Useful

**skids** · 09-01-2012, 21:53

Originally Posted by walkyrie

HMV gets my vote. Its fallen foul of the long-tail principle (Long Tail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), as will Waterstones and others of that similar genre.

Comet and Currys will survive a little longer. I'd say the majority of people who contribute to their market are of the generation where they would rather touch/feel/poke. 5-10 years and the generations will move on.

Debenhams will teeter or even fail. They're pitched at a non existant market.

Ann Summers is my pick of the day. There's previous for the underwear industry (La Senza) but Ann Summers saving grace is the 'extras' you can buy there. However soon enough everyone will realise that its a lot less embarrassing to purchase butt plugs online.

Less embarrassing and also cheaper...........so I'm told

**smartascarrots** · 09-01-2012, 21:56

Originally Posted by walkyrie

Ann Summers is my pick of the day. There's previous for the underwear industry (La Senza) but Ann Summers saving grace is the 'extras' you can buy there. However soon enough everyone will realise that its a lot less embarrassing to purchase butt plugs online.

They'll have a guaranteed market amongst masochists, then.

**walkyrie** · 09-01-2012, 21:59

Originally Posted by smartascarrots

They'll have a guaranteed market amongst masochists, then.

Touché Sir, Touché.

**geezer466** · 09-01-2012, 22:27

Amazon v the high street

customer comes in and asks to see, say, an expensive camera. Salesperson then spends 15 minutes patiently explaining the camera's features in great detail, after which one of two things happens: either customer says he can get it for £X online, where X is significantly less than the shop price, and departs; or customer simply departs and orders it online. This has become so annoying that some US photographic stores now charge an "explanation fee" to such unscrupulous customers.

It is quite simple.

Rents and local wages are too high for British shops and businesses to compete with the global distribution channels of businesses like Amazon.

British shops and businesses will have to continue to close until wages and rents drop to the point where local shops and businesses can compete with the internet.

We have a very, very long way to go but an equilibrium will be found eventually.

**Wordsmith** · 10-01-2012, 00:10

Originally Posted by geezer466

It is quite simple.

Rents and local wages are too high for British shops and businesses to compete with the global distribution channels of businesses like Amazon.

British shops and businesses will have to continue to close until wages and rents drop to the point where local shops and businesses can compete with the internet.

We have a very, very long way to go but an equilibrium will be found eventually.

The internet still has to solve the 'last mile' problem - how do you make cost effective deliveries at a time acceptable to the customer? This is more difficult than it seems.

I will (for example) have books and such like delivered to work because they're not too high a value and are not time critical. If you take another product - on-line grocery shopping which does have to be delivered at your home in a narrow time window - the problem becomes more difficult. Companies are looking at solutions like building code-pad controlled delivery boxes into the walls of our homes, but that's not going to happen any time soon.

In addition, research by major retailers has indicated that we still like the experience of physically shopping. Go into a Gap store - you'll see all the clothing laid out so it can be touched and felt easily. That's a deliberate policy by Gap - and it employs people who do nothing but walk around the shop to tidy up displays after people have rummaged through them. People are tactile - and Gap knows it helps them sell clothes.

In addition research by companies like Tesco has identified that physical and internet shopping can be complementary. Tesco segment their customers into groups sharing a common characteristic. They've found that people who shop by both 'bricks and mortar' and on-line buy more than people who just do one or the other.

The internet is not going to replace 'bricks and mortar' - its going to complement it.

Wordsmith

**All_I_Want** · 10-01-2012, 04:58

Originally Posted by GoodIdeaAtTheTime

currys - buy it on-line (for some reason seem better than comet - might linger longer)
dixons - buy it on-line
PC World - buy it on-line

All the same company....

**Joker62** · 10-01-2012, 05:21

Originally Posted by All_I_Want

All the same company....

Yeah, with different price ranges and offers and policies too when it comes to exchanges and/or refunds.

Originally Posted by re-stilly

It seems that this year will see a lot of household names going to the wall. So who will be next?Personally I think Jessops

I won't be missing that lot one little bit, most unfriendly staff I have ever met. I've just taken recently taken up photgraphy and their salesmanship sucks, can't wait for the closing down sales though. Jacobs, a far smaller company, on the other hand are far better when it comes to customer care, even down to ordering the stuff in for you if it's not in stock and very helpful with techy stuff too.

**beagleboy** · 10-01-2012, 05:27

Fuck me! I've just understood Wordsmith's posts. Either he's playing to the audience (me), or someone has grabbed his username and is an imposter, a wordsmith walt.

**BONNACON** · 10-01-2012, 05:59

High street as we know it has had it's day. Bloated faceless chains are to unwieldly, rents are to high staff undertrained/ undermoativated. This may be a chance for the little guy to get back in the game. Small towns seem to be doing ok compared to major cities in the retail sector one of the reasons being the ubershops never moved in. As for who's going soon. BHS. Stores now look grubby. 1st sign of sinking.

**beagleboy** · 10-01-2012, 06:13

This same conversation is happening in oz with some very vocal business leaders 'crying' over their lost profits and demanding the Federal Government tax all goods purchased oversea's by online shopping.

One train of thought which I watched on the tele is that the original 'village' shops is having a renaissance, ie the local cafe, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, all coming back, don't know if their coming complete with the village idiot though. As opposed ot the huge shopping mall/complexes which although not dead are definitely having 'closing down sales' within their walls.