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Good to see Wick’s continued retail development even though future provision may be at the expense of Thurso. Development confidence in Thurso has been well and truly dented by the objectors to Asda. Other companies and developers do not want the same fight to invest.
When voting in May remember the actions of the Thurso Gang of Three - Jackson, Mackay and Saxon.
concerned resident
10-Jan-07, 11:58
How true what you say CATTACH, was thinking the other day how things have changed, I now go through to Wick once a week and do a big shop, as there is such a wide varity to chose from, and have never had to queue or worry about closing time, and i do not think it costs me any extra, due to the saving in fuel, as i fill the fuel tank when there. The only thing i get now in Thurso is the odd paper or pint of milk. I expect this is the case in few other peoples lives. It would have been nice to have been able to access the same value for money in Thurso, but as you say the Gang of Three have given that, the kiss of death.
I just hope that when the elections come, the people do not forget why you have to go to Wick, to get best value and varity. I expect these councillers want to save the enviroment, and they have forced me alone, to do an extra 40 miles a week. I can only suggest these councillers are not there for what is in best interests of Caithness.
Nobody forces any one to shop any where, it is purely a matter of personal choice.
As an interested observer, i would like to ask the following.
How much per capita expendable income is there in the county? It is normally quite a static amount and merely moves from one place to another at the whim of the spender.
It does not take much common sense to work out that if MrX chooses to spend his disposable income in one retail outlet he will not then be able to in another.
With this is mind, if certain retail outlets are to take the lion's share then it must be to the detriment of others, surely the measure of a councillor is to try and protect the commercial interest of all and not merely the few.
Whilst I appreciate that the new developments may stop some monies going outwith the county, in the long term the damage could be terminal to both Wick and Thurso.
Nobody forces any one to shop any where, it is purely a matter of personal choice.
As an interested observer, i would like to ask the following.
How much per capita expendable income is there in the county? It is normally quite a static amount and merely moves from one place to another at the whim of the spender.
It does not take much common sense to work out that if MrX chooses to spend his disposable income in one retail outlet he will not then be able to in another.
With this is mind, if certain retail outlets are to take the lion's share then it must be to the detriment of others, surely the measure of a councillor is to try and protect the commercial interest of all and not merely the few.
Whilst I appreciate that the new developments may stop some monies going outwith the county, in the long term the damage could be terminal to both Wick and Thurso.
Your understanding of economics is quite clearly somewhat shallow. If your views of expansion and development were to have been the norm over the past century business would not have progressed.
Regarding your statement 'How much per capita expendable income is there in the county? It is normally quite a static amount and merely moves from one place to another at the whim of the spender' does not hold water. Investment in Caithness over the past 50 years has steadily increased and the amount of money spent outwith the couty but gerated within it in the last decade is quite substantial. Indications are that the expendable income in the county continues to rise not least with number of immigrants from the south settling in the county. They too look for facilities they were accoustomed to in their previous place of residency.
However, apart from this the people of Caithness deserve and demand the same retail and other business opportunities as the rest of the UK.
crashbandicoot1979
10-Jan-07, 14:26
A question for those of you that now rarely shop in Thurso because you go through to Tesco - do you ever shop anywhere else in Wick? (Excluding Boots and the retail park). I have a strong interest in economics and I'm just intrigued to find out whether the advent of Tesco is proving fruitful for the local retailers in Wick aswell.
Because if not, theres a lot of hypocritical people up the Thurso end.....
I merely asked a question and was hoping that some one might have some actual figures.
! chose to deliberately put my points in layman's terms as I felt that the readers of this neither needed or wanted an explanation of The Laws of supply and demand.
With regard to the people demanding the right to the same prices and facilities, I am well aware that they are entitled to do so, however the sheer logistics of supplying an area that could be classed as remote and sparsely populated will mean that there will always be extra costs factored into the equation.
jinglejangle
10-Jan-07, 15:48
A question for those of you that now rarely shop in Thurso because you go through to Tesco - do you ever shop anywhere else in Wick? (Excluding Boots and the retail park). I have a strong interest in economics and I'm just intrigued to find out whether the advent of Tesco is proving fruitful for the local retailers in Wick aswell.
Because if not, theres a lot of hypocritical people up the Thurso end.....
i never used to shop in wick but now go through at least once a week to go to tesco, retail park, then down the street - for example last week we used the post office, the tsb bank, mackays clothes shop, simpson newspaper shop, graham beggs, de's, harrolds butcher, finishing off in the mackays for lunch! now if tesco wasn't there i wouldn't have bothered going through but we made it a day out!
A question for those of you that now rarely shop in Thurso because you go through to Tesco - do you ever shop anywhere else in Wick? (Excluding Boots and the retail park). I have a strong interest in economics and I'm just intrigued to find out whether the advent of Tesco is proving fruitful for the local retailers in Wick aswell.
Because if not, theres a lot of hypocritical people up the Thurso end.....
Before Tesco I visited Wick four times to Homebase and on all four occasions ate in Wick. Twice in Meilejohns, once in Mackays and once in Wetherspoons. Without Homebase I would not have been in Wick and so not given business to those other places.
I have been to Tesco three times and gone into Wick for a meal at Wethspoons and again a snack at Meiklejohns.
The arrival of those new shops has certainly had me spending money elsewhere in Wick.
As for your statement about @hypocritical people up the Thurso end', I do not where this contributes to your 'strong interest in economics' as it seems to be a value judgement about motives rather anything related to economics.
Humerous Vegetable
10-Jan-07, 16:40
From what I have observed in the last couple of years so far as retail development and job creation is concerned, the Wick councillors appear to have a stranglehold on the planning process, and our naive wee Thurso numpties go along with whatever they suggest.
Whenever I go into Thurso these days, which isn't often, it's like a ghost town. Why would locals spend time visiting Somerfields or the Co-op with their limited range of out-of-date food, or the filling stations charging 94.9p when they can go to Wick and get a wider choice of in-date food and petrol at an almost reasonable price?
Local retailers realised that this would happen, even if Thurso councillors did not, which is why they (the retail group) supported the Asda proposal.
seems a bit unfair to me - the "gang of three" did not object to Asda, they objected to where it wanted to go - other suggestions were made and I know that at least Councillor Saxon tried to push the idea of moving a few hundred yards along to the business park. If you actually look at the proposed site it is not ideal for the purpose and the business park is not far away - in saying that I can't wait for asda to come!
Incidentally the Thurso retailers did not suppor the application they just agreed not to object - there is a difference
crashbandicoot1979
10-Jan-07, 17:15
I'm interested because people keep saying that Thurso will suffer without ASDA whereas Wick will boom because they go though there to do their shopping. But at the same time if they only shop in Tesco and don't bother with the town centre, it isn't helping Wick that much. Therefore, why on earth do they think that ASDA will help Thurso in any way if they only shop in ASDA and nowhere else. I just don't understand the arguement - I find it hypocritical, but thats just my opinion.
Personally I feel that town centres and supermarkets can co-exist but I like to see supermarkets helping to support local enterprise. For example the co-op in Thurso sells Reids Bakery products as well as local tatties and vegetables. I would like to see Tesco (and ASDA, if/when) adopt a similar scheme. Maybe Tesco in Wick already does? I've never been to it so I don't know. I don't think the proposed ASDA site is ideal but I genuinely cannot think of anywhere better so as far as I'm concerned it should go up at Pennyland - if it doesn't, then we're going to miss out, pure and simple.
Humerous Vegetable
10-Jan-07, 17:17
Incidentally the Thurso retailers did not suppor the application they just agreed not to object - there is a difference
What difference would that be, then? We could all do semantics, but some of us have a life to live. Of course filling station owners would not actively support the Asda development, especially the ones who haven't got the round objects to display their prices, but small businesses, like the ones in Wick, would realise the spin-off of increased trade to their town.
[quote=Cattach;180244]Good to see Wick’s continued retail development even though future provision may be at the expense of Thurso. Development confidence in Thurso has been well and truly dented by the objectors to Asda. Other companies and developers do not want the same fight to invest.
When voting in May remember the actions of the Thurso Gang of Three - Jackson, Mackay and Saxon.[/quote
Surely you don't think the gang of three would be brazen enough to try to get re-elected after the damage they have inflicted on Thurso. Even they must realise that the majority of voters in Thurso are not stupid enough to vote for any of them. Or are they?
concerned resident
10-Jan-07, 18:45
Sorry i did neglect to mention, i usually go to wetherspoons, or the Cafe at the harbour for a meal, and use the post office, and several other shops when through shopping in Wick, and of course the service in the shops, is always far superior to Thurso. Also notice in todays Paper, that it looks like there is going to be a larger selection of big shops to choose from. As far as i am concerned, the shops in Thurso ripped off the customers for to long, and they derserve the Gang of Three. Looks like i had better get used to the journey every week to Wick.
jinglejangle
10-Jan-07, 20:06
I'm interested because people keep saying that Thurso will suffer without ASDA whereas Wick will boom because they go though there to do their shopping. But at the same time if they only shop in Tesco and don't bother with the town centre, it isn't helping Wick that much. Therefore, why on earth do they think that ASDA will help Thurso in any way if they only shop in ASDA and nowhere else. I just don't understand the arguement - I find it hypocritical, but thats just my opinion.
Personally I feel that town centres and supermarkets can co-exist but I like to see supermarkets helping to support local enterprise. For example the co-op in Thurso sells Reids Bakery products as well as local tatties and vegetables. I would like to see Tesco (and ASDA, if/when) adopt a similar scheme. Maybe Tesco in Wick already does? I've never been to it so I don't know. I don't think the proposed ASDA site is ideal but I genuinely cannot think of anywhere better so as far as I'm concerned it should go up at Pennyland - if it doesn't, then we're going to miss out, pure and simple.
as i mentioned in my previous post i think if Asda goes up it was stop the majority of people going through to wick who are primarily going through to go to Tesco. if tesco wasn't there i would go through a look to Homebase when I needed something in particular but because I am going through on a weekly run now to Tesco I will probably go up to Homebase and have a look. By time I have done all that I will eat out as well and whilst down the street nip and do my shopping / banking etc. i would like the majority of workers in Tesco are from wick so if people from Thurso go through that is securing jobs in Tesco for the Wick people and they in turn will be able to continue to support their local shops also.
Buttercup
10-Jan-07, 20:49
[quote=Cattach;180244]Good to see Wick’s continued retail development even though future provision may be at the expense of Thurso. Development confidence in Thurso has been well and truly dented by the objectors to Asda. Other companies and developers do not want the same fight to invest.
When voting in May remember the actions of the Thurso Gang of Three - Jackson, Mackay and Saxon.[/quote
Surely you don't think the gang of three would be brazen enough to try to get re-elected after the damage they have inflicted on Thurso. Even they must realise that the majority of voters in Thurso are not stupid enough to vote for any of them. Or are they?
If there's nobody standing in opposition to them, they may well go back as councillors without the votes of the Thurso people. :(
Although I live over Thurso way I have always enjoyed Wick; more character than Thurso in my opinion. I go for a decent haircut, lunch at Wetherspoons, dinner at Le Bord de l'eau occasionally; now toTesco's; a walk around the harbour - all activities superior to what dull Thurso has to offer in my experience.
...oh, and I forgot Homebase too....
My wife and travel from Thurso to Wick every week now (sometimes more than once) and shop very little in Thurso although I have noticed the shopping costs have increased as a result. The reason for this is as Tesco have more choice of products and we simply buy more than normally followed by filling the tank and heading to Homebase etc. Once this has been done we go down town for a meal and the local shops if they are open.
I have only used the Thurso garages only once since Tesco opened and that was just enough to get to Wick as I do not wish to use Thurso garages if I can help it due to price difference between the two towns and if I am honest I only use Tesco garage as the same garages operate in both towns. I am however a little suspicious as to why one garage in Wick is always more expensive than the rest while if you look at Thurso they are all the same higher prices. Hello garage cartel in Caithness you lost almost £300 in the month of December alone from just one previous loyal customer and will continue the current trend until you get your act together or Asda open.
Did you notice that several of the Asda protestors were outwith Caithness which should not have been allowed?
I often go to thurso to shop for odds and ends and i like the Co-op there better than the wick one, but i do my main shopping at Tesco.
Naefearjustbeer
12-Jan-07, 11:49
We are probally spending about £150 a week through in wick now that used to be getting spent in Thurso. We will continue to do so until Thurso gets an asdas. The butchers and fishmongers in Thurso hasnt lost out as we still use them and we still pop into lidls and and frasers shop in Thurso for bits and peices but our main shop and fuel is bought in Wick.
northener
12-Jan-07, 21:19
Well, it's finally come about...
The good citizens of Wick have finally got one over on the inhabitants of Booragtoon!
Oh yes, that'll teach you to look down your noses at poor old deprived Wick won't it?:Razz
Lights blue touchpaper and stands well back.......
Good to see Wick’s continued retail development even though future provision may be at the expense of Thurso. Development confidence in Thurso has been well and truly dented by the objectors to Asda. Other companies and developers do not want the same fight to invest.
When voting in May remember the actions of the Thurso Gang of Three - Jackson, Mackay and Saxon.
Just a reminder in case anyone may have forgotten why there is no Asda in Thurso
Good to see Wick’s continued retail development even though future provision may be at the expense of Thurso. Development confidence in Thurso has been well and truly dented by the objectors to Asda. Other companies and developers do not want the same fight to invest.
When voting in May remember the actions of the Thurso Gang of Three - Jackson, Mackay and Saxon.
Let's hope their time has come and their decisions to vote against the people come back to haunt them.
A question for those of you that now rarely shop in Thurso because you go through to Tesco - do you ever shop anywhere else in Wick? (Excluding Boots and the retail park). I have a strong interest in economics and I'm just intrigued to find out whether the advent of Tesco is proving fruitful for the local retailers in Wick aswell.
Because if not, theres a lot of hypocritical people up the Thurso end.....
We now shop in Wick almost all the time. That includes the shops "doon ee street". You get a much friendlier welcome in Wick shops that Thurso shops, spoiled for years by the "Dounreay money" just don't give.
The Loafer
Well i cant wait to see if the THREE as you guys say are relelected. There will be some forum posting in here. The end argument is, the excuse for turning down the planning was good enough any the majority of people eyes. We will see if they suffer because of this.
Look at the bigger picture, if you were a major compnay looking to expand, where would you go????? obvious to me, where the people are currently shopping.
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