guzzi Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I'm not surprised that the Chamber of Commerce should say this, but it is trying to hold back the tide. It isn't just here, it is everywhere in the developed world. Technology has changed commerce, and businesses have to adapt to a permanently altered world. Finding the correct market in which to compete on the high street is the answer, not pointlessly trying to blame consumers. Rather reminiscent of our leader's ridiculous 'use it or lose it' statement urging us all to fly to Glasgow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Jefferson Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 What local produce? Exactly. You could count all the genuinely local retailers with one hand. The shops from across like HMV, Waterstones, Tesco, etc, put them out of business long ago. Raising wages = more disposable income = more demand. Raising wages should come out of profits, not raised prices. The UK retail chains have done very well for themselves out of this island and should pass it on to the local workers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzzi Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Thomas Jefferson, do I understand correctly that you want to address the contraction of retail by increasing the minimum wage and capping prices? I can't see how that could work. The increased spending power you cite in your example has come directly from the profits of the retailers you seek to benefit. I would have thought the likely effect would be to squeeze out all but the most profitable retailers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Only if a tax were slapped on everything bought online would people begin to change their buying processes. Don't say that too loudly! It's exactly the sort of backwards protectionism that Tynwald would love to implement. It will happen because the likes of Amazon a) don't even make a profit that can be taxed, b) if they should decde to do so they are using every loophole in the book to shift revenues to tax havens. Unless they can be forced into country by country reporting as they should be, the only alternative is to make the punter pay an online levy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donald Trumps Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Ramsey seems to have developed a successful leisure shopping culture, retail folks could take note of that - or ignore it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craggy_steve Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Luckily Ken at Peter Norris Music is a great example of how a local store should work, the problem is not everbody is like that Did similar with purchase of a posh Nikon camera. Retail for body & lens £1,800. Online £1,300 + p&p. Went into Morrisons with the Internet advert and they did it for £1,350 so I was able to buy it from someone local to whom I could return if there were problems. Also bought a nice Laney valve guitar amp at Peter Norris again for roughly the interweb price. So there are decent retailers here, who will try for your business - but you have to ask for the deal. Too many people are to shy to ask or don't give the retailer a reasonable expectation of what they are prepared to pay - thoroughly British traits. Buying small stuff, well I doubt you'd get far trying to knock 30% of a pair of jeans or shoes from a local retailer, or even bother trying. Internet pricing is attractive but for me the biggest factor is convenience, browse a giant online catalogue, order it, get it. No issues of "we don't stock that" or "delivery will be 10 weeks" etc. No individual retailer can compete with the combination of range, stock & price offered by the Internet, and that's as true in the UK as here. I generally try to buy locally for any large / high value items, but sometimes I fail - difference is that when I lived in the UK I wouldn't even bother trying. I think CoC are barking up the wrong tree on this - instead of urging us to buy local, which many of us try to do anyway because localism and loyalty are strong here, they should be turning to the local retailers to see how they can support them in becoming more convenient for us. Web shops, more range, drop shipping from UK distributor warehouses etc. Not beyond the wit of Mann and I suspect most of us will pay a small premium to buy from local suppliers. DED had this idea in mind with ShopIoM but totally blew it, wrong approach, wrong tech partner, wrong business model, the concept could still succeed if done professionally. On an individual level shops like Tynwald Pet Centre do it and appear to succeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truth Seeker Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 If you want to boost shopping locally find a way to to get more parking spaces, charge less or park for free, Also build more shops, to put pressure on lowering rents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thud2 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 What local produce? Can't afford local produce, my kitchen isn't big enough to cook it, according to the dept of education, you need a huge kitchen to cook local produce. Must be the residual radiation from Wind scale/Sellafield and Chernobyl, Now if we put a bid in for the nuclear waste dump we could have moots the size of huge beach balls, think of the export potential!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thud2 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Island based retail has little chance against the might of Amazon and it's like. The selection, quality and speed of service cannot be matched by conventional shops. The high street needs to evolve to find a fresh direction. Hopefully this period of domination by cheap tat, coffee bars and charity shops will not last for ever. A new range of specialist shops offering good wholesome (preferably local) food would be welcomed. Where is the deli in Douglas? Government must help with substantial cuts in rates for retail premises and more judicious spending of current resources. There is actually a cafe over in Castle Mona Avenue that has wholesome fresh home cooked food, She was cooking spuds the other day that were still in the ground that morning. Usually as far as I'm concerned food is fuel, but I actually look forward to eating there. If it was in the street it would be mobbed, but then the prices would be half as much again in order to cover the rent. Maggie's Kitchen!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thud2 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Getting back on track, I try to buy locally all the time and I am prepared to pay a bit more if it keeps the money on the island. But so many times I go out looking for something and find that it has to be ordered by the shop, which can take up to and over a week for it to arrive (I'm looking at you ********, 3 f'ing weeks, after being told a couple of days for a wifi card, fair enough to them they did give me a discount and it wasn't entirely their fault). Still I could have had it within 48 hours if I had gone online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 If anyone needs anything from Amazon, Warehouse Express or eBay please feel free to drop me an IM. I'll add on £50 or about £500 depending on my mood and you can have the satisfaction of having bought it locally. ETA: no cheques and I'm afraid I'll have to charge you extra if you use money or plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkydevil Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 If anyone needs anything from Amazon, Warehouse Express or eBay please feel free to drop me an IM. I'll add on £50 or about £500 depending on my mood and you can have the satisfaction of having bought it locally. ETA: no cheques and I'm afraid I'll have to charge you extra if you use money or plastic. Can you make the delivery about 12 weeks, give me absolutely no feedback about my order and then be quite abrasive in your manner if I phone you or when I collect? Oh and if it's last years model for this years price that would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thud2 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 What local produce? Exactly. You could count all the genuinely local retailers with one hand. The shops from across like HMV, Waterstones, Tesco, etc, put them out of business long ago. Raising wages = more disposable income = more demand. Raising wages should come out of profits, not raised prices. The UK retail chains have done very well for themselves out of this island and should pass it on to the local workers. Agreed on that, I worked down at Tandy's 20 odd years ago and the manager told us they were one of the most profitable stores in all of Britian. They also had a good bonus scheme for us sales staff, we could double our salary with the commision and I was taught some excellent, no pressure, sales skills which have done me well when now self employed over the past few years. Other retailers should have a similar scheme for their staff, it would dramatically improve their sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmadmanx Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Went into Boots the other day to buy a 3v CR 123 Lithium battery, turns out you had to buy two of them for £13.27. Went online and ordered the same two batteries from Amazon for £3.26 including postage. #simples really as I saved a tenner and this online business is keeping local carriers and the Post Office really busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pongo Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Can you make the delivery about 12 weeks, give me absolutely no feedback about my order and then be quite abrasive in your manner if I phone you or when I collect? Oh and if it's last years model for this years price that would be great. Yes. Please pay in advance. If you change your mind within the statutory period I will nevertheless charge you a helpful made up re-stocking fee. Delivery is extra where you live btw because you are outside my imaginary zone. We aim to please. Terms and conditions apply. This is local shop. Get out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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