SHOPPING

So todays shopping. Sit back and a few clicks of the computer mouse and that's it. I used to enjoy visiting high street shops, browsing, being able to pick things up etc, ask questions etc. That's changed now.
We now live in a throw away world. I used to like visiting Tottenham Court Road London. Electrical shops, Ham radio etc. Science shops etc.

I have just placed an order online with a Chinese firm. I've ordered a 3.5-90x simul-focal trinocular zoom stereo microscope + double arm boom stand. £499.00 post free. Yes I'd have liked to have handled it and tried it out, alas today is now.

Anyone else have feelings about shopping?

 

Your a brave man sending 500 quid to China.

Imho The high st. died when the councils decided to make it a nighmare to find parking and if you did find a spot a warden would be waiting to catch you overstaying by a minute so the council could extort 60 quid from you.

Then the streets were filled with beggars, honest and fake ones, which didnt help matters aswell as the street drinkers.

Online shopping saves me the hassles of goining into the city centre now and online is usually cheaper and offers a vastly greater choice imho.

What I would change is the ludicrous amount of returns people are making with online shopping. A womens fasion retailer said she gets back about 50% of orders from her customers
Thats ahell of a lot of delivery vans needed just to do that.

 

I would love a microscope, had one when I was a nipper, it's one of the two things I love. A telescope for the planets, the other for the micro world we live in.
The problem with buying international is the following....

Quote... "International items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges."

I'm a home brewer and on the odd occasion, I've bought kit from China, then been hit with a tax bill on delivery.

I've been hit with a parking ticket, the reason "I used the wrong ticket machine." yup you read that correctly.

We went into Stratford upon Avon, 3 miles from home, by the river are two car parks both own by the council. We parked up paid for a ticket when we returned we found a ticket on the screen, not for being over on time. I used the ticket machine for the car spaces the other side of the tarmac road feeding both parks. When we went to the office to ask about the ticket, the above reason was what we were told.

There was no way they would back down and we had to pay....needless to say, we don't go to Stratford any more, we now go to Lemington Spa.

Who lost out here?? the high st....sorry traders...blame the council.

BJ.

 

Some time ago I saw a programme on TV and they were interviewing women about on-line purchasing. I was shocked at the number (probably that 50%) that said they buy outfits for going out/parties etc, leave the tags on tucked in then return the item saying it doesn't fit or whatever! I can't understand this mindset.

I buy a lot on-line (can't abide crowds) but if I get something I am not 100% happy with, I give it to a friend or charity. This is possibly why Amazon sells things at a low price in the Warehouse Deals saying 'Used Once'. Absolutely appalling behaviour but I have benefitted many times with such items as an upright and a robot vacuum, both in original packaging and in perfect working order.

 

I spent my working life in retail management in from the sixties when I was in my early twenties. Starting with a TV and and electrical appliance store, then progressing to general manager. chain and deparmental stores.

In my teens I worked in an office in Regent Street, where the girls outnumbered the boys ten to one. (Oh! Happy days!)
It was common for some of the girls to buy a dress in Oxford Street Street on a Friday lunchtime, wear it on Saturday night and take it back for a refund at Monday lunchtime.

I doubt if anything has changed.

In chain stores another ploy was shoes. We occasionally found a pair of womens' tatty-looking shoes pushed under the display racks, where someone had obviously swopped them for a new pair and walked out without payment, wearing them.

But with more afluent society these days, a lot of young women buy dresses in Primark, wear them a couple of times, then throw them away. Our son's partner, regularly does this.

 

This is the appalling behaviour I referred to.

There is one word for this type ... THIEF!

I agree with this but I then give the clothes to charity.

 

I wowder how much stuff gets repacked and sold as new after it's been returned, food shopping we go to the shops first thing in the morning (we don't like lots of people) we do some internet shops but no with credit/debit cards we use gift cards or we look on line to buy and then ring up by phone to place order then get it delivered (free)

 

Having our own small company I like support local businesses and buy local wherever I can, provided the cost of doing so isn't significantly more than buying on line.
The issue I have is that a lot of the items I'm after are not available locally or I don't have the time to scour the local shops in the hope of finding the items.

Amazon has made it too easy to locate unusual items.

We have bought a lot of plants and seeds on line and tend to use trusted specialist suppliers who others have recommended. We have built a rapport with some of these and find that they operate as virtual local businesses.
We do have a local nursery where the owner is quirky, to say the least, and he has some good plants and good knowledge of plants. Its good to spend a bit of time chatting to him, picking his brains - something you don't tend to get very often today.

 

Fellow home brewer here. I bought a couple of stainless steel vessels from Germany. Much cheaper than the uk, great quality and great service .

 

We only go shopping where parking is free, with the exception of Central MK shopping centre, when we reluctantly pay for the cheapest parking spot (near Iceland) but only visit their shops when we've got vouchers for free drinks and cakes at John Lewis.

 

Bought a couple of bags at Wilko.

 

@john558 snap, got one Saturday, see they have 7cm pots 15 for £1, didn't see them in my local store though.

 

I never, or nearly never go into the town to shop.
You cant get there, congestion, if you do you cant park.
It costs the earth for just one hour.

You then get pushed around by mostly bolshy people, dodging them in the street is something I'm not good at.
But the town is mostly full of food outlets and pubs anyway.

I do use out of town shopping areas with free parking, but with all the massive house building going on these are mostly overcrowded also and becoming no go areas.

So Online is becoming the only way to go, much as I hate not being able to really look at something before buying.