Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Wood Green W H Smith closing down
Notices have been put up on the window to say the store is shutting on March 3. No mention of what will happen to the post office.
Tags for Forum Posts: wood green post office, wood green post office closure
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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Good grief. Nothing much is going to be open soon on our High Streets apart from places to eat, get hair cuts and nails done. The small post office in there is far from being enough for the needs of thousands but without it, what are people meant to do?
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on
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WH Smith has a high street and a 'travel' division which includes the hospital ones.
High street is run on a shoestring and shops shut as leases come up. It explains why the place has been visibly declining for years.
Travel gets investment, in well picked locations, and they are clean and well run.
Sad for staff and not obvious who will pick up some of the things it sells.
All the more reason to buy books from the All Good Bookshop which is community run...
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Permalink Reply by Jeremyb on
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I'm sorry to see WHS closing. Although it has been declining in recent years as Stephen says, I can remember when it opened just over 40 years ago, and how excited I was..! It had an extensive music department selling cassettes(!) and singles and, later, CDs and I bought many records there ...I think for a while it was about the only place in Wood Green you could buy records, etc...Later on, it was also one of the first places locally to sell the new VHS video tapes...! There was also an in-house travel agency and bureau de change (which, in a strange turn of events, it now has again as part of the Post Office) The store was originally on two floors- newspapers, stationery, music and travel agency on the ground floor, the upper floor entirely devoted to books ! The upper floor was given up around 2000 to become Cineworld's cinema foyer and the adjoining restaurant, currently Moo Dogs..... WHS gained more space on the ground floor to compensate.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Yes, it is sad, but, I guess part of the story of our times. Retail is changing and we have to say our goodbyes to the ways we used to know.
I didn't grow up in the area, but I have very fond memories of my local W. H, Smith branches. To a child they were exciting places that sold some of the earliest purchases you'd make, when you started venturing out to the shops on your own - things like comics, stationery and choosig your own books, beyond the library visits. I seem to remember sticking with Smiths as I graduated from Buster to Look and Learn, then Melody Maker and New Musical Express. I don't remember when they started selling confectionery and records.
Smiths was a byword for respectability, an essential anchor store in any self-respecting high street. Sadly, it's become a rather shambling also-ran, a very pale shadow of its former self. I'm not sure there's much of an alternative to seeing the stores close as the retail market is today.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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It was turned into a clearance outlet cum jumble sale a while ago and never really recovered.
I’ll be sad to see it close as it is the go to for magazines from the more obscure end of the market - I’ve never seen so many periodicals devoted to trout fishing - and has (well, had) a good, cheap arts and crafts materials stock, but my main concern is yet another post office closing. I use it often as the self service is quick and easy. We can look forward to even longer queues at the Green Lanes and Turnpike Lane franchises no doubt.
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Permalink Reply by Alison M on
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When I asked a cashier about Post Office services some time ago, he said that the Post Office would probably award the business to another shop in the area, but that it wouldn't happen much before the WH Smith closing date, as the policy is not to have two PO outlets in the same area at the same time. I have no further info on whether this is indeed happening - anyone know?
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I remember the CDs, videos and much more that used to be sold in WHS.
When back from my job in Bulgaria for summer break (1990s) I always headed to WHS to buy stuff to take back for my teaching such as videos of sitcoms etc. It was a great resource for me and my students in Bulgaria and also for entertainment, the range of CDs was really good. Always found too many things and had to send things on ahead. It did go into decline and a great pity. Online shopping is not the same and there isn't that joy of looking around a nice shop with lots of good things to look at right in front of you.
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Meanwhile in the opposite direction, Nationwide have closed several branches so Wood Green is now my closest branch
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Hardly any branches of N'wide left now. And banks are only in Wood Green rather than other local High Streets. There is a degree of force now to go online, it's not choice. Many people would prefer to local branches, with staff to help them. Not bots online.
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Some banks phone and online service shocking and branches disempowered to assist (Halifax beyond cr@p)
And cheques cannot be paid into Nwide accounts in a PO. Unlike some. Know cheques disappearing but not for all
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I suppose it rather cynical of me but taking away face to face shifts the cost of transacting with a bank to the customer rather than a salaried member of staff.
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No cynicism. Obvcs there are costs to the automated systems - which often exclude some people massively - my blind m-i-l with arthritic hands for example. Remember when bank managers had some decision making ability. Now they are 28 year olds who do what the computer tells them. (There are a couple of challenger banks which are moving against this model).
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