View Full Version : New shop closed down
Have been ill in bed for a week and today was my first day up and about and out. Going down the main road in wick today i was surprised to see the orkney fashion shop closed down and empty. when did this hasppen/ I was in it just over a week ago and there were no notices about it going to close, nothing in the Groat either. I had a credit note for the shop, expect i have lost that now. Pity it has closed down.
The_man_from_del_monte
13-Mar-07, 01:12
Have been ill in bed for a week and today was my first day up and about and out. Going down the main road in wick today i was surprised to see the orkney fashion shop closed down and empty. when did this hasppen/ I was in it just over a week ago and there were no notices about it going to close, nothing in the Groat either. I had a credit note for the shop, expect i have lost that now. Pity it has closed down.
TESCO.... expect more closures.
TESCO.... expect more closures.
This seems to be the answer to everything. The bus was late this morning, was that Tesco's fault too???
Aye, I didn't know Tesco sold Orkney Woollen goods!! :lol: It won't be long before some of these numpty's will be blaming Tesco for the rain and short winter days.
Aye, I didn't know Tesco sold Orkney Woollen goods!! :lol: It won't be long before some of these numpty's will be blaming Tesco for the rain and short winter days.
You are right. Shops that would have closed anyway now blame Tesco. More small shops in Wick and Thurso closed long before any of the supermarkets arrived in the county than since. There used to be shops on every corner in Wick and they went long ago.
The pet shop in Thurso has blamed Tesco!!!!! for its demise. It was dying for years through lack of interest by the owners in the buying public.
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 10:01
Aye, I didn't know Tesco sold Orkney Woollen goods!! :lol: It won't be long before some of these numpty's will be blaming Tesco for the rain and short winter days.
I was speaking to a shopkeeper in Wick last week and what he sells Tescos doesnt. He said his turnover is down 56% on the same time last year.
Tescos does not have to be in be in direct competition with what the trader sells. It does not matter what you sell if ther is no-one on the street.
The Saturday I was in wick the street was so quiet it was untrue.
Passing trade is a big chunk of shops business.
We left wick center and after a fine lunch, trip to the butchers, shoe shop etc to have a look around homebase Tescos etc and we could barely get parked. That is were the money is going.
porshiepoo
13-Mar-07, 12:21
Well have to say that since Tesco opened I have found myself to be one of the fickle many that haven't really stepped foot in the town since. :eek:
I knew what all the shops coming up would do to the area as I've seen it before but it's definately easier to go to a one stop shop and do everything in one hit.
Obviously these new shops are going to take business away from the smaller shops in town but they just need to make themselves more competative with regards to prices and ranges. Gone are the days when they can charge ridiculous amounts for items just because we have nowhere else to go.
Never thought I'd hear myself actually want more new shops up here but - bring em on. Matalan, The golden 'M', KFC, WHSmith - I wait with hope (Especially for the golden M :lol:)
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 13:23
Well have to say that since Tesco opened I have found myself to be one of the fickle many that haven't really stepped foot in the town since. :eek:
I knew what all the shops coming up would do to the area as I've seen it before but it's definately easier to go to a one stop shop and do everything in one hit.
Obviously these new shops are going to take business away from the smaller shops in town but they just need to make themselves more competative with regards to prices and ranges. Gone are the days when they can charge ridiculous amounts for items just because we have nowhere else to go.
Never thought I'd hear myself actually want more new shops up here but - bring em on. Matalan, The golden 'M', KFC, WHSmith - I wait with hope (Especially for the golden M :lol:)
It is quite sad that someone would actually wish for a macdonald and KFC.
Plus how would you know if the shops have changed the prices you yourself have just said you have not been down the street.
TESCO.... expect more closures.
Get over it - You can't go on blaming TESCO for everything that closes in Caithness from now on, but that seems to be what you are all hell bent on doing - get a life.
You are not the only county to have a TESCO invasion, and I don't hear anyone else complaining about their local shops!
Have to agree with you dozerboy.
It is ridiculous how Tesco is getting blamed for shops closing & loss of trade in other shops which don't sell the same produce as Tesco.:roll:
Have to agree with you dozerboy.
It is ridiculous how Tesco is getting blamed for shops closing & loss of trade in other shops which don't sell the same produce as Tesco.:roll:
Thanks Piglet - it's not often anyone ever agrees with me.
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 13:45
Get over it - You can't go on blaming TESCO for everything that closes in Caithness from now on, but that seems to be what you are all hell bent on doing - get a life.
You are not the only county to have a TESCO invasion, and I don't hear anyone else complaining about their local shops!
Are you having a laugh. Communities up and down the Uk have been campaigning to keep the big stores out of small towns. So much so that the supermarkets are under investigation by the government appointed competitions committee. Maybe you don't hear anyone else complaining because you choose not to listen for fear of losing your buy one get one free chickens.
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 13:47
Have to agree with you dozerboy.
It is ridiculous how Tesco is getting blamed for shops closing & loss of trade in other shops which don't sell the same produce as Tesco.:roll:
It's called footfall . Like I said before it does not matter what you sell if there is no-one on the street.
Are you having a laugh. Communities up and down the Uk have been campaigning to keep the big stores out of small towns. So much so that the supermarkets are under investigation by the government appointed competions committee. Maybe you don't hear anyone else complaining because you choose not to listen for fear of losing your buy one get one free chickens.
I don't remember saying that I used Tesco!!
Ok, maybe some are complaining, that's life mate!!
You can never please everybody....... just some folk are harder to please than others.
How many in Caithness wanted TESCO? How many didn't? How many have changed their minds?
The_man_from_del_monte
13-Mar-07, 13:56
It does not matter what you sell if ther is no-one on the street.
Nail on the head Sir! You could be selling gold plated cornflakes but if there's nobody on the street (everyone in Tesco) you'd be as well staying in bed all day........ no customers = no sales. I'll say it again... "Tesco" is drawing people "away" from the town centre, these places have ruined traditional shops across the country why should Thurso / Wick be any different? The guy who called me a "numpty" has obviously no experience of the impact out of town shopping has on small, traditional businesses..... all will become very clear to you shortly ;) At the end of the day though it's the people using Tesco (and only Tesco) that will do the damage to small businesses.... Tesco, themselves, can't be blamed.
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 14:03
I don't remember saying that I used Tesco!!
Ok, maybe some are complaining, that's life mate!!
You can never please everybody....... just some folk are harder to please than others.
How many in Caithness wanted TESCO? How many didn't? How many have changed their minds?
I agree with you that the vast majority of caithness folk wanted Tescoes and I can fully understand why. Anyone who has in the past tried to buy fresh herbs and the like in our existing supermarkets will know what I mean.
As you say this is life.
People were told however that this will likely spell the death knell for the high street and this I believe is what will happen.
The sad truth of the matter is most folk could not give a toss as they feel the existing shops are rubbish and have been ripping us off for years. A stated before by another poster. Bring on KFC an Macdonalds.
I feel this is very sad and a community like ours needs a healthy and vibrant independant high street with its quality butchers bakers and specialists.
The problem is it will be increasingly difficult for those to survive if no-one goes down the town and instead buy everthing in the one stop shop.
Prettty soon it will only be charity shops and takeaways left in the high street.
But hey look on the brightside we can feed our kids on KFC mega buckets.
Valerie Campbell
13-Mar-07, 14:05
I know what. Why don't we blame Tesco's for AIDS, cancer, Alzheimers, racism, sexism, ageism, ethnic cleansing and everything else that goes wrong in this world?
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 14:06
I know what. Why don't we blame Tesco's for AIDS, cancer, Alzheimers, racism, sexism, ageism, ethnic cleansing and everything else that goes wrong in this world?
That does not even justify a response.
Valerie Campbell
13-Mar-07, 14:16
Pentlander, you just did.
The point I am making is no can blame Tesco's for everything which seems to be the case a lot of the time. Maybe some local businesses were ready to close anyway becaue the owners wanted to retire or they have moved away.
The_man_from_del_monte
13-Mar-07, 14:21
Pretty soon it will only be charity shops and takeaways left in the high street.
Just have a look at St. Andrews, 15 years ago it was full of little speciality shops now it's full of charity shops...
I think it quite sad where almost every town in the UK looks exactly the same these days with a Macdonalds, a KFC, an ASDA, a Tesco etc. etc. all positioned in the exactly same place with everyone walking about with the same clothes on.... some people say these places afford "more choice" I think they offer less choice... fine if you want to be part of the herd but just where do you go if you want to find something original?
Big sheds with security guards, CCTV cameras and mobs of people buying up factory farmed crud is not my idea of shopping, everybody walking about with "George" clothing is not my idea of choice or originality..... fine if you like that type of thing but very sad if that's all there is on offer.
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 14:28
What also should be remembered that Id imagine a lot of the shops are owned by local people. If they make a bob or two they may by a new van from the local garage. Take the staff out for a meal in a local restaurant. Buy a house of a local estate agent , employ a local joiner to do some work on it etc etc.
The money spent in the supermarkets gets put in a van and is driven away never to be seen in caithness again
peter macdonald
13-Mar-07, 14:38
It just may be that customers WANT to use Tesco and were not satisfied with what was there before Also I wonder how many of the local business support the locals?? Put it this way do all the local business s use BT and SSE (the hydro) both of whom have sizable work forces in Caithness for their
phones and electric ??? I think not ..they will just go for the cheapest/best option just like the folks who go to Tesco
A wee bit of hypocracy was the COOPs attempt to stop Tesco in Wick This was the same lot who put helped close many shops in Wick when their supermarket was opened in Thurso Road They were selling items like sugar flour etc cheaper than the locals could buy them from their wholeseller
Have people forgotten about internet shopping aswell? thats a big part in the demise of shops around caithness.
For example if u were looking for a certain guitar or part (strings, guitar leads, drumsticks) from Thurso or Wick music shop, they would have it or could get it in. But i bet that you can get it cheaper on the internet if you looked hard enough.
For example, a decent pack of guitar strings was approx £5.50. Now i can go on ebay today and buy 12 packets of those same strings for £30 including postage. Now that works out at £2.50 per packet. thats saves me £3 per pack!
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 14:58
It just may be that customers WANT to use Tesco and were not satisfied with what was there before Also I wonder how many of the local business support the locals?? Put it this way do all the local business s use BT and SSE (the hydro) both of whom have sizable work forces in Caithness for their
phones and electric ??? I think not ..they will just go for the cheapest/best option just like the folks who go to Tesco
A wee bit of hypocracy was the COOPs attempt to stop Tesco in Wick This was the same lot who put helped close many shops in Wick when their supermarket was opened in Thurso Road They were selling items like sugar flour etc cheaper than the locals could buy them from their wholeseller
True. If the coop and somerfields (or whatever it is called now) had got there act together years ago maybe we would not have had this clamour for asda and tesco.
A lot has been said about local shops taking their customers for granted but I think the supermarkets we have had for years have been more guilty of that than anyone. I think if I remember correctly neither Thurso Traders or Wick objected to the planning applications of the two stores but Coop and Somerfield did
pentlander
13-Mar-07, 16:41
News today
Superstore rejected on Ness-side, Inverness
Members of The Highland Council's City of Inverness Planning Applications Committee today (13 March) unanimously refused an application for a district shopping centre, including a Tesco superstore, unit shops, petrol filling station and sites for hotel and doctors~ surgery on land at Ness-side, Dores Road, Inverness.
The application was for the development of a district centre comprising a 4,447sqm superstore, additional commercial units, land for hotel and medical centre, car parking and landscaping on land to the west of Dores Road at the western most end of the Inverness Trunk Road Link formerly known as the Inverness Southern Distributor Road.
Members heard that 73 letters of representation and a petition, containing 1054 signatures, against the proposal had been received by the Council and that Holm Community Council had expressed serious concerns regarding the proposal. They also heard that the Council's TEC Services were of the view that the proposal was premature pending completion of the final phase of the Trunk Road Link developments.
The application was heard at the Town House in Inverness under the Council~s hearing procedures. Planning permission was refused in line with the following reasons:
~ The proposal was contrary to City of Inverness Policy 7 of the Inverness Local Plan in respect of retailing; as the proposed foodstore is of the scale that is not commensurate with the scale and function of the Ness District and to an extent where it would diminish the prospect of district scale retailing in the other district centres identified in the Local Plan.
~ The proposal was contrary to Policy G2 of the Highland Structure Plan in respect of Design; as without an indication of parking associated with the hotel and surgery uses, the layout and siting of these buildings may have affected the overall integrity of the development.
The applicant will now be entitled to appeal to the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporter's Unit.
Some of us feel sorry for the local folks trying to earn a living. Me, I still get my milk delivered from the milk man.
jinglejangle
13-Mar-07, 17:50
Some of us feel sorry for the local folks trying to earn a living. Me, I still get my milk delivered from the milk man.
but do the local folks feel sorry enough for themselves. when i have been in tesco i have saw local business owners in there and also people who work in local shops. surely if they thought tesco would shut local shops then they would not be shopping there themselves!
I was speaking to the guy who runs the main Wick Post Office today. He told me that the town has been dead since Tesco opened compared to what it was before. He is in a business that is not in competition with Tesco and was just making a neutral observation based on the numbers of people they are seeing coming and going.
I have been accused of being Anti-Tesco. What I AM Anti to, is the bull plop spouted about the benefits Tesco is supposed to bring. I don't have a problem with people wanting to shop in Tesco, it is their choice and the number of people who signed the online petition showed that many wanted a Tesco. I do not however, wish to hear all the crap about how Tesco will help Town Centre shops to be busier or the supposed greater choice you will have. Once Tesco establish a grip and close down the alternatives it leaves you only with the choice of taking what they want you to buy, there is also very little you can then do if they wish to increase the prices.
I have very little sympathy for many of the local shops, their work ethic appears to be very poor. However, it is hard to imagine anything other than a ghostly Town Centre if the current trend continues.
MacDonalds, KFC etc!! Are we on a quest to replace the USA as the World's fattest nation? People seem obsessed with having City stores on every corner of the town. Does this make Caithness any more "with it"? The way I see it, it only makes it more anonymous and depressing looking at its core. Charridy shop, takeaway, bookie, takeaway, Charridy shop, Bank, boarded-up window, takeaway. Progress?
engiebenjy
13-Mar-07, 19:01
With regard to Thurso's pet shop, if I remember rightly, he blamed Tesco's for his shop's demise, but would not blame Pets at Home. I for one have bought nothing whatsoever for my pets from Tescos, but have bought plenty at Pets at Home. They have everything I need, whereas Miller's had to order in the bits I needed for my fish tank.
porshiepoo
13-Mar-07, 19:04
It is quite sad that someone would actually wish for a macdonald and KFC.
Get over yourself!
Suppose you've never been to one then? Suppose if one gets up here you'll not step foot inside it then? Nooooooooo course you won't.
Plus how would you know if the shops have changed the prices you yourself have just said you have not been down the street.
Could care less whether they have or not to be honest. Like I said before, it's so much easier to shop under one roof. However should we be given more choice of shops in Wick town in the future then I'll get there and have a look. Let's face it, Wick town is hardly inspiring anyone to spend the day there at the moment is it? How long would it take to look round all the shops there...........dragging your feet.............1 hour max and even then you'd end up going to Tesco to get what you wanted in the first place.
You cannot turn back the tide of progress whether you think it is good or bad progress is irrelevant. Times move on, business moves on and shops have changed over the decades/centuries. They will continue to change as will shopping habits. The internet will slowly, maybe quickly, close more shops than the Tescos of this world. Indeed even the Tesco stores as we have them now will be changed by internet shopping.
I have for sometime now made very significant purchases over the internet and now I am shopping at Tesco that way with their delivery to Thurso. If Asda does not come does it matter? I get my supermarket goods to my door already. Soon stores like Tescop will be predominantly warehouses sending orders directly to doors.
crashbandicoot1979
13-Mar-07, 20:50
I was speaking to the guy who runs the main Wick Post Office today. He told me that the town has been dead since Tesco opened compared to what it was before. He is in a business that is not in competition with Tesco and was just making a neutral observation based on the numbers of people they are seeing coming and going.
I have been accused of being Anti-Tesco. What I AM Anti to, is the bull plop spouted about the benefits Tesco is supposed to bring. I don't have a problem with people wanting to shop in Tesco, it is their choice and the number of people who signed the online petition showed that many wanted a Tesco. I do not however, wish to hear all the crap about how Tesco will help Town Centre shops to be busier or the supposed greater choice you will have. Once Tesco establish a grip and close down the alternatives it leaves you only with the choice of taking what they want you to buy, there is also very little you can then do if they wish to increase the prices.
I have very little sympathy for many of the local shops, their work ethic appears to be very poor. However, it is hard to imagine anything other than a ghostly Town Centre if the current trend continues.
MacDonalds, KFC etc!! Are we on a quest to replace the USA as the World's fattest nation? People seem obsessed with having City stores on every corner of the town. Does this make Caithness any more "with it"? The way I see it, it only makes it more anonymous and depressing looking at its core. Charridy shop, takeaway, bookie, takeaway, Charridy shop, Bank, boarded-up window, takeaway. Progress?
I'm the same, I'm not anti-tesco but I cannot understand how people can say that Tesco can only be a positive thing. I'm not saying that its responsible for all the evils of the world, and I appreciate that there are benefits to it, but there simply HAS to be a negative side aswell, like everything else in life. And that negative side is the demise of town centres, fact. Town centres and supermarkets CAN co-exist, I am sure of it, but it takes co-operation, not just from the consumer but from local retailers, local authorities and indeed supermarkets themselves. I really think that local retailers are to blame in a lot of ways themselves. I live in Thurso and there are certain retailers I visit on at least a weekly basis (and would continue to visit if ASDA arrived) and there are others whom I would not waste my time with, for various reasons. I'm not a big fan of supermarkets but thats a personal thing because I find a lot of them just too big and I can't be bothered horsing around for ages buying stuff I don't need (hence why I've never been to tesco!!!) but if its what the majority want then fine, but at least accept that there has to be a downside aswell as a positive side, instead of just name-calling those who dare suggest it.
As for Macdonalds or KFC in Caithness......seriously???? I'm all for progress but not this.
You cannot turn back the tide of progress whether you think it is good or bad progress is irrelevant. Times move on, business moves on and shops have changed over the decades/centuries. They will continue to change as will shopping habits. The internet will slowly, maybe quickly, close more shops than the Tescos of this world. Indeed even the Tesco stores as we have them now will be changed by internet shopping.
I have to agree ... internet shopping will, probably sooner rather than later, take more away from the shops than TESCO and ASDA. I think the smaller brick and mortar businesses most likely to survive are the ones that develop internet presences to compliment their traditional shops. More and more businesses sell online, on their own web site, or through an Ebay shop, or both. What I like best about Ebay is the feedback and rating system. If quality, representation of goods, communication, and/or speedy service are not to a high standard, every potential customer knows it. Too bad there is no way to implement such a system in the shops. Most of us vote with our feet. I'd rather support local businesses, and I've no problem paying a bit more for something in a shop, if the staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. But I really don't like shopping, and if it's going to be unpleasant anyway, I'd just as soon run up and down the aisles in one superstore, check out, and go home!
MacDonalds and KFC???? Noooooooo ... one might as well order a heart attack to go.
jinglejangle
13-Mar-07, 22:04
just interested - why does people not want Macdonalds and KFC up here? Can't say i am particularly bothered whether it comes or not but surely people aren't saying now that if macdonalds comes here everyone is going to die of heart attacks! surely it is no worse than a chip shop - everything in moderation?
Did I not see somewhere that there was more fat in one of the pies produced by Prince Charles business in the Duchy of Cornwall than in a Big Mac - and he criticised MacDonalds!
Hope his Mey selection products do better fat wise!!
With the number of fast food outlets in Wick selling very fatty foods - lots of high cholesterol Chinese, Fish and chips, not to mention deep fried Mars Bars - maybe a Big Mac would actually be an improvement to the Dirdy Weeker diet!!
My brother has been a small retail shopkeeper for years and when we were in Caithness last year we discussed the potential arrival of supermarkets.
He was of the opinion that they would turn the local High Streets into "Ghost Towns" as people would rather get all their requirements under the one roof.
I think our current lifestyles have made us lazier (the double parking outside the local gym makes me laugh) and we are not prepared to walk along a High Street in the rain for shopping and we are not prepared to pay the premium that it is necessary for a local shop to charge.
The local retailer does not have the economies of scale that the big supermarkets enjoy nor can they hold local producers to ransom when it comes to what they are prepared to pay for eggs, bacon, milk etc. so if you want the traditional High Street, it has to be paid for.
The town I live in has suffered due to the proliferation of out of town retailing and our High Street now consists of Poundstretcher type stores, seedy pubs, charity shops and inordinate amounts of estate agents and travel agents.
There is one indifferent butcher in the town (part of a chain) who cannot compete with the nearest ASDA on price or quality, a run down Boots the Chemist and a combined pet shop and sportswear shop!
I don't know what the future will bring, but how are we going to get to the supermarket and get the shopping home when there is no more fuel for our cars?
Dusty.
Hope you are feeling better Fran.
I live in the Western Isles - no TESCOs, just Co-op and Somerfield.
Quite a few local shops and businesses closing down - they blame internet shopping and people going to Inverness and Glasgow to do shopping.
I am sure same is true of Caithness and Sutherland, at least it is keeping the couriers in business.
Where was the Orkney fashion shop?
" with everyone walking about with the same clothes on"
The man from...., how can you say that, How much choice have you in wick and thurso for clothes shopping, no wonder ever one walks about looking the same. Further more, George clothing is ideal if you got kids, looks good, it is good and its cheap, so if little rug rat takes a tumble, gets covered in mud and rips the knees out of his trousers its not a load of money down the pan.
Asda, tesco's , send it on, get with the times, how many retailers in the city's have closed due to these supermarkets ? very few. Caithness shop keepers have had it to good to long and now they jump on the band wagon beating the hard done by drum ! maybe if they had been more competative, stocked a wider range and used a bit of commen sense when it comes to what sells and what will not sell.
I was glad to see a few new shops opening in Thurso, stocking very nice nick knacks and stuff, down the side alley near the florists in the centre. Now they are doing well, sell some amazing stuff at a very fair price.
Dusty, Would you rather get all your food shopping under one roof cheaper, or run around different shops, spending more money and more time ? or try and hunt down that elusive product that you just cant get in the local grocer ?
Certain products i would support locally, the likes of meat, i would and always
try to use a local butcher.
pentlander,The money spent in the supermarkets gets put in a van and is driven away never to be seen in caithness again,
True, but how many staff do they employ ? they pay a wage, it is in turn spent in the area !
Rant over, guys, change is going to happen whether you like it or not, caithness needs to adapt and progress. I left Caithness many years ago as i thought then that it was becoming a ghost town, it did look like it was on the cards but it seems that ( in my eyes) it is growning, adapting and catching up.
Naefearjustbeer
14-Mar-07, 16:44
I long for the day that I can do all my shoppng sat on my erse if front of the computer. Tescos allows me to do this. The wife can sit and put the shopping list online and at a prearranged tiome window the following day our stuff arrives delivered a friendly cheery driver. What more can you ask for? It allows me plenty time to do all the other stuff I need to do without having to traipse around the shop and probally fill the trolley with a whole heap of other crap and so called bargains that I dont need. It is definantly progress if you ask me. I dont give 2 hoots if somerfields goes to the wall. However I do feel strongly about my local butcher and fishmonger and I will continue to frequent them as long as they provide me the quality fresh local pruduce that the supermarkets cannot compete with. As for clothes and other stuff I cannot remember the last time I bought any locally. It is all internet or inverness and will continue to be for the forseeable future.
I long for the day that I can do all my shoppng sat on my erse if front of the computer. Tescos allows me to do this. The wife can sit and put the shopping list online and at a prearranged tiome window the following day our stuff arrives delivered a friendly cheery driver. What more can you ask for? It allows me plenty time to do all the other stuff I need to do without having to traipse around the shop and probally fill the trolley with a whole heap of other crap and so called bargains that I dont need. It is definantly progress if you ask me. I dont give 2 hoots if somerfields goes to the wall. However I do feel strongly about my local butcher and fishmonger and I will continue to frequent them as long as they provide me the quality fresh local pruduce that the supermarkets cannot compete with. As for clothes and other stuff I cannot remember the last time I bought any locally. It is all internet or inverness and will continue to be for the forseeable future.
Exactly the way I feel also. It's great getting the shopping delivered!!
and some of the money generated by Tesco does stay in Caithness, in the form of the workers wages - same anywhere!
I never even knew an Orkney Fashion Shop existed, where was it?
High Streets, they will cause the death of the local Market Stall-holder on Market Days. Planning Applications for Town Centre Shops should be refused out of hand. "Save Market Day, Stop the spread of High Street Shopping!"
And as for those new fangled Railways, I'd much rather keep the horse and cart.
MacDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut? Yes please, when are they coming, has anybody heard?
I never even knew an Orkney Fashion existed, what was it?
Ehmmm, Fair Isle polo necks, heavy weight seaboot stockings and Black Bunnets I think:lol:
It was in the old music shop and was very fashionable and up to date for the young folk. Much like McAllans next door!
I never even knew an Orkney Fashion Shop existed, where was it?
MacDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut? Yes please, when are they coming, has anybody heard?
Good question, where was this Orkney fashion shop? :confused
I said I would not set foot in Somerfields ever again when Tesco opened and I haven't, I have been to the Co-op twice tho!
I once visited KFC and it was the worst food ever, giving it another chance I tried a different restaurant, if you can call it that, and it was even worse! Maybe I am fussy but would it be too much to remove the skin before dressing up a chickens pin? All the crunchy bits stuck to the skin which I removed, I was then left with a naked chicken leg. No doubt a battery leg at that. [disgust]
Just have a look at St. Andrews, 15 years ago it was full of little speciality shops now it's full of charity shops...
I think it quite sad where almost every town in the UK looks exactly the same these days with a Macdonalds, a KFC, an ASDA, a Tesco etc. etc. all positioned in the exactly same place with everyone walking about with the same clothes on.... some people say these places afford "more choice" I think they offer less choice... fine if you want to be part of the herd but just where do you go if you want to find something original?
Big sheds with security guards, CCTV cameras and mobs of people buying up factory farmed crud is not my idea of shopping, everybody walking about with "George" clothing is not my idea of choice or originality..... fine if you like that type of thing but very sad if that's all there is on offer.
It may not be your idea of shopping, and because we are a free country you are not obliged to use any shop. The people that shop at Tescos or anywhere else do so from choice. You don't have to.
As to the death of the High Street - it will only die if it lays down and puts it's feet in the air. If it Markets itself it will survive. You have only got to look at the Saturday "Market" (and I use the word loosely) to see how exciting shopping in Wick is.
Thankyou Tesco, and roll on Asda, however I do draw the line at Macdonalds
Where was the Orkney fashion shop?
It was in the old music shop, on a corner opposite the closed butcher shop and the 99p shop in wick high street.
Ehmmm, Fair Isle polo necks, heavy weight seaboot stockings and Black Bunnets I think:lol:Sounds just up my street, but do they do fishnet seaboot stockings? :eek:
I once visited KFC and it was the worst food ever, giving it another chance I tried a different restaurant, if you can call it that, and it was even worse! [disgust]OK, I'll confess, KFC and MacDonalds are not places I am prone to visiting in fact it must be 20 years since I was in one. Like you, they’re not exactly to my taste but, then again, not all people are the same.
For those that think that Tesco et all only affect shops that sell similar items, have a look at the following book:
"Shopped" by Joanna Blythman. (The shocking power of British supermarkets)
ISBN 0-00-715804-1
(It only costs £7.99, but I don't think Tesco stock it)
Just realised what shop it is your spkn about an in all fairness the shop was opend after new look and it was low quality clothes for sale. and considering macallans next door with their brand names and new look with all the fashion items was it really a suprise it didnt work out?
I long for the day that I can do all my shoppng sat on my erse if front of the computer. Tescos allows me to do this. The wife can sit and put the shopping list online and at a prearranged tiome window the following day our stuff arrives delivered a friendly cheery driver. What more can you ask for? It allows me plenty time to do all the other stuff I need to do without having to traipse around the shop and probally fill the trolley with a whole heap of other crap and so called bargains that I dont need. It is definantly progress if you ask me. I dont give 2 hoots if somerfields goes to the wall. However I do feel strongly about my local butcher and fishmonger and I will continue to frequent them as long as they provide me the quality fresh local pruduce that the supermarkets cannot compete with. As for clothes and other stuff I cannot remember the last time I bought any locally. It is all internet or inverness and will continue to be for the forseeable future.
Totally agree! I get all my basics delivered by Tesco; fruit juice, cereals, frozen fruit (great in smoothies :)), pasta, canned goods, etc. This makes it easier for me to find time to visit the fishmonger and butcher rather than just buying the pre-packaged stuff in Somerfield or Lidl because I was in a hurry. At a guess I'm spending an extra £40 per month in the fishmonger and £30 per month in the butcher compared to the way I shopped prior to Tesco opening.
I too feel no concern for businesses who insist on trying to compete head to head with Tesco; it's up to every good business person to identify their strengths and develop their own niche in the market, which in most cases means concentrating on quality and service.
On the front page of the .org yesterday was a list of all the big events happening in or near the town this summer, including opening up the caravan park. What is there in the town to attract people to stay there? Precious little at the moment. Walking round yesterday (and I too missed the Orkney shop - never saw it when it was there) it looks so dreary and unloved. Empty shops with tatty boarded up windows, those that still trade have overcrowded, old fashioned window displays. The whole thing could do with a coat of paint. Unoccupied brackets for hanging baskets - have they given up due to vandals or what? The new shops are progress and can't be stopped but the old ones could at least make an effort. The staff in Somerfield and the Co-op can't even be bothered to keep the place looking tidy and shelves stacked neatly. Who on earth decided to fill the food chill section at the Co-op with cartons of drinks? It looks awful.
We hear a lot about the need for affordable housing so how about converting some of the empty shops to houses? Bring people back into the town. I really hoped when the new supermarkets etc. were promised that something would be done at least to brighten up the route through the town, so some drivers would be tempted to stop. Nothing happened. One of the crazier decisions was to close the Tourist centre. Get a paint pot out for heaven's sake and make use of people doing community service (there's probably a law against that [evil] ).
Wick could be amazing - it has everything going for it - the sea, the harbour, the river, it's on the main route to John O'Groats. It should be beautiful.
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