The Pound Plummets

Poundland (UK equivalent to US Dollar Tree stores), used to be my favourite shop ....

A Typical Poundland .....

.... you could go in for something specific, and still end up with several extra items without feeling too guilty.

Nothing you bought cost more than a pound, and most things bought would be used sooner or later. So not wasted money, even if it was an unplanned purchase. I would defend them in discussions at work, when I had my leg pulled whenever I returned from a lunchtime visit to a Poundland store.

Value for money was the watchword, especially for cheap DIY tools and equipment, which meant I was forever buying items such as varnish, mini paints, paint brushes, paint rollers, epoxy putty etc for small household jobs, often where I didn't want to have to clean brushes/equipment after a job, or where I didn't want large sizes/volumes, and thus a lot leftover product, with the storage requirement of any unused amounts.

But recently they have moved into the cheap(ish), clothing product line. Their shops near me have lost a third or so of the shop shelf space to their PEP & CO, kids, men and women's clothing range, and with its arrival, it looks like many other lines have been dropped, or are short stocked when in.

So as a loyal customer for many, many years, it saddens me when I go in now, and a range such as yacht varnish or mini gloss paint are either no longer sold, or just constantly not in stock, as the small amounts held are quickly sold out. Now I don't know if the cheap clothes line is competing well with Primark, or some of the supermarkets such as Asda or Morrison's who also have clothes ranges, (or even the charity shops), but surely that market was already saturated before Poundland entered it as well?

Sadly I now find that I frequently have to look elsewhere, and usually pay more money as well, for items that Poundland used to be my first port of call for .... I have also noted that some items are now £3.00 or other amounts (I picked up an item without looking, and was charged £3.00) ... so suddenly the very name is not entirely correct ... in fact prices more in the rival Poundstretcher product price range.

With Argos seemingly losing its way (my local branch has gone, and I was advised I had to travel 20 miles if I wanted a particular item!), its a shame that my other standby shop is seemingly heading into a retail dead end (for me) as well.

Poundland had a niche and price range, that the high street or Internet couldn't touch, but now its moving into a product range and prices, where its open to Internet and even high street competition. In the long run its hard to see the UK high street retail sector surviving against the Internet, especially when they lose their uniqueness. 

Woolworths - Start Of The Retail Rot

My retail world map started crumbling when Woolworth's went ... the recent loss of other familiar names, and recently Debenham's, just seem to be road signs for the rest of the retail landmarks of my life disappearing sometime sooner, rather than later. And they call this progress!