Thurso Late Night Shopping

[greenasiamcabbagelooking]

Here comes another rant !!!

have just returned from a trip down town in Thurso for some late night shopping.
it's advertised on the home page of the org 'support your town centre' the slogan says

what a crock !! only 2 shops open on the precinct, Serendipity and Gemini Gift Shop.
i assume the other shops have already given up on the idea of staying open at a time that's convenient for the customers.
when will the shops realise people with the most disposable income are those who work and therefore can't get to the bliddy shops till after 5pm !!

i'm not asking for shops to stay open till 8pm as i know they have to pay staff blah blah blah,
but what about 6pm, an extra hour ?

well done to those shops who are making the effort and a big raspberry to those who can't be bothered

rant over

[Bobinovich]

I've spoken to a number of shop owners who were staying open late - some didn't have a single customer in that time, and others only one or two paying customers. Yet they still have to pay staff, electric, etc., and this was during the height of the tourist season!

Yes it's inconvenient for people working 9am - 5pm from Mon - Sat, especially if their lunch is also 1pm - 2pm when many shops shut, but it's simply not cost effective to stay open later in those kind of situations. They gave it a try and it failed miserably for many!

[joxville]

Instead of shops opening from 9am-5pm why don't they open from 11am-7pm then everybody is happy.

[Bobinovich]

Can shop workers not have a social life? 9 - 5 have been standard times for so long, many other things are arranged around them. Imagine the problems shop-working parents of school kids would face. How many committees, sports clubs, etc. would fold because members were suddenly no longer available. I think not!

[joxville]

Anyway, shopping isn't too much of a problem for me because I work shifts. The only thing that does annoy me is old pensioners that shop on a Saturday...they have all week to do their shopping yet many chose a Saturday and just dawdle and get in the way. I think they should be banned from weekend shopping, leave it free for those of us who work weekdays.

[Rheghead]

Instead of shops opening from 9am-5pm why don't they open from 11am-7pm then everybody is happy.

Yer know, sometimes you just come out with the brightest of suggestions.

[joxville]

Yer know, sometimes you just come out with the brightest of suggestions.

Thanks. I actually thought it was a good idea. Less traffic so early in the morning and afternoon when kids are going to and from school. Shop-working parents may not need child-minders so much and and shop workers can have a longer lie.

[greenasiamcabbagelooking]

Instead of shops opening from 9am-5pm why don't they open from 11am-7pm then everybody is happy.

i think this is a great idea !!
but maybe shift it by just 1 hour so it would be 10am-6pm, then compare how many punters they have between 9-10am and 5-6pm.

of course shop workers are entitled to a social life but they should be there to suit the customer, not themselves.
and i'm not sure that clubs and committees would fold if these changes occurred, as far as i know they're not run exclusively by shop workers.

[changilass]

Just a wee question, when are the shop workers supposed to do their shoping?

They work weekends as it is to accommodate others.

[joxville]

Just a wee question, when are the shop workers supposed to do their shoping?

They work weekends as it is to accommodate others.

Not a lot will change for them I'm afraid, there has to be some losers.

[unicorn]

Surely though if the shops didn't get customers when they tried the late opening there must be no call for this service.
It's always the same people want things and when they get them they don't take advantage of it and are unhappy when they lose it.

[M R]

Imagine making a huge effort to do some late night shopping, in the pouring rain, only to find that most have given up already..........

Must be terribly annoying.

Every workplace has it's up's and downs. working weekends is part a parcel for alot more folk than just shop workers.

Totally agree, shops should stay open to 6pm. that way most people could get atleast 30mins to get to the shops.

Ever been to the sandwich shop @ 8am for a sandwich to take to work only to ask for a chicken salad sandwich, to be told sorry this is not ready, thats not ready and so on and on and on...........thank god (or whoever you like) or reids bakery, great sandwiches.....

[greenasiamcabbagelooking]

Imagine making a huge effort to do some late night shopping, in the pouring rain, only to find that most have given up already..........

Must be terribly annoying.

i was down the street to buy a wetsuit and a lilo so i could get to work tomorrow !

imagine my disappointment when i discovered to my extreme annoyance that only 2 shops... etc etc

[crayola]

Can shop workers not have a social life? 9 - 5 have been standard times for so long, many other things are arranged around them.

Things like shopping in Wick ... at lunchtime, after 4.55pm, on Sundays...

Things like shopping on the Net, shopping in Sneck, shopping in their dreams...

Thurso is closed on summer Sundays, tourists walk the streets tired and hungry with Visa and Master Cards burning holes in their pockets.

'twas so when I was a lass, 'twill ever be so methinks.

[dolly]

Maybe there was only two shops open because they let there staff go home early because of the weather? Maybe it's because it's late night shopping in Wick and people from the Thurso side go through to spend there money in big sheds.They maybe decided Thursday nights were not worth staying open for the above reason.Finally it might be because they cannot afford to open due to the ever increasing costs of business.

[Cattach]

Here comes another rant !!!

have just returned from a trip down town in Thurso for some late night shopping.
it's advertised on the home page of the org 'support your town centre' the slogan says

what a crock !! only 2 shops open on the precinct, Serendipity and Gemini Gift Shop.
i assume the other shops have already given up on the idea of staying open at a time that's convenient for the customers.
when will the shops realise people with the most disposable income are those who work and therefore can't get to the bliddy shops till after 5pm !!

i'm not asking for shops to stay open till 8pm as i know they have to pay staff blah blah blah,
but what about 6pm, an extra hour ?

well done to those shops who are making the effort and a big raspberry to those who can't be bothered

rant over

If it was convenient for the customers where were they? Two shop keepers told me that in the first three nights they were open one saw no customers and other saw one Italian couple who came to ask where they could get a meal. Apparently the shops were open but the restaurants wer not or not wanting more customers as they were to shut up 'shop' at 8.30pm. Before you rant about convenience check and see who actually used the shops when they were open - almost none!

[greenasiamcabbagelooking]

Maybe it's because it's late night shopping in Wick and people from the Thurso side go through to spend there money in big sheds.

so there are customers then ?

if it's not viable to stay open till 8pm then fair enough, but what about 6pm ?

[Fluff]

I think if the hours were to change, it would take a while for it to sink in.
During December, we are open until 9pm, and if it is an advantage card night the shop is open until 10pm. We often shut early on the 10pm night. There are always a few in until 9pm but not heaving.
What is convenient for some is very inconvenient for others!

[Penelope Pitstop]

I must admit I'm not that bothered about the shops being open late at night, once I get home from work I can't be bothered heading out again. I can also appreciate the costs involved in asking staff to work overtime.

What I would like to see is them open at lunch times. It seems that some still live in the dark ages and shut between 1.00 - 2.00.

Do some still shut on the first Monday of each month??

[MileHigh]

I would Doubt it will matter anymore what times the Thurso Shops open or close now that Tescos has the Green light that will signal the end of Thurso town centre just like all the other town centres up and down the country where Tescos open up. Im afraid the small man can't compete with the big guys.