The Wonder of Woolworth's

[JulieSherris]

The good news is the Whittards are being taken over by Past Times, so i can still get Christmas coffee and tea!

It is??? Wow!

For the last 10 years, hubby has always bought me a new cup/coaster/bowl, whatever, in the 'Mad Cat' design.
Sadly, I only have 1 cup, 1 coaster & the little stuffed cat toy left, but I love 'em.
In fact, Mad Cat went for a sleepover with little Leah last night as a treat for her looking after the MIL yesterday! She asked if she could have it when I died..... I agreed... but hopefully, it won't be for just a while yet

I hope they carry on the theme, I'd love to get some more on our next trip back to the UK.

[Thomzo]

Tis the second of the many to go - MFI, Woollies, Whittards of Chelsea, Officers Club, Zavvi, Adams so far. All within a few weeks. Use up your Christmas vouchers folks. Else you may never get anything with them at this rate.

We're playing retail bingo at work. You get a card full of the names of random shops. As each one goes under you tick them off your card. The first one to lose all their retailers wins a fist full of Woolworths vouchers

Sorry - I can be a mean b***h at times.

Zoe

[Wombat]

Woolies are one of the "big two" over here. We have a large one within 5 minutes walk.

Nev

Isn't Woolies a supermarket chain where you are? I think that's what they are in the US as well aren't they? In the UK they are not a supermarket - just sell odds and ends type of stuff. I haven't visited one for must be 20 years (in fact I thought they'd closed down yonks ago ) and I remember them mostly because they sold records and sweets!

Yup, they are a much maligned supermarket over here. Probably maligned for all the usual (and correct) reasons. There used to be a Woolies that sold bits and peices but they went the way of the dodo years ago over here.

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

Tis the second of the many to go - MFI, Woollies, Whittards of Chelsea, Officers Club, Zavvi, Adams so far. All within a few weeks. Use up your Christmas vouchers folks. Else you may never get anything with them at this rate.

We're playing retail bingo at work. You get a card full of the names of random shops. As each one goes under you tick them off your card. The first one to lose all their retailers wins a fist full of Woolworths vouchers

Sorry - I can be a mean b***h at times.

Zoe

I must be too cos I found that funny.

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Tis the second of the many to go - MFI, Woollies, Whittards of Chelsea, Officers Club, Zavvi, Adams so far. All within a few weeks. Use up your Christmas vouchers folks. Else you may never get anything with them at this rate.

We're playing retail bingo at work. You get a card full of the names of random shops. As each one goes under you tick them off your card. The first one to lose all their retailers wins a fist full of Woolworths vouchers

Sorry - I can be a mean b***h at times.

Zoe

I must be too cos I found that funny.

We go through stages of playing local news bingo, but after a while it all gets alittle predictable, you know school holidays = arson top story, summer = flooding but might re-instate the cards for tonights edition!

[Thomzo]

Walking through Swindon town centre today was a bit like walking through a graveyard. So far the following are empty or about to be:

Woolworths
Adams
The photo processing shop near the tourist information centre
Burger King (but that's been empty for years)
The old Portman branch
Whittards (the chain may have been saved but they are closing the Swindon store)
The officers club
The card shop upstairs in the Brunel centre has a sign saying they are closing
The Works - closed ages ago.
The pier - only a concession in Debenhams so not a real store
The lottery kiosk in the Brunel Centre
The Nisa shop at the top of town is "closed until further notice for refurbishment" but no evidence of any builders.
Zavvi is about to close
Roseby's closed a while ago.

House of Fraser has become an outlet store and is rubbish now.

RIP the High Street.

Zoe

[Green Aura]

Let's hope that out of this debacle we can have back some smaller enterprises, individual to each town, not run on huge amounts of credit.

I don't want to see ghost town centres, and I feel deeply for those who've lost their jobs. But I can't mourn the loss of all those hideous chain stores, so you don't know if you're in Swindon or Stockport. Hopefully this will bring down town centre rents so smaller businesses will have a chance.

[StripyPixieSocks]

I am absolutely gutted Wedgewood has closed... 500 years of trading, I nearly cried. I don't know anyone who works there but I know how important it was to the Staffordshire / Stoke-on-Trent people who worked there and I used to see alot of it through my parents Antiques business. A huge piece of British pottery history gone!

You can criticize what Woolies and the like were selling but just for one minute stop and think about the people who worked there (and in other places) who are now being forced through the grinder of the benefits system and are quite possibly about to lose their homes or not be able to put food on the table for their families!

To be quite honest I think peoples attitudes to these closures stinks and you should all be thanking whatever brand of God you subscribe to that it is not you in that situation and you should also be hoping you are not next.

It's no laughing matter whatsoever!

[invisiblepiper]

with more than British consequences too - a great deal of Wedgewood china was painted in Indonesia.

[Thomzo]

It is, of course, very serious for those involved and I accept any criticism of my earlier posts. I knew when I posted it that it would offend some. I genuinely hope nobody on this forum is badly affected by the current financial problems.

I do feel for those who are suffering both financially and emotionally from being made redundant at this time. Having been made redundant three times myself and being about to finish my current contract, I do know what these people are going through. I was charged with closing down my last employer which was the most stressful job I have ever had to do. Those who are being made redundant will quite possibly lose not only their jobs but their last month's pay and any savings or shares they may have purchased in their employer.

The way some staff at Woolies were treated by the general public is absolutely disgusting and is a sad reflection on British society at this time. It is the selfish, "I want it all and I want it NOW", mentality that we seem to have bred that has caused this situation in the first place.

However, in my experience, most people get another job. I had to make over 30 people redundant and they all found new jobs within three months. There will be those who do struggle or have to take much lower paid jobs (as I had to do) and I do regret that will happen.

But let us not forget that mortgage rates, for those that have mortgages, have gone down a lot recently. Mine has fallen to the lowest I have ever paid. Those people who are at risk from losing their houses because they have remortgaged in order to buy luxuries do not have my sympathy. Of course, there are many who will or have lost their homes through no fault of their own and they do deserve our prayers.

IMHO, the world is not all doom and gloom, despite what the media may have us think. Next and M&S reported last quarter sales that were only marginally down on last year. Given how low inflation is at this time that is an achievement. M&S reported that volume sales had increased.

We shouldn't laugh at the misfortune of others but sometimes humour helps to get through bad times and optimism is our biggest weapon against the doom at this time.

Zoe
(no offence was meant by this post and no offence has been taken at anybody elses post)

[invisiblepiper]

I agree Thomzo - it is serious - but humour is a good way to deal with it. We have been directly affected by the recession - but my OH is the first to come out with a quip! Better than my mothers 'Its grim you know' phone calls - as if we hadn't noticed!
I think our society has been too greedy for too long - but that's part of why I love this forum - like minded people - open for a discussion.

[the.fee.fairy]

I agree too. Its the Great British Way to laugh at the most tragic of situations. Most of the time its a case of laugh or cry, and with the stiff upper lip, naturally, laughing is the preferred choice!