Poor Woolies

[Thomzo]

Sad day today. Woolworths announced that they are going into Administration http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7751064.stm MFI too.

My thoughts are with the staff and pensioners. Really bad time of year for them.
Zoe

[pumpy]

There never is a good time is there? MFI have been down this road before, 10/15 yrs ago. Maybe,they'll come back again,or perhaps,they didn't learn 1st time round. As for Woolies,(something good that we inherited from USA), i'm afraid the writing has been on the wall for sometime. Maybe other high-street retailers will be looking to take over the redundant properties,& hopefully,employ a lot of the staff. Lets hope.

[Annpan]

Much as I'll miss some aspects of woolies, I can't bring myself to feel sorry for a company who did not move with the times, who continued to phase out ranges and products and end up dedicating 1/2 the shop to overpriced pick and mix and the other half to overpriced DVDs and CDs...

I do feel for the staff though... there but for the grace of God.....

[Flo]

I suspect that the clearing of ranges has been because they have been unable to pay the suppliers (for the company debt is HUGE and bigger than that) whereas the DVDs and CDs are produced by a sister company which has probably been subsidising the shop.

[StripyPixieSocks]

Shame, I used to like Woolies and all those poor employees with all the stress just before Christmas too

I have to agree with Annpan though they were quite awkward with CD's and would only stock the charts mostly and were most put out if you asked them to order something unusual so it was only a matter of time before that became a sticking point and people looked elsewhere.

Unfortunately one more shop going like that only means less competition for the monopolies and that is a great shame

[Rosendula]

Personally, I couldn't stand the shop. Over-priced, over-crowded and never had what I wanted. Like others, though, I do feel sorry for the staff and wish them the best of luck.

[Millymollymandy]

I always thought Woolworths must have closed about 20 years ago as it never had a lot in the shop, was so behind the times and apart from buying singles there when I was a kid what else was there to buy there apart from cheap Xmas decorations? Dreadful shop full of plastic tat. Bye bye.

[Thomzo]

I do think it depends where you live. Woolies seems to be a lot more appropriate in smaller, rural places where there is less competition and it provides a range of stock that you can't get elsewhere locally. Here in Swindon, it doesn't seem to achieve much. I think the small towns will miss theirs a lot more than the big cities.

Zoe

[Flo]

Where I used to live (town of around 28,000) Wilkinsons is looking for premises and the smaller Woolworths in the High Street could be just the thing if the interest is real.

[prison break fan]

One more nail in the High street coffin. pbf

[Brij]

When I was in sixth form I'd get all sorts of tat from woolies to amuse myself with, and now I've had my own homes to cheaply furnish, I've found it invaluable - usually much cheaper than the other options.

I hope it bounces back!

[Millymollymandy]

I do think it depends where you live. Woolies seems to be a lot more appropriate in smaller, rural places where there is less competition and it provides a range of stock that you can't get elsewhere locally. Here in Swindon, it doesn't seem to achieve much. I think the small towns will miss theirs a lot more than the big cities.

Zoe

I think the last time I went into a Woolies was the one on Chiswick high street in London circa. 1987.

[Penny Lane]

The one by me is starting to put everything on sale, I just bought a load of stationary stuff and a couple of cardboard books for 'Baby' Lane.

It's sad but they've never been a very good shop, I just hope I don't miss out when all the babies clothing goes on sale!