Support my local high street/shopping area, why?

[ivan edake 13]

For the past few weeks every time I have watched TV adverts there has been a group of people singing "support your local High Street". The Yorkshire weatherman has advised me to do the same,as has all of the National Newspapers.Why should I bother  when councils all over the country have done their best to deter me from doing this? No matter where you go there are never enough parking spaces.If you can find one you will be charged an obscene fee ,and woe betide you if you are back a few minutes late,you will collect a parking ticket,usually from an obnoxious jobsworthy, but it can be via the post, and it will cost you around a ton. Councils have bled motorists dry and are now reaping what they have sown.Sensible people have given up on town centre shopping and it will take a lot more than a few songs or adverts to bring it back.

[Halibut 12]

Why bother? Because you're not wholly dead inside and there's still a shred of humanity left inside that wizened husk of what used to be human?

[Vaati 11]

This is not another brexit thread. Posts have been removed as such.

[Resident 1,185]

Not much of my local high Street in all honesty. 

 

Local businesses are all closing because the village is littered with Premiers or Co-ops.

 

When other businesses try to move in they protest claiming their business will suffer

 

A while back we had Co-op, Somerfields, Spar & Premier as well as a few independent "corner-shops". Tesco wanted to open a store in the village. 

 

Co-op and Premier ran an objection campaign (and paid off the right council members) on the basis that they would lose significant business and have to close, leading to Tesco having a monopoly in the are & this was the official reason the council refused permission to Tesco. 

 

Yet within 6 months Co-op had bought out Somerfields and Spar and all the independent shops became Premier. Creating the very monopoly they had campaigned against.

 

That said, why are you complaining about parking? Surely if it's your local high street it's in walking distance... 

[Guest makapaka]

49 minutes ago, Halibut said:

Why bother? Because you're not wholly dead inside and there's still a shred of humanity left inside that wizened husk of what used to be human?

Well there is an underlying point - we are constantly advised to use our local high street but the local high street at times doesn’t want to do too much to entice you.

 

in the area I live there is a constant cry for people to use them and I absolutely support the idea - but then they don’t want to open at certain hours / don’t want to sell certain goods / generally don’t want to make it more convenient.

 

for example - I could walk into my local

bakers at 10am on a Monday but I’m at work.

 

and when I drove past at 6pm they are shut.

same as the butchers.

 

so I go to the supermarket and then read tweets saying I should be supporting them and not supermarkets.

[woodmally 10]

The problem with the local high street is its been run into the ground for a number of reasons:

 

1) The Council granting licences to chuggers (charity muggers) who hassle people on the high street.  Its like a gauntlet. I'm not talkikng about those groups that have buckets for cash but the direct debit companies that act on behalf of charities.

 

2) Persistent aggressive begging from the spice addicts. 

 

3) Blatant drug dealing in the city centre (see point 2) It is happening outside the Bankers Draft and the old Lloyds building. Its so obvious its happening.

 

4) The rent a protest every week.  The usual band of lefties protesting about some obscure crusade or campaign. Yes lets protest about Palestine because the people of Sheffield really support Israel dont they?  

 

5) The Socialist Not Workers party with their table ranting about revolution in 5 years time.

 

 

[Guest makapaka]

1 minute ago, woodmally said:

The problem with the local high street is its been run into the ground for a number of reasons:

 

1) The Council granting licences to chuggers (charity muggers) who hassle people on the high street.  Its like a gauntlet. I'm not talkikng about those groups that have buckets for cash but the direct debit companies that act on behalf of charities.

 

2) Persistent aggressive begging from the spice addicts. 

 

3) Blatant drug dealing in the city centre (see point 2) It is happening outside the Bankers Draft and the old Lloyds building. Its so obvious its happening.

 

4) The rent a protest every week.  The usual band of lefties protesting about some obscure crusade or campaign. Yes lets protest about Palestine because the people of Sheffield really support Israel dont they?  

 

5) The Socialist Not Workers party with their table ranting about revolution in 5 years time.

 

 

That’s more like high street in town - not the local high street.

 

plus you don’t have to have a dig at left wing  politics on every thread - just saying.

[nikki-red 308]

3 minutes ago, woodmally said:

The problem with the local high street is its been run into the ground for a number of reasons:

 

1) The Council granting licences to chuggers (charity muggers) who hassle people on the high street.  Its like a gauntlet. I'm not talkikng about those groups that have buckets for cash but the direct debit companies that act on behalf of charities.

 

2) Persistent aggressive begging from the spice addicts. 

 

3) Blatant drug dealing in the city centre (see point 2) It is happening outside the Bankers Draft and the old Lloyds building. Its so obvious its happening.

 

4) The rent a protest every week.  The usual band of lefties protesting about some obscure crusade or campaign. Yes lets protest about Palestine because the people of Sheffield really support Israel dont they?  

 

5) The Socialist Not Workers party with their table ranting about revolution in 5 years time.

 

 

These are all problems in the city centre, this thread is about peoples LOCAL high street/shopping area.
 

[steve68 66]

Probably helps as its a 2min walk to our local high street, I like Hillsborough high st. I often pop into the local shops two or three times a day, as I'm passing on my way to somewhere.

 

There are plans for a couple more micro pubs in addition to the one that's already opened, it's  less retail more entertaining and eateries that seem to be popping up.

 

 

[mickey finn 12]

Bugger High Street, my money is in Meadowhall, right where I can park.

[WalkleyIan 10]

Love the fact that I still have a local high street. No need to drive to some out of town shed  . Quality of life being able to walk to the shops

 

Decent butchers, bakers,  new baker even delivers, Dram shop a short walk away, choice of pubs to sort all tastes. All manner of cafes, restaurant and takeaways. Money stays local if you shop locally.

 

Many of the shops doing their utmost to keep trade, by late night opening and special Sunday openings in the run up to Xmas.  The local mini market delivered to old folks on Xmas day. 

 

Now I have the loan of an e-bike bike Hillsborough (for the pet food run), up to the coop in Crookes.  

I’ve got elderly parents on both sides of the family who have had to give up their cars (AMD in both cases, it's very common) and that's when you really need your local shops to still be around 
 

[Anna B 1,414]

The simple answer to the original poster is 'if you don't use it, you lose it.'

 

However, I would like to see local shops doing a bit more to attract / keep trade. Some of my local shops are shut on Saturdays with shutters pulled up, which detracts from other shops, and I would have thought , would be a busy trading day when people are not at work. 

 

The trick that they coulld employ is better service, which is sadly lacking in many a real shopping experience these days.  Pleasant friendly service is key of course, acknowledging returning customers and regulars by name if possible, and what about a seat or two for older shoppers to rest on. Deliveries as WalkleyIan says, could be offered (as they used to be in the distant past) and a good variety of different shops selling a range of goods is important. Go the extra mile and shoppers will return.