Where have all the shops gone?

I went to Bangor earlier as I needed some stuff I can only get from there and hoped to get a few things I want/need, like new shoes, even though there's only one shoe shop there now. I found the shop where I can often find clothes to fit me closed. The shoe shop had very little in store, H&B don't do the hemp oil I wanted, despite it being on thier website. 

It's really doing my head in, it's bad enough having to go there to get spices and bits from an ethnic grocers and other stuff from the wholefood shop, but to find pretty much empty streets with such a post apocalyptic and feral feeling is really upsetting. I know I could get some stuff online, but the P&P on a lot of it is expensive and it dosen't come free with prime either. I'd like to use amazon less too. As for other stuff, I've now no idea where I will get clothes or shoes, the usual places have nothing I like or that fits, or is suitable.

Its making feel really worried, it's bad enough having to wear winter boots in summer because I can't find any shoes, will I be wearing sandals in winter, because all of a sudden suitable stuff will appear in end of season sales? I had this before, I remember walking home from town with broken shoes, crying my eyes out because there was nothing in my size in 3 or 4 different shoe shops I went into, this was a few years ago now, but it seems those times are on the way back.

So if you see someone walking about wearing a blanket with a hole cut in it for my head and a pair of wellingtom boots that leak and are falling off my feet, it will be me.

Parents
  • Unfortunately it seems to be the way a lot of towns are heading. A lot of the better shops don’t seem to be able to make enough business, rates and rent are ridiculous and you can’t compete with online that pay theoretically no rates and rent. In addition a lot of less affluent towns get stuck on the spiral where a lot of the shops are bargain basement shops, cash converters, vape shops, charity shops etc which can compete with online stores but don’t generally appeal to people with money. This has the knock on effect of reducing business in the non cheaper end of things which causes more to close down and the spiral worsens…..

    I certainly buy more stuff online as I don’t like the shopping experience these days. The only thing I don’t buy online really is fresh produce as I have to choose this to meet my own specific needs. 

Reply
  • Unfortunately it seems to be the way a lot of towns are heading. A lot of the better shops don’t seem to be able to make enough business, rates and rent are ridiculous and you can’t compete with online that pay theoretically no rates and rent. In addition a lot of less affluent towns get stuck on the spiral where a lot of the shops are bargain basement shops, cash converters, vape shops, charity shops etc which can compete with online stores but don’t generally appeal to people with money. This has the knock on effect of reducing business in the non cheaper end of things which causes more to close down and the spiral worsens…..

    I certainly buy more stuff online as I don’t like the shopping experience these days. The only thing I don’t buy online really is fresh produce as I have to choose this to meet my own specific needs. 

Children
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