Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
What is your obsession with local shops?
Hello,
Don't get me wrong i shop locally all the time but what is everyones obsession with local shops?
I dont understand everyone seems to be so for these local shops - don't get me wrong its not that i dislike them but just don't understand everyones obsession with them!
If i go into a costa coffee i can order as much or as little as i like without feeling uncomfortable e.g just a coffee but in a local shop you are expected to order more or they get funny!
when i go into a local shop i usually feel very uncomfortable - they stare at you as there is usually few people in the shop.
chains and large shops are better regulated and you do not get ripped off.
can someone enlighten me?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Peter on
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haha but its true i am fed up entering independant shops and feeling the need that i have to buy something! i can enter costa coffee, sainsburys... tesco and leave if i don't see what i want without feeling uncomfortable.
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In fact I'm almost scared to go into some local shops without being stared at like prey! there are exceptions... e.g yasar halim...
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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Or Currys/PC World or whatever it's called at Tottenham Hale. If you're just having a look they're on you in droves. If you want to buy something you turn invisible.
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yeah i agree but i prefer being left alone to look at what i need to look at then finding someone and getting the help i need - but i get what your saying. In local shops we usually build a friendship with the owner therefore we feel we have to buy from them even if we don't find what we need
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I kind of get what you're saying. If I buy something in a chain I'm reasonably confident that I can get my money back if there's something wrong with my purchase or if I simply don't like it, without any fuss. The downside is that in chains the staff (not universally) have no stake in what they're selling so may have little interest in you. The exceptions to this are, on the positive side, places like John Lewis and M&S, and on the negative, see my reply to Sharon. I like independent shops because I can get stuff I can't get in the chains, it's often cheaper and the staff seem to enjoy a bit of a chat.
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Thank you! yeah exactly! i don't even think about returning things to local shops even if they are broken or damaged.
Yeah i do enjoy the chat in local shops to but then i feel pressured to buy
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Permalink Reply by Philip on
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What I find depressing in the chains is the phoney cheeriness and pretend interest in you which they are ordered to promote. Independent shops are good only if theyre actually good. I don't shop where people are rude or unhelpful. I particularly dislike trade shops like plumbers merchants where you have ignorant yobboes who grunt at you if they dont know you. However there is a really nice plumbers merchants on Lordship Lane where the really helpful and cheery staff seem to be Polish......
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yeah i know what you mean - but i feel comfortable saying to the staff in large stores that "i am ok for now and i will call you over latter if i need any help" and they are usually only to happy to allow you to carry on shopping.
For example i went into a pound plus store in green lanes and was followed outside with lower prices and different varieties of products i did not want until i was almost bullied into buying something.
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Permalink Reply by Robert Pike on
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Where in the Local Shop for Local People in Royston Vasey?
Is everyone not just for a good brand - national chain or local - or a good bit of successful local distinctiveness - a balanced mix. You like Costa and I am sure Whitbread will be very happy to see you as a number on their balance sheet.
But on the flip side I had walked along Columbia Road on a few occasions when the flower market is not on and the large amount of independent shops are empty of customers and offer a similar range. Reaching Brick Lane or Broadway Market your realise where the potential customers are. There is a better balance here.
Maybe this is the direction our stretch of Green Lanes is going in.
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I agree that large chains just see us as numbers but at least this is behind closed doors. I never complain however I've been in costa once before and a man bought a coffee... he explained to the server that it was cold and tasted funny and immediately no questions asked he was served a fresh one.
I think a good balance of both local and chain stores is good and i feel at the moment we have this in Harringay
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I had the same experience on Columbia Road on a non market day. It was actually quite eerie - all of the shops selling vintage French milk bottles and no one in them. I felt my usual guilt after spending a few minutes browsing in one and left with a vintage French milk bottle
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