Is Your Local Shopping Street Packed Out?

[Carabansity]

TMT has it, Leeds was rammed yesterday but nobody had any shopping bags.

This year so far we have done 100% of our Xmas shopping online.

[jammo]

Of course, some "customers" may be just looking around, before buying it all on Amazon etc.

Totally my fault, but I was caught on Oxford Street yesterday, absolutely heaving. Strange that it's so popular when the authorities can't even get around to pedestrianising it.

How busy is it where you are?

Oxford Street. There you go. If you can afford a billion quid for a house, a few shops aren't going to phase you are they? We should ignore central London when it comes to national indicators I reckon.

[Walton Goggins]

This year so far we have done 100% of our Xmas shopping online.

So far this year we have done 0% Christmas shopping.

Had a good look around Chester today and had the amusement of a highly wired couple in Cafe Nero kicking off because they don't do lattes in glasses, they are only available in cups.

Good grief, I mean really, does it matter ?

If they stayed at home and voted for UnionJ , at least something good would come out of this year's X-Factor.

Some people have no perspective.

[Ruffneck]

So far this year we have done 0% Christmas shopping.

Had a good look around Chester today and had the amusement of a highly wired couple in Cafe Nero kicking off because they don't do lattes in glasses, they are only available in cups.

Good grief, I mean really, does it matter ?

If they stayed at home and voted for UnionJ , at least something good would come out of this year's X-Factor.

Some people have no perspective.

wow....sounds scary.

Reasons like this i can't be bothered shopping in brick and mortar shops anymore.100% of christmas shopping done online this year for me.Hassle = 0%.

[Diver Dan]

Don't know about high street, as tend to avoid them, but the Aldi was ABSOLUTELY PACKED.

The car park was full - I've never ever seen it full in the last 3 years me and mrs. jfk have been using it.

... another sign 'o the time times eh

I remember the local Lidl was so busy last year that they had to open a second checkout.

[Guest eight]

The one I went past in mk was half empty.

Are you sure it wasn't half full?

[winkie]

Was in Bristol yesterday and saw someone I knew working in the swarovski shop in cabots circus. Said they couldn't understand how there are so many people able to spend so much money on there overpriced items, there are some people making a hell of a lot of money at the moment and others struggeling to get by.

There are ones making plenty that are quite happy to flash the cash on unnecessary extravagant stuff.........is it because it gives them a good feeling I wonder.

[Dorkins]

Oxford Street. There you go. If you can afford a billion quid for a house, a few shops aren't going to phase you are they? We should ignore central London when it comes to national indicators I reckon.

Oxford Street is for the plebs, not the rich.

[Number79]

Heaving, absolutely heaving.

However, whilst there are lots of people not many seem to be carrying bags and almost none are laiden with armfulls.

The only places making money seem to be coffee shops and carparks.

[interestrateripoff]

The local shopping area doesn't appear that busy.

Although Peacocks was offering 20% off at the weekend.

[albimac]

1354498899[/url]' post='909203414']

TMT has it, Leeds was rammed yesterday but nobody had any shopping bags.

This year so far we have done 100% of our Xmas shopping online.

Almost completed our Xmas shopping & the overwhelming majority has been online. The little bit that hasn't was done by the wife & she had difficulty parking her car at a retail outlet in Farnborough. She seems to enjoy that though for some bizarre reason.

Shopping online has allowed me to purchase a number of 2nd hand gifts for the kids. As a matter of fact, 42% of their presents are in used condition. I have 4 children BTW, so this time of year is an assault on the wallet.

[Downside]

Me the the girlfirend went shopping in Stratford city on saturday, we got there around 9am and the place was deserted and wasn't that busy most of the morning.

Went into the phone shop around lunch time and when we came out 2 hours later it was absolutely heaving! Never seen anywhere so busy in my life. We went and got some food and had to sit on the floor as there were no tables available. Even my girlfriend got really agitated by the amount of people there and she loves shopping!

The people were also quite rude and when queing for food people kept trying to push in. Don't think we're be going back there for a while.

On the bright side we've now completed 100% of our Christmas shopping.

[Errol]

We went and got some food and had to sit on the floor

You were that desperate??

[Downside]

You were that desperate??

My girlfriend gets really agitated when she hasn't eaten for a while as she has a dodgy stomach and that combined with people pushing in front of her got her quite worked up, so after spending several minutes not finding a table settled for propping up against a shop window and eating there.

We weren't the only ones sat on the floor I might add as there was a whole row of people sat with us which is where we got the idea from.

If it wasn't for the shiny signs and shops the place almost felt third world it was so over crowded.

[Colin]

I was in Oxford St last Friday at 6ish.

It was absolutely rammed.

I noticed that most people with bags were foreign (or didn't speak English) and I observed a couple of people with carrier bags from designer type shops speaking Russian.

(Yes I can tell the difference!)

What surprised me no end was the rammed pubs just off Oxford St. These were mainly English accents and voices in here (Still all different ethnic backgrounds however which suits me fine!). I was in the Duke of Pork guzzling my jobseekers and at £5.10 a pint I had to go to the Indian next door where the Kingfisher was cheaper! WTF! Restaurants are now cheaper than pubs to drink in!

[200p]

I found out that MissTReturns is going to London Oxford Street with her sister this Friday - long live the economic recovery!

[jfk]

Surely not Alty Aldi?

No, t'was Burnage Aldi (had to avoid the zombies mind)

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

No, t'was Burnage Aldi (had to avoid the zombies mind)

I only ask because Alty was the same. I was one of those very rare Aldi users driving round the car park to no avail for a space but where else can I get German Bratwurst?

The ski apparel must have been the draw as there were no big queues at the till despite the car park being full. Avoiding shipping in general unless we need something specific.

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

I found out that MissTReturns is going to London Oxford Street with her sister this Friday - long live the economic recovery!

She's going to need some of your motivational posters to manage in the hoards. It's dog eat dog out there.

[OnlyMe]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9720026/Christmas-shopping-gets-off-to-slow-start.html

According to data from the British Retail Consortium and accountancy firm KPMG, like-for-like retail sales rose 0.4pc in November compared with last year.

However, this was against weak comparatives because November 2011 saw a shock 1.6pc drop in sales.

.....

"The same caution hit online sales, which delivered their third worst performance of the year. With consumers conscious that there will be a full shopping weekend immediately before Christmas, retailers are holding their nerve and counting on a last minute rush in the crucial final weeks.”

[Guest eight]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9720026/Christmas-shopping-gets-off-to-slow-start.html

According to data from the British Retail Consortium and accountancy firm KPMG, like-for-like retail sales rose 0.4pc in November compared with last year.

However, this was against weak comparatives because November 2011 saw a shock 1.6pc drop in sales.

.....

"The same caution hit online sales, which delivered their third worst performance of the year. With consumers conscious that there will be a full shopping weekend immediately before Christmas, retailers are holding their nerve and counting on a last minute rush in the crucial final weeks.”

Made a list of daughter's Christmas presents, complete with prices, a few weeks back. Now we're coming to buy, every last thing on the list has either been reduced or entered into some kind of promotion. No point rushing to buy in that sort of environment. We're now doing a balancing act between holding off longer and risking stuff selling out, although I have to say I'm not very concerned about the latter happening.