Moggy wrote:The HMV store in Bristol recently halved in size and I wouldn’t say it looked very busy whenever I walk past it. I occasionally use it, but only when I have forgotten to buy somebody a birthday present and have to pick up a DVD quickly before a family member discovers just how unorganised I am. I would imagine lots of older people going there for gifts for the grandkids, but that is a diminishing market. Streaming and downloading will eventually kill off HMV.
HMV stores do seem to vary quite wildly in how busy they are, some can be pretty quiet (Hereford & Bath are examples of this), while others seem to always be very busy (Brighton & Southampton come to mind).
No matter how much people use streaming/downloads though, i firmly believe that there will always be a market for a physical product (especially when you consider that Avengers: Infinity War sold over 300,000 physical copies alone in just three days of being released).
Moggy wrote:Currys might have a place at the moment, but I am not sure they are going to survive based on fridges and washing machines. Both of those are items that can be purchased online and delivered to your home – much more convenient than going to the shop itself.
It's not just white goods though, if i'm buying an expensive piece of electrical kit, i do like to be actually able to see/touch/try the product before i commit to purchasing it.
I did just that with the new camera earlier this year.
NickSCFC wrote:but the surrounding towns and the high street are either half empty or occupied with tat like Gregg, Primark, B&M, vape shops and betting shops.
They're lucky then, my town doesn't even have a Primark.
Gemini73 wrote:I just don't think people want to trundle around with armful of shopping bags when the convenience of online buying exists.
I do, i enjoy shopping for stuff in city centres, i'd hate to have to do it all online, especially as then i'd be stuck here all the time which would drive me (even more) insane.
Moggy wrote:Online is normally cheaper
Not always, especially as a lot of online shops charge up to £5 extra for P&P (especially clothing retailers).