Rain all day, very cold, very grey, not nice.
After cleaning the house I decided to get some exercise and wandered down the hill into town at a brisk pace. It was very wet, but after 10 days house arrest - I needed some fresh air. Not many people about - probably at home, watching their giant screen TV's.
I went to HMV, where, basically, everything is 25%off, like a fire sale - disguised as a 'blue cross' sale - it was essentially - GET AS MUCH CASH IN THE DOOR AS POSSIBLE. I bought a carrier bag of brilliant movies, most for about £2.50 - including a lot of great British films like Billy Liar, and some obscure classics - like The Pumpkin Eaters. £30 for the lot. I found it very sad, I know that successive management failures have ruined the business ( Steerforth has written eloquently and with some passion about the same process destroying Waterstone's, and Jessops - if you followed me link from below - has also fallen on the same sword ) - but the high street is about to be a much poorer place. I walked past the now closed Jessops branch, it was illuminated from inside and had clearly been stripped, as I understand it - they are trying to get their suppliers to take everything back.
The rest of the high street was pretty grim, poor stock, poor shop design, poor displays. We get what we deserve. It really does feel like the 1980's again. Of course - this will create opportunities, but at a cost. I know a couple of people who have tried to start retail businesses recently and failed spectacularly. The problem is, being single minded and focused enough to actually risk going into retail usually makes you blinkered and so singled minded you can't see where you are going wrong and don't want advice. Starting a business that relies on street market browsers in October... as we wander into a long, cold and very, very wet winter... isn't going to work. Giving a crafts business 3 months with an over priced and poorly marketed product... isn't going to work. It does not matter how much YOU like something... it needs to sell.You also need to expect to lose money for a year first... at least.
I bough a couple of lamb bones - it cheered the dogs up and will be good for their teeth and breath.
This is very sad indeed.
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