A Sign of Our Times....

 The Loss of the High Street.

With the ever increasing use of Internet Shopping, High Street shops are rapidly disappearing in Great Britain.  I fear that the ‘End is Nigh’ within the next ten to fifteen years.

Many of the ‘big names’ in Central London are feeling the pinch with a great many facing bankruptcy and closure.   Business Rates, charged by local councils, are ever increasing putting further stress on the small businesses.   Rents for prime sites have risen beyond imagination.

Any suburban town will show a similar position while it seems that the only ‘new’ shops opening are Turf Accountants (Betting/gambling) ‘Pound Shops – (Nickle and Dime), Coffee Shops and numerous ‘Charity Shops’.

It seems to me that the days of the local greengrocer, butcher, fish monger, haberdashery and such are destined for closure.   They are unable to compete with the large Supermarkets and again the Internet where everything, through bulk purchasing power, is much cheaper.

A particular issue is becoming more and more frequent where customers go to large shops, examine expensive items, question the assistant and gain all information and price.   They then check the offers for similar goods on the Internet and purchase it there.  After all, the Internet suppliers generally deliver for free to your doorstep unlike the High Street and Mall shops.

There is also the problem of parking as most people now have cars and High Streets enforce prohibited parking for the most part.   The large Supermarkets and Malls have unrestricted free parking for hundreds and sometime thousands of cars.

Another sign of the times is the closure of ‘the Family Pub’.   The first nail in the coffin was the Drink Driving legislation followed by the ‘No Smoking’ laws   Although those drivers over the limit deserve to be caught and prosecuted it has stopped people from driving out into the countryside and having a ‘pub lunch’ with a couple of drinks.  Supermarkets also sell beers and spirits at greatly reduced prices – often way below the prices charged in pubs and bars.

Personally, I am glad as the trouble caused by drunken behaviour especially at weekends is appalling. However, it leaves the suburban and country areas devoid of much of their revenue and forcing closures by the hundreds.

As someone who used to like his beer and knew the entire London area by way of pubs and not by street names I think it is all for the better.

I shall not miss the pubs and bars but the small independent shops will leave many High Streets totally deserted unless and until something is done about the situation.

Not many years ago, people did a daily shop for fresh produce whilst nowadays the majority do one large shop weekly – often on Sundays when the supermarkets are open and the smaller shops are closed.

I can well remember my mother (God rest her) traipsing all over town, meeting up with other mothers and discussing where the best prices for food items could be found.   Comparing what she used to save was lost completely on wear and tear on her shoes.

However, she and the others were always very proud of the pennies they had saved here and there.................As she used to say ‘You take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves’........

I fear those times have gone – gone and lost forever..............

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