the city (IIRC) and the parking is a bit crap.

Milton Keynes (not that far away for many potential customers) has a much more customer-friendly layout.
Pen Pusher

Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #346 on: 04 February, 2020, 04:24:56 pm »
Edge of the city centre - behind the market. Parking in Coventry city centre has long been crap.
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robgul

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #347 on: 04 February, 2020, 04:33:05 pm »
Yes the Ikea is in the centre of the ring road BUT has a very large multi-storey car park of its own with nifty indicator lights over all the spaces so you can see at a glance whether red for occupied or green for empty.

IIRC part of the reason that it's in the centre of the city is that Two Jags Prescott when he was minister of something or other dismissed the planning application for an edge/out of town location at Coventry/east side of Birmingham - with a view to forcing retail back into city centres.

Bit of a PITA for us as it's the nearest and easy to get to ..... must stock up on the pickled herrings before they close  :thumbsup:

Rob

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #348 on: 22 April, 2020, 07:37:57 pm »
Just heard that as of five weeks ago, the amount of all UK retail done online was only 10%. This compares to about 50% in China, which is apparently the world leader in this regard. Obviously both those figures will be higher now.
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Morat

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Re: Is This The End Of Retail?
« Reply #349 on: 22 April, 2020, 08:44:42 pm »
Yes, online is definitely booming right now. Local stores near me are trying to make do with telephone orders in sort of Call and Collect offer but it is hopelessly inefficient to ring products through the till and then call the customer to take a card payment. It might have worked fine when people paid their bills at the end of the month and the delivery boy would ride 20 miles on a single speed to bring your sausages... but Amazon are kicking ass more than ever before. Sadly.
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