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Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

Grumpy Old Lemons Like You
stevensfo
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Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#271296

Postby stevensfo » December 15th, 2019, 4:02 pm

I noticed that for the last few years, Amazon's gift-wrapping service has been disappearing, and this was particularly important for those of us who don't live close to their relatives, or more importantly for me, always find the sellotape is possessed by an evil demon that makes wrapping presents something to be avoided at all costs. The scene they cut from Rambo was the one where, to get to the POW camp, he had to choose Christmas presents and then wrap them nicely. It proved too traumatic for most men!

So, wanting to support the local economy, I thought I would get everything in the local stores. What can be easier than perfumes, books, DVDs, scarves etc?

Two days later, I am a gibbering idiot who has just lost many, many hours from my life on a fruitless mission and will require counselling and strong medication. Basically, malt whisky.

Hours and hours in traffic jams, trying to park in over-priced car parks, trudge around miserable high streets populated by extras from 'The Walking Dead', find the actual 'shops', i.e. not Charity shops, Opticians and banks, then ask if they have......knowing before I finish the sentence that they don't.

My one little consolation is that I always give my parking receipt to someone just arriving. That shows how sad it is.

As far as I'm concerned, Amazon and Ebay can live here tax-free for as long as they want. Long-live online shopping!

Steve

PS For those looking for creams, perfumes etc for their female loved-ones, the products on the Clarins website are actually cheaper than their own products on Amazon.

bungeejumper
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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#271460

Postby bungeejumper » December 16th, 2019, 1:50 pm

It grieves me to say amen to that, but I'll bite my lip and try. :roll:

I've also ordered most of my Christmas shopping online, although I have at least tried to buy from specialist outfits rather than having everything direct from Amazon. I don't actually mind parking in my local town, because it's quite easy, but the downside is that there's nothing I really want to buy there, apart from groceries and a few odds and sods from the pound shops.

So I started the season by going showrooming instead. Drifting aimlessly around the Mall at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol, checking out the latest gonzo mens' toys and looking in at the Tesla shop (I still have a weird sense of humour), and then going home to action the ideas that have surfaced. Felt a bit sorry at walking out of John Lewis without being even a little bit inspired - but hey, at least it's good to know that they can deliver for free to my local Waitrose if I change my mind. (Good service, by the way.)

But generally, the lack of seasonal atmosphere in the shops has been striking this year. Not even B&M, the home of cheapo knock-offs for the culturally deprived, had any kind of festive buzz going on last weekend, and it was all like the Marie Celeste in there. The highlight of my in-store Christmas shopping has been that Sainsburys' 25% off offer on wine has persisted into its third week.

Looks like everyone's getting Burgundy for Christmas this year, then. :lol:

BJ

redsturgeon
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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#271656

Postby redsturgeon » December 17th, 2019, 9:30 am

My sister informed me a couple of weeks ago that if I was having trouble thinking of a suitable present for our 87 year old dad then a nice warm M&S cardigan would be perfect.

Great, I thought, quick ride into town pick up said item, job done.

But, I forgot, the town centre has been a no go area for locals since the Christmas market opened two weeks ago and my bike route would take me right through the Cathedral precinct where the market and ice rink are set up and seething with tourists. I'd have as much chance riding through the crowds at Glastonbury as tackling that melee.

So, armed with the sage advice from this timely thread, I braved the virtual world of M&S shopping.

Who would have guessed that unlike my belief that there would be such an item as, "the famous M&S cardigan, wooly, snuggly and warm, like the faithful Labrador of the winter wooly world", there was a choice of TWENTY TWO different cardigans.

Lambswool, merino, cashmere, Arran, cotton, v-neck, collarless, shawl neck, red neck (OK I made that one up)...the choice was endless.

That wasn't the worst thing though.

The worst thing was that all the cardigans were being modelled by skinny androgynous teenagers wearing cardigans two sizes too small for them. I was having real trouble imagining any of these skintight, stylish, fashionable items on my old dad while he was walking the dog through the Lincolnshire fens.

Needless to say, I logged out with an empty basket.

I took the easy way out and emailed my sister, asking her for a link to the one she thought I should buy, perhaps she should just buy it and wrap it and I will give her the money...

John

Bminusrob
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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#272231

Postby Bminusrob » December 19th, 2019, 9:55 am

My one little consolation is that I always give my parking receipt to someone just arriving. That shows how sad it is.
and that's another irritation. When you go to Oxford or the like, you have to enter your car's registration number before paying, to stop you passing the ticket on. It seems unfair to me. I've paid an arm and a leg to occupy a parking space for a couple of hours, so why shouldn't I be able to do it by proxy. I say it is understandable in the likes of Oxford, because the cost of a couple of hours of parking is nearly as much as my first mortgage, but where I really get grumpy is here in Devon, where I can park for an hour for 60p, but I still have to enter my registration number first.

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#272289

Postby UncleEbenezer » December 19th, 2019, 12:20 pm

Bminusrob wrote: but I still have to enter my registration number first.

Isn't that to help protect you from the likelihood of theft, by rendering your ticket useless to a thief?

Not to mention having a record of you if a dispute arises 'cos your ticket was invisible or lost. Millions of drivers 'trying it on', others falsely accused ...

didds
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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#272344

Postby didds » December 19th, 2019, 3:17 pm

Is it actually possible to buy music CDs that are not in the top 20/50 or whatever from a town centre shop these days? I doubt your typical supermarket CD section has a copy of "Dark Side of the Moon" (other classic albums are available), or the excellent band one saw at a festival last year (eg The Bar steward sons of val Doonican" etc). So you are almost forced to buy such items online.

Obviously SOME towns have excellent independent music stores, or 2nd hand vinyil stores ect, but for your genereic high street and town etc etc etc...

didds

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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#272345

Postby scrumpyjack » December 19th, 2019, 3:30 pm

Yes can't remember when I last went into a shop other than a supermarket. Oh yes it was Specsavers with my wife £223 to have new lenses put in old frames. Then got her another pair on line (varifocals, thin lenses etc including reasonable frames) coat £13.69 including postage. Took a fortnight as they were made in Pakistan and they are perfect.

We must average one Amazon delivery a day.

Not surprised the High St is in deep trouble

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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#272545

Postby stewamax » December 20th, 2019, 12:06 pm

scrumpyjack wrote:Oh yes it was Specsavers with my wife £223 to have new lenses put in old frames

Hmm... recently my new local branch of Specsavers simply refused to re-glaze a Specsavers frame - something my previous not-so-local branch would do on completion of their usual 'damage waiver'. So I picked a frame from their cheapest range ("Are you sure, Sir?") and told them to use that. It was actually cheaper than a re-glaze; and they lost a customer.
Could scrumpyjack pls provide a link to the Pakistan supplier?

scrumpyjack
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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#272569

Postby scrumpyjack » December 20th, 2019, 1:27 pm

It's www.goggles4u.co.uk

It's UK but they are made in Pakistan or elsewhere.

The first new pair cost about £76

My wife was so happy with them that I clicked on 'reorder' they had a special offer that day and the price was £13.69. These were manufactured in Pakistan but posted in the UK. It took about 2 weeks

All fine

I have also used glasses direct but found G4U better and cheaper.

tjh290633
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Re: Christmas shopping in town centres? No thanks!

#272575

Postby tjh290633 » December 20th, 2019, 1:50 pm

stewamax wrote:
scrumpyjack wrote:Oh yes it was Specsavers with my wife £223 to have new lenses put in old frames

Hmm... recently my new local branch of Specsavers simply refused to re-glaze a Specsavers frame - something my previous not-so-local branch would do on completion of their usual 'damage waiver'. So I picked a frame from their cheapest range ("Are you sure, Sir?") and told them to use that. It was actually cheaper than a re-glaze; and they lost a customer.
Could scrumpyjack pls provide a link to the Pakistan supplier?

I had an opposite experience. I snapped the sidearm on my specs and they provided a new frame for £30 of the identical design. Had they not had a frame in stock, I would have been looking for a complete new pair of varifocals.

TJH


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