Uncharitable Thoughts

I have written once before about the invasion of 'charity' shop's helping to kill off shops in the local high street ....

The National Press Such As The Daily Mail Have Raised This Issue On Occasion .....

The situation has only worsened since then, provoking some press comment.

A Social Policy Failure

I have recently had cause to to be in three British town or cities recently for shopping purposes ... one was quite small, one medium sized, and the last was a major city. One thing struck me about all of them.

Empty Shops ... A Feature Of Many High Street These Days.

The high streets were all squalid depressing affairs. I don't mean so much the architecture, although they all looked a bit run down. Many of the shops in the smallest high street were closed, or charity shops, but it wasn't that which struck me the most.

No, it was the numbers of apparently aimless, and I assume unemployed, younger men and women to be seen in every one of them.

Death Of A High Street

I recently visited my local high street for the first time in a fortnight, only to find that another three 'charity shops' had opened up .... In fact, in all (including the charity shops just off the main road), there are eleven or more such shops in the small shopping area .... an area that is approx. 800 - 1,000 meters of double fronted road shopping.

This is a very worrying trend, as charity shops bring nothing to the local economy, and are in fact a harbinger of its demise ..... These shops pay few wages into the local economy, as the workers are nearly all volunteers, and these charity shop, drive local business shops into near ruination. The local book shops have all gone, simply because the charity shops all offer second hand books, and virtually all the ladies fashion shops have taken a hit, either closing or dropping to the cheaper end of the market, as many women now turn to second hand clothes for cheap fashion fixes.

Charity Shop Creep Invading High Streets

The Wonder of Woolies

It was sad news today to hear that in the UK, Woolworth's will likely close, with a loss of 30,000 ordinary jobs

Woolworths Last Day

 .... it may not be a surprise, as they have struggled with mounting debts (and to find a 'High Street' role) for some months, but nonetheless a sad day.