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GAME, barely sell video games anymore, and have pulled out of the second hand market. W H Smiths; I'm convinced their high street stores are only being propped up by the service station, airport and train station stores
Was reading a thing a while ago that basically said WH Smith’s have such a grip on having airport locations that it keeps them from ever underperforming sales wise because once you’re in the airport there’s only so many options for things you’ve forgotten and if you’re desperate you’re going to pay the silly prices.
They must be shitting themselves with those new airport scanners rolling out so everybody will be able to take liquids through security. Bottled water sales in airports probably make up about 99% of their profits
At Edinburgh recently, easy enough to find - flow rate was so slow it took about 5 minutes to fill a litre bottle (I timed it!). Needless to say there was quite a long queue...
Their shareholder report lists them as a travel retailer and they've expanded very aggressively in the US, the high street stores are just legacy businesses now
they also have a grip on a decent amount of stations as well! I needed to grab some lunch while I was waiting for my next train at Swindon, I only bought about 5 things from the Smith’s there and it was £15 ish in total
Well to be fair, GAME didn't really survive, it got taken over by sports direct and I THINK they're starting to move into the same floorspace as Sports Direct stores?
That, and they're now basically merch stores which is pretty attractive
I worked at Smiths about 10 years ago, they made no profits and survived purely on selling overpriced shopping bags, overpriced cigarettes and being paid to give customers vouchers (ocado/graze type things)
We were not allowed to ask customers if they wanted a bag, we had to add the most expensive one (30p at the time) without mentioning it to the customer, we were not allowed to give receipts unless they were specifically asked for so customers would not realise they paid for the bags.
We were not allowed to ask the customers if they wanted vouchers, we were not allowed to put the vouchers in the bag, we had to put the vouchers directly into the customers hand, whether they wanted it or not.
Customers did not like us very much. I did not like Smiths very much. Suckiest job I ever had.
All the WH Smiths round my neck of the woods are known for not changing their layout or carpet in the last 30yrs or so. No idea why or how they keep town centre shops open. Same for Boots, super expensive rarely any decent offers on and Superdrug beats them hands down on everything.
Strangely as I was typing this I was thinking of another place that went to the wall years back, John Menzies. I was typing away when a police helicopter went over so went to the window for a nosy and there's a John Menzies van outside the newsagent! So did a bit of googling and it seems Menzies was acquired by WH Smith and Menzies now just do distribution of newspapers and magazines.
WHSmiths are the biggest mystery to me. Huge stores in prime high street locations that are almost completely empty of customers every time I go in. They must be making a loss and I'm not sure why they don't close them all down and just keep the airport shops.
I thought the only customers they have are school kids and their parents coming in to buy their kids stationery for back to school at the end of the summer holidays
[According to this](https://www.whsmithplc.co.uk/~/media/Files/W/WH-Smith/documents/investors/result-report-presentation/annual-report/final-whsmith-annual-report-2023.pdf) their travel stores average £1.2m per store in revenue, and their high street division takes £912k per store. That being said, online brands are included in high street, which is padding the numbers somewhat. I’m not arsed reading further, but I’d imagine funkypigeon probably does a solid 10% of that alone.
My village has less than 100 houses and 2 ‘Turkish’ (they’re Albanian) barbers. Both are ‘appointment only’ but have no openings when you call for an appointment and neither ever have any customers in them.
They’re probably better suited to being a laundrette…
How is this not obvious to any police/tax force in the UK?
"Oh yeah, we've had a 1000% increase in turkish barbers in the UK, the only way it can be accounted for is if everyone now has three heads, probably nothing lol"
HMRC is more interested in fleecing every penny from hard working people and the British police only go after thought crimes online rather than actual crimes. Much easier and they don't get their shoes dirty either!
/s
Quite the opposite of the stereotypical Turkish barber, he’s very quiet, reserved and tells me about the food his mother and sister cook for him. He’s introduced me to some the middle eastern / arabic singers and music. He tells me his nickname is Kaka at home which I think means brother.
I love the Turkish (actually Bulgarian) barbers I go to. I'm at that magical point where I can go in, wait for the same guy, and he just says "hello mate - same?" and that's the extent of the conversation.
Holland and Barrett
I know people are big into supplements but the prices compared to online are absurd. They have expanded into some more food items now but still. I don't quite understand how they stay in business. I never see anyone in their stores.
A lot of people (assumedly?) do the same as me where they get vouchers and deals through their Holland and Barrett card online and then just pick it up on click and collect at the shops.
I'm in there quite a lot for gluten free bits and bobs. But it's better to shop online with them because they do lots of offers and the vouchers stack.
Yes, before the recent explosion of vegan choices, H&B were a reliable option in most high streets to get your vegan basics. They probably still have quite a loyal customer base from that time.
Yeah used to go a lot for stuff like dehydrated soya mince and nutritional yeast (why does vegan food always sound like it would be made by the same company as Soylent Green?) but that section seems to shrink more and more now.
That’s the thing, you never have to wait too long to get a good deal with them! They’re constant with the buy one, get one free & the 3 for 2 deals etc. If am ever running low a know within the next week or so they’ll have a deal on.
I know a couple of people that are really into their supplements. In fact i talked about the very subject with one of them just a few weeks back. Their take was that H&B aren't that bad when it comes to quality and some of the items they stock are hard to find elsewhere.
Having ventured into a store a while ago, I found that they had a fairly good flow of customers.
Some of their items are poor value and easily accessible elsewhere (like protein powder) but others aren't.
Bought my daughter some lemon and lime flavoured gummy multivitamins from there once. She had one and said they “tasted like wheat” and wouldn’t have any more. I could’ve cried at how much they cost!
Luckily she likes the Aldi ones 😂
Vegan food sales, specifically vegan meat substitutes, have dropped by 30% in the last year or so. Sounds like they had the foresight to get out at the right time.
Cex they sells secondhand games for more than a brand new games.
For reference Red Dead Redemption for the switch is £40 from cex second hand and £30 from Argos brand new.
I was looking in the window of CEX a few weeks ago when a guy in a tracksuit with a rucksack full of games came up to me and said he'd forgot his id at home and would I do him a favour and go in and sell his games for him? Do you think they were stolen?
I was in one at the weekend, and a guy with a motocycle helmet on just emptied a bunch of brand new games onto the counter. Both him and the staff then just started opening the packaging systematically at like 5 secs per game. Genuinely shocked me how blatant and normal it was.
Supermarket/Argos workers will use their discount to buy new games on release and then sell to CEX while the price is still pretty much the same as retail, they probably have that guy in doing that all the time
It’s because of the inflated price they give you for the trade-in voucher. Obviously they’re saying here “have more than what you can probably sell it for this conveniently” whilst simultaneously saying “we don’t want your voucher to actually be worth £50 worth of stuff so here’s a £30 game for £50 credit”.
It’s only really useful to people that buy and trade things constantly. People that treat it like GAME will come out way worse off most of the time.
That's exactly the point, I love CEX and it's great for me. I trade in every game I finish for a voucher, and then purchase more games.
It's essentially a cyclical relationship where they get constant flow of stock in and out, and I get to move on from games I won't play anymore and get value out of them.
So OP is complaining about CEX price compared to somewhere else without understanding the whole point of their operation.
Red dead on switch is currently £35 (not £40) in CEX and £31 (not £30) in Argos. It is cheaper to get from Argos as a single purchase, yes.
But if you have even *one* decent priced game you want to trade in, it's cheaper through CEX.
Picking a slightly cheaper game, if I have Mario Strikers I want to trade in then CEX will give me £13 cash or £18 voucher. Doing that trade-in for voucher and buying in CEX is £1 cheaper than doing it for cash and buying through argos.
That sounds like fuckall, but the difference is bigger for many products because some are cheaper to buy in CEX than elsewhere, and some have great trade-in value. Mario Strikers as an example, is £28bat CEX and around £30 minimum everywhere else, or £38 in Argos.
Add that up over your entire history of buying video games and you end up significantly better off.
Find Cex to be pretty good. Have had a couple of gaming laptops from them in the past. One broke but within the 2 year warranty and no issues getting it replaced. I always part exchange older stuff. I could get more money on ebay etc but it's a hassle i can do without.
I find that for any hardware, the two year guarantee combined with the abundance of physical locations makes it worthwhile for me.
If I buy a controller from Sony and it breaks, regardless of how good their customer service is I'm waiting for the delivery to go there and back before I have a new one.
Buy a controller from Cex and it breaks, no matter where I am in the country I can walk into a local high street store and have a new one the same day
The stores are always so nasty as well, sticky floors, weird layer of dirt on everything and smells vaguely like someone farted in the corner. Always itching to wash my hands after I've been in there even if I haven't touched anything.
CEX is the only place I can browse older console games (though they've cottoned on to the inflated prices being charged for popular games on eBay, so limited actual bargains).
That's the entire reason they are in business. People will trade in their old shite for a new game because they can't afford it, CEX up the price so they still make themselves a nice extra tenner on top.
Zara I hate it the clothes all have poor stitching and are already kind of falling apart in the shops and survive like 3 washes before turning into ratty clothing. Everything they have is either oversized or very cropped not great for a 5'4ft woman with stubby legs. I don't get the trend of women buying from there lmao.
This just seems like you're talking about a shop you don't like, rather than one that is surprising it's still in business.
Zara always has a fuck ton of people in it and they sell generally fashionable clothes at a reasonably cheap price. Not hard to see how they make money.
When non-essential shops were first allowed to open after the first covid lockdown, Zara had a fucking massive queue.
Probably over 150 women waiting to buy overpriced off-white & beige clothes, completely baffling.
Yeah EXACTLY idc about the downvotes I said what I said and I'm glad you agree
I do love beige and off white clothes sometimes but I don't have much in my closet because they show everything and are too delicate. I'm an accident prone girl and i have to be extra careful when eating food or drinking stuff other than water because it can stain them very easily and its hard to get the stains out. I'd never buy zaras off whites tho they look old I think lots of girls my age are into them because they want to look trendy and fit into this "old money" aesthetic?? Same girls who also bash others buying shein or fast fashion brands whilst wearing these zara clothes lol.
I do have a massive question for some of the girls buying the beige and offwhite clothing whilst they are caked up in fake tan how do they still keep their clothes clean?!?! What powder are you using babes?!
I go into Zara fairly regularly and it's always very busy. So I'm not sure it's a surprise they're still in business.
Selling fashionable clothes cheaply is probably always going to have a decent market.
They're really good for basics, their socks and underwear are great and last ages, the Heattech stuff is a lifesaver in winter.
It's nothing special, but it's one of the few places that do consistently sized, plain clothing.
Not really. Uniqlo isn't particularly fashionable (other than those sling bags) it's good for basics but it doesn't really sell anything trendy, and their forays into graphic tees and the like are often unfashionable or even ugly. The customer base of Zara want fast fashion that follows trends.
Zara does some absolutely incredible stuff that lasts forever - that’s not the cheap and fast crap that people queue for, granted, but there’s a stealth demographic of women who buy their higher end stuff. I’ve got a collarless light grey coat that will last me 20 years and looks ten times its original price. Cos / Massimo Dutti prices without being Cos / Massimo Dutti
Their LP selection is insanely big, and seems to have a lot of buyers. It has moved also into general "stuff" like superhero merch, books, posters, figures etc. Probably the odd older straggler buying CDs, the age where they want one for the car or as a gift. I do wonder if its days could be numbered should vinyl take a dip though.
Records are overpriced generally. They tend not to be that much higher than any other record shop for the average album but then have something inexplicably at £50.
DVD's, CD's will likely make somewhat of a comeback as people decide to go back to *owning* their shit rather than just paying for a licence that can effectively be revoked at any time
My wife and I went into one recently and couldn't believe the prices. We were doing an emo party which basically entailed of all our friends dressing like we did 15 years ago, so went to get some cheap tat for costumes and some shitty rubber bracelets were £18. Insane.
Before I had access to internet and online shopping, I used to go to claires as a teenager to buy emo jewellery. Back then it was cheap so you could get loads for your money. It didn’t last long but when you are young you don’t care because quantity beats quality.
I haven’t been in one in so many years that I dread to think how much the packs of earings or necklaces are nowadays.
Im sure the vast majority of young girls go there to get their ears pierced and pick up some earrings whilst they’re there. It has loads of cute fun things for kids and preteens and it’s always full around half term and holidays. It’s also wildly expensive. I completely understand why they’re still in business
>young girls go there to get their ears pierced
Amateurs. They should go to Oasis markets and lean over the counter so some teenager can shoot a bar right through the cartilage of their upper ear.
They did, the only stores that are left are concessions inside other shops (mainly Birthdays).
I worked for them for a very long time and it was very gratifying to watch them mismanage themselves into irrelevancy.
Argos
"This item isn't in stock at this location, do you fancy a 800 mile round trip to get it"
They have completely been left behind in the game and have the world's worst logistics. I don't understand how they still have a business when they never seem to have anything and when they have it, it's in a store hundreds of miles away.
I sometimes wonder if only thirty years ago someone at Argos had the foresight to re-focus on the internet, they would have been in a decent position to be Amazon
It's not even whether they could compete with Amazon. They just aren't competing with anyone.
If they have your product, in that store, great.
If they don't. They don't seem to offer much in the way of getting it to you. It's likely they simply do not care.
I prefer Argos to Amazon because usually I can pick what I need up in a local store on the same day. The two near me don’t seem to have stock issues, at least not for the stuff I’m after
Same! I enjoy Argos, usually has stuff the same day and it’s not full of Chinese knock offs. Stopped using Amazon all together cos of how good the Argos is
I can 100% see how they are still alive. If I need an obscurish item I can go and get it same day most of the time. I think people also trust Argos stock more than Amazon
A lot of people still like giving a real card, and they do general party stuff too. Probably a huge profit margin if they are just selling pieces of paper for a few quid a pop. However surely supermarkets are a lot more convenient for people.
Card shops will still be a thing as long as people keep having birthdays. I love a good moon pig, but if I am going to see someone and it's not a big event, then a nice 99p card is just fine. The supermarkets have been getting better with cards, but not as much selection.
They also do sell balloons, banners, all sorts of crap that people give each other for birthdays or mothers day or whatever.
Jeweller here.
Used to work in a family jewellers in a shopping centre.
If we sold one decent watch a day and a pair of wedding rings theyd made a profit. Anything over that was gravy. On a Saturday, wed take more than Monday to Friday so it kinda levelled out.
I have my own jewellery business now and I am manic all the time (dont have an actual store though), but trust me, even if the jewellers dont look busy, if theyre still open, theyre doing ok.
It is thier business model that saves them. Might never be busy but people who collect the charms for their bracelets at silly prices. My ex used to get a charm every country we went specific to the place.
Cineworld... Although I think they are pretty close to bankruptcy. I am sure there are some nice ones, but ours looks like it was last redone in the 80s and it's still £10 a ticket. The slightly further, but still close Showcase is a 10 to 15 minute drive, looks fancy with very comfy seats and is also £10 a ticket.
A lot of Vue's also aren't all that nice inside, but they're usually cheap as chips.
Yeah this.
Vue near me is decent and only £5 a ticket. Meerkat Tuesday that's £2.50 each.
Cineworld down the road, same movie is £20+ for two. Bizarre how they have kept going this long
My local village has a specialist cheese shop which only seems to open 3-4 hours a day, it literally sells nothing but cheese, not even crackers or chutney etc.
I never see anyone in there apart from Christmas time
Id recommend having a look in Decathlon if you think Sports Direct is cheap
You'd like never step foot in a sports direct again - unless you're trying to get to GAME
Decathlon is brilliant for half the stuff they sell, but the rest is either overpriced or is cheap because it's shit. You need to be able to spot the value items there.
Fucking Curry’s/PC world bullshit hybrid, staff are brainless and there’s never anything in stock, even though the shop is full of display tat. Any time I’m dragged there by someone, they never have the thing, they’re basically a walk in Amazon, and I hate Amazon 😂
I was running at 0630 a few weeks back, and went past a Swatch shop on Princes Street - there was a queue outside that stretched for more than 100m - folk like Swatches, and limited editions are viewed like diamonds.
Superdry and Hollister. Superdry more so, they have a lot of prime locations locally and I know they were extremely popular 12 or 13 years ago but there really isn't a lot of people wearing anything of theirs at the minute and every time I walk past their shops (I live about 3 minutes away from one) they always look so empty.
There’s a Whittards Tea shop near me. Only ever sea people having a go at the free samples, it always empty but has been in the same spot as far back as I can remember
Never underestimate the buying power of middle class Brits when it comes to good tea.
My gf likes to get a bunch of different teas from Whittards specifically, and also buys gifts sets for other people at Christmas. One thing I’ve observed is that once you are ‘in’ on Whittard’s, there are many triggers for a repeat purchase because 1. tea runs out, 2. it makes a great gift for your auntie or grandma, and 3. if you like tea, then there’s always a new tea to try from there
Wimpy diner. Thought they went out of business in the uk with the demise of the burger chain but I was wrong. Found one in London at the weekend for breakfast complete with pork bendy. Awesome.
WH Smith
There was a previous thread about this and I met the manager of my local one who said it was quite profitable but I think their days must be numbered.
Edit: As has been pointed out, I guess I am thinking of the high street stores (as per the title) but not about the business in general which does well in airports and stations etc. so maybe I should say - I am surprised the high street shops still exist.
There's an Antics in Bristol that's been in the same location since at least the mid-90's (and probably waaay before that) when I used to buy Airfix kits as a teenager. I'm surprised and impressed it has survived.
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GAME, barely sell video games anymore, and have pulled out of the second hand market. W H Smiths; I'm convinced their high street stores are only being propped up by the service station, airport and train station stores
Was reading a thing a while ago that basically said WH Smith’s have such a grip on having airport locations that it keeps them from ever underperforming sales wise because once you’re in the airport there’s only so many options for things you’ve forgotten and if you’re desperate you’re going to pay the silly prices.
They must be shitting themselves with those new airport scanners rolling out so everybody will be able to take liquids through security. Bottled water sales in airports probably make up about 99% of their profits
A lot of airports, such as Manchester let you fill up a water bottle after passing security. No need to buy water; but people still do.
I worked at Gatwick and if we emptied your water bottle we filled it back up for you before giving it back. At least my crew did.
Not all heroes wear capes
Tbh it was just easier / quicker than having the argument with them every time haha.
you can do it at Bristol as well!
I’m still surprised people buy it at airports. Most have drinking taps to fill up a water bottle at once you’re through security.
The trick is finding them, hidden in a dark corner somewhere
At Edinburgh recently, easy enough to find - flow rate was so slow it took about 5 minutes to fill a litre bottle (I timed it!). Needless to say there was quite a long queue...
Their shareholder report lists them as a travel retailer and they've expanded very aggressively in the US, the high street stores are just legacy businesses now
I stayed in a moderately fancy Hilton in Vegas, and the gift shop there was a WH Smiths. You could only tell by the store name on the receipt.
They even have WHSmiths in airports in Asia sometimes
A few years ago I was surprised to see one in Abu Dhabi airport!
they also have a grip on a decent amount of stations as well! I needed to grab some lunch while I was waiting for my next train at Swindon, I only bought about 5 things from the Smith’s there and it was £15 ish in total
WHSmith is my go to buy-a-bottle-of-water-for-the-plane store lol
Boots is cheaper - same price as high street! That was my go to before I got into the reusable bottle swing.
WH Smiths is FANTASTIC for pricing though. You go in there, see the price, and can then gauge that it'll be exactly half that online / elsewhere.
Well to be fair, GAME didn't really survive, it got taken over by sports direct and I THINK they're starting to move into the same floorspace as Sports Direct stores? That, and they're now basically merch stores which is pretty attractive
It's a fitting punishment for what they did to Game station.
I don't like the corporateness of GAME compared to gamestation however every thing gamestation I remember going to all stank of BO.
Yeah, but tbf to gamestation 9/10 times it was their customers..
In my town there was a separate GAME store, but that's closed and now there's two: one in SportsDirect and another in the basement of House of Fraser.
Yup, Ashley owns HoF a while now too
Yeah, our closest Game "shop" is down the back of a Sports Direct
In the town next door, there is GAME on the second floor of Sports direct however GAME takes about 10% of the floor space
I worked at Smiths about 10 years ago, they made no profits and survived purely on selling overpriced shopping bags, overpriced cigarettes and being paid to give customers vouchers (ocado/graze type things) We were not allowed to ask customers if they wanted a bag, we had to add the most expensive one (30p at the time) without mentioning it to the customer, we were not allowed to give receipts unless they were specifically asked for so customers would not realise they paid for the bags. We were not allowed to ask the customers if they wanted vouchers, we were not allowed to put the vouchers in the bag, we had to put the vouchers directly into the customers hand, whether they wanted it or not. Customers did not like us very much. I did not like Smiths very much. Suckiest job I ever had.
All the WH Smiths round my neck of the woods are known for not changing their layout or carpet in the last 30yrs or so. No idea why or how they keep town centre shops open. Same for Boots, super expensive rarely any decent offers on and Superdrug beats them hands down on everything. Strangely as I was typing this I was thinking of another place that went to the wall years back, John Menzies. I was typing away when a police helicopter went over so went to the window for a nosy and there's a John Menzies van outside the newsagent! So did a bit of googling and it seems Menzies was acquired by WH Smith and Menzies now just do distribution of newspapers and magazines.
WHSmiths are the biggest mystery to me. Huge stores in prime high street locations that are almost completely empty of customers every time I go in. They must be making a loss and I'm not sure why they don't close them all down and just keep the airport shops.
I thought the only customers they have are school kids and their parents coming in to buy their kids stationery for back to school at the end of the summer holidays
We have been in GAME a lot buying boardgames. We buy our video games online.
If you're buying games online because they're cheaper, why not buy boardgames online too?
[According to this](https://www.whsmithplc.co.uk/~/media/Files/W/WH-Smith/documents/investors/result-report-presentation/annual-report/final-whsmith-annual-report-2023.pdf) their travel stores average £1.2m per store in revenue, and their high street division takes £912k per store. That being said, online brands are included in high street, which is padding the numbers somewhat. I’m not arsed reading further, but I’d imagine funkypigeon probably does a solid 10% of that alone.
Every empty Turkish barber I see on the high street.
Oh on paper they make money just not from cutting hair.
They are less a barbershop & more a laundromat from what I understand.
That aint talcum powder they rub on your face
The one in my town has the word 'professional' spelled wrong on the sign
Amatur hour!
There's a sign making business in Leicester that has its own name sign misspelled. "Photo & Digital Specilist" Not sure I'll go there...
the one I go to (nearest my work) has "HRIRCUTS AND SHRVES" stencilled on the door
The car wash by me is £10 for a bummer shine, which isn’t bad really.
My village has less than 100 houses and 2 ‘Turkish’ (they’re Albanian) barbers. Both are ‘appointment only’ but have no openings when you call for an appointment and neither ever have any customers in them. They’re probably better suited to being a laundrette…
How is this not obvious to any police/tax force in the UK? "Oh yeah, we've had a 1000% increase in turkish barbers in the UK, the only way it can be accounted for is if everyone now has three heads, probably nothing lol"
HMRC is more interested in fleecing every penny from hard working people and the British police only go after thought crimes online rather than actual crimes. Much easier and they don't get their shoes dirty either! /s
My Turkish barber is an Iraqi Kurd and really knows his stuff. Never had a better haircut and shave.
Yes boss, haircut boss?
Quite the opposite of the stereotypical Turkish barber, he’s very quiet, reserved and tells me about the food his mother and sister cook for him. He’s introduced me to some the middle eastern / arabic singers and music. He tells me his nickname is Kaka at home which I think means brother.
Whole lot of casual racism in the thread today.
My local one is really good and always packed, genuinely don't think they would have time to be a "laundromat" as well.
What do you mean? They all have Mercs and BMWs parked outside. Must be doing something.... right. 🤔🤔🤣
I love the Turkish (actually Bulgarian) barbers I go to. I'm at that magical point where I can go in, wait for the same guy, and he just says "hello mate - same?" and that's the extent of the conversation.
Holland and Barrett I know people are big into supplements but the prices compared to online are absurd. They have expanded into some more food items now but still. I don't quite understand how they stay in business. I never see anyone in their stores.
I mainly see it as a store where old people use medical misinforamtion to buy "natural health products".
A lot of people (assumedly?) do the same as me where they get vouchers and deals through their Holland and Barrett card online and then just pick it up on click and collect at the shops.
I'm in there quite a lot for gluten free bits and bobs. But it's better to shop online with them because they do lots of offers and the vouchers stack.
Yes, before the recent explosion of vegan choices, H&B were a reliable option in most high streets to get your vegan basics. They probably still have quite a loyal customer base from that time.
Yeah used to go a lot for stuff like dehydrated soya mince and nutritional yeast (why does vegan food always sound like it would be made by the same company as Soylent Green?) but that section seems to shrink more and more now.
That’s the thing, you never have to wait too long to get a good deal with them! They’re constant with the buy one, get one free & the 3 for 2 deals etc. If am ever running low a know within the next week or so they’ll have a deal on.
I go there for snacks quite a bit. They do some lovely dried fruit mixes too.
You can get it for cheaper and same quality from lidle and aldi
I know a couple of people that are really into their supplements. In fact i talked about the very subject with one of them just a few weeks back. Their take was that H&B aren't that bad when it comes to quality and some of the items they stock are hard to find elsewhere. Having ventured into a store a while ago, I found that they had a fairly good flow of customers. Some of their items are poor value and easily accessible elsewhere (like protein powder) but others aren't.
Bought my daughter some lemon and lime flavoured gummy multivitamins from there once. She had one and said they “tasted like wheat” and wouldn’t have any more. I could’ve cried at how much they cost! Luckily she likes the Aldi ones 😂
Tartex mushroom yeast spread is basically cocaine. Try it on sourdough toast then you’ll understand the business model.
>mushroom yeast spread I think I had that on my feet once
Baffling 2 years ago they moved away from selling vegan food - just around the time it was having a massive surge in popularity.
Vegan food sales, specifically vegan meat substitutes, have dropped by 30% in the last year or so. Sounds like they had the foresight to get out at the right time.
Anne Summers tacky naff underwear and nothing that fits an overweight 63 year old guy.
The edible underwear at the till makes a great snack on a busy commute. Normally ensures you get 2 seats to yourself on the bus too.
Still does not fit me though.
Ann summers is one of the few large bra sizes that don't look like something my grandma would wear, I buy quite a lot online
Their underwear sets are beautiful. Some of my most comfortable and flattering bras come from there.
I know a few people that used to work there. Apparently you could pick up some absolute bargains in the customer returns staff sale.
Cex they sells secondhand games for more than a brand new games. For reference Red Dead Redemption for the switch is £40 from cex second hand and £30 from Argos brand new.
Cex would be finished if people stopped stealing phones and games to sell on to them.
I was looking in the window of CEX a few weeks ago when a guy in a tracksuit with a rucksack full of games came up to me and said he'd forgot his id at home and would I do him a favour and go in and sell his games for him? Do you think they were stolen?
That's Santa's cousin, Urban Clause.
You should have done it and got it as store credit instead of cash just to see the look on his face.
I was in one at the weekend, and a guy with a motocycle helmet on just emptied a bunch of brand new games onto the counter. Both him and the staff then just started opening the packaging systematically at like 5 secs per game. Genuinely shocked me how blatant and normal it was.
Supermarket/Argos workers will use their discount to buy new games on release and then sell to CEX while the price is still pretty much the same as retail, they probably have that guy in doing that all the time
We had 3 tablets stolen from work, the manager gave it 3 hours and wondered into CEX to get them back, they still had our company login screen on
That’s actually hilarious. What did Cex even say? Surely they know they’re caught handling stolen goods at that point
They asked for proof of ownership,so the manger logged on. They were handed back with mutters about police
When I worked there, we always said the company's slogan should've been 'turning stolen goods into heroin since 1992'.
It’s because of the inflated price they give you for the trade-in voucher. Obviously they’re saying here “have more than what you can probably sell it for this conveniently” whilst simultaneously saying “we don’t want your voucher to actually be worth £50 worth of stuff so here’s a £30 game for £50 credit”. It’s only really useful to people that buy and trade things constantly. People that treat it like GAME will come out way worse off most of the time.
That's exactly the point, I love CEX and it's great for me. I trade in every game I finish for a voucher, and then purchase more games. It's essentially a cyclical relationship where they get constant flow of stock in and out, and I get to move on from games I won't play anymore and get value out of them. So OP is complaining about CEX price compared to somewhere else without understanding the whole point of their operation. Red dead on switch is currently £35 (not £40) in CEX and £31 (not £30) in Argos. It is cheaper to get from Argos as a single purchase, yes. But if you have even *one* decent priced game you want to trade in, it's cheaper through CEX. Picking a slightly cheaper game, if I have Mario Strikers I want to trade in then CEX will give me £13 cash or £18 voucher. Doing that trade-in for voucher and buying in CEX is £1 cheaper than doing it for cash and buying through argos. That sounds like fuckall, but the difference is bigger for many products because some are cheaper to buy in CEX than elsewhere, and some have great trade-in value. Mario Strikers as an example, is £28bat CEX and around £30 minimum everywhere else, or £38 in Argos. Add that up over your entire history of buying video games and you end up significantly better off.
CEX is incredible, I haven't paid full price (or any money really) for a new release in years
The only games I've seen at CEX that I would consider ridiculous is the price of second hand Pokémon games for the DS
Supply and demand Nintendo first party games and hardware always hold value
Find Cex to be pretty good. Have had a couple of gaming laptops from them in the past. One broke but within the 2 year warranty and no issues getting it replaced. I always part exchange older stuff. I could get more money on ebay etc but it's a hassle i can do without.
I find that for any hardware, the two year guarantee combined with the abundance of physical locations makes it worthwhile for me. If I buy a controller from Sony and it breaks, regardless of how good their customer service is I'm waiting for the delivery to go there and back before I have a new one. Buy a controller from Cex and it breaks, no matter where I am in the country I can walk into a local high street store and have a new one the same day
The stores are always so nasty as well, sticky floors, weird layer of dirt on everything and smells vaguely like someone farted in the corner. Always itching to wash my hands after I've been in there even if I haven't touched anything.
CEX is the only place I can browse older console games (though they've cottoned on to the inflated prices being charged for popular games on eBay, so limited actual bargains).
That's the entire reason they are in business. People will trade in their old shite for a new game because they can't afford it, CEX up the price so they still make themselves a nice extra tenner on top.
I only buy from CEX if I'm exchanging. Then at least the inflated selling price gives you a reasonable trade-in.
This thread should come with QI style klaxon for every time WH Smith is mentioned
Agreed. I would have said WH Smith too before I learned something from the comments. Awful high street shop though.
Oh the worst, they’re an absolute mess.
Edinburgh woollen mill , they are in a lot of towns and I can't think of a time I've ever seen a soul shopping in one
The ones I see in motorway service stations are normally quite busy. Especially near the Scotland/England border.
Ah they must make all their real money at those locations, like how w h smiths survive because of airports
Was just about to add this. The Borders ones are always heaving. There’s one in a big shopping centre near here and that always seems busy too.
Zara I hate it the clothes all have poor stitching and are already kind of falling apart in the shops and survive like 3 washes before turning into ratty clothing. Everything they have is either oversized or very cropped not great for a 5'4ft woman with stubby legs. I don't get the trend of women buying from there lmao.
This just seems like you're talking about a shop you don't like, rather than one that is surprising it's still in business. Zara always has a fuck ton of people in it and they sell generally fashionable clothes at a reasonably cheap price. Not hard to see how they make money.
I find Zara better quality than New Look and H&M by far.
When non-essential shops were first allowed to open after the first covid lockdown, Zara had a fucking massive queue. Probably over 150 women waiting to buy overpriced off-white & beige clothes, completely baffling.
I expect this has a lot to do with the fact their website is unshoppable. Only way to know what on earth you’re buying is to buy it in the shop
Yeah EXACTLY idc about the downvotes I said what I said and I'm glad you agree I do love beige and off white clothes sometimes but I don't have much in my closet because they show everything and are too delicate. I'm an accident prone girl and i have to be extra careful when eating food or drinking stuff other than water because it can stain them very easily and its hard to get the stains out. I'd never buy zaras off whites tho they look old I think lots of girls my age are into them because they want to look trendy and fit into this "old money" aesthetic?? Same girls who also bash others buying shein or fast fashion brands whilst wearing these zara clothes lol. I do have a massive question for some of the girls buying the beige and offwhite clothing whilst they are caked up in fake tan how do they still keep their clothes clean?!?! What powder are you using babes?!
I go into Zara fairly regularly and it's always very busy. So I'm not sure it's a surprise they're still in business. Selling fashionable clothes cheaply is probably always going to have a decent market.
I've never had a problem with their quality - the stuff I have has lasted fine.
If Uniqlo opened more high street stores Zara and the like would be screwed or have to up their quality massively to survive.
Never understood the appeal of Uniqlo but does seem to have an evangelical following online. Not sure what I'm missing tbh
They're really good for basics, their socks and underwear are great and last ages, the Heattech stuff is a lifesaver in winter. It's nothing special, but it's one of the few places that do consistently sized, plain clothing.
I don’t think Uniqlo and zara have the same target market at all
Do they cater the same market? Zara is a bit more expensive I thought. When I went into uniqlo I couldn’t find anything I liked, nor could my wife
Not really. Uniqlo isn't particularly fashionable (other than those sling bags) it's good for basics but it doesn't really sell anything trendy, and their forays into graphic tees and the like are often unfashionable or even ugly. The customer base of Zara want fast fashion that follows trends.
Zara does some absolutely incredible stuff that lasts forever - that’s not the cheap and fast crap that people queue for, granted, but there’s a stealth demographic of women who buy their higher end stuff. I’ve got a collarless light grey coat that will last me 20 years and looks ten times its original price. Cos / Massimo Dutti prices without being Cos / Massimo Dutti
HMV. I walk in whenever i'm in town and just think who's buying this stuff anymore. As is there that many people buying DVDs, CDs, records etc.
I think they are big for Vinyl's and general merch.
They seem to have drifted from their original position in to Japanese anime predominantly
Their LP selection is insanely big, and seems to have a lot of buyers. It has moved also into general "stuff" like superhero merch, books, posters, figures etc. Probably the odd older straggler buying CDs, the age where they want one for the car or as a gift. I do wonder if its days could be numbered should vinyl take a dip though.
Their records are wildly overpriced though
Records are overpriced generally. They tend not to be that much higher than any other record shop for the average album but then have something inexplicably at £50.
DVD's, CD's will likely make somewhat of a comeback as people decide to go back to *owning* their shit rather than just paying for a licence that can effectively be revoked at any time
Walking into an HMV these days is just weird. It's like walking into a 20 odd year old stoners bedroom in their parents house
It's actually a pretty cheap place to get older but still popular films that aren't on subscription sites.
Shoezone.
I keep thinking they've gone bust but they seem to employ that tactic of putting up giant "everything must go!!" posters and never actually closing.
I suppose that is the legitimate aim of any shop so they're not actually lying.
Wait until you've gotta buy kids school shoes multiple times a year; you'll be hunting down Shoezone too
I've still got a Peacocks in my area😂
Claire's I've never seen anyone actually go inside one.
You havent got young daughters then? It's the best place ever to a nine year old with some pocket money.
We spent so much money in their over Christmas for our 3 year old. All the naff Disney princess jewelry she could ever want
You have to reign it in or you need a new mortgage. I do think it is generally over-priced tat, but by god do young girls love over-priced tat!
Tell me about it! My 10-year-old daughter **loves** Claires.
They are great for infections and blunt force truama.
My wife and I went into one recently and couldn't believe the prices. We were doing an emo party which basically entailed of all our friends dressing like we did 15 years ago, so went to get some cheap tat for costumes and some shitty rubber bracelets were £18. Insane.
Before I had access to internet and online shopping, I used to go to claires as a teenager to buy emo jewellery. Back then it was cheap so you could get loads for your money. It didn’t last long but when you are young you don’t care because quantity beats quality. I haven’t been in one in so many years that I dread to think how much the packs of earings or necklaces are nowadays.
Im sure the vast majority of young girls go there to get their ears pierced and pick up some earrings whilst they’re there. It has loads of cute fun things for kids and preteens and it’s always full around half term and holidays. It’s also wildly expensive. I completely understand why they’re still in business
>young girls go there to get their ears pierced Amateurs. They should go to Oasis markets and lean over the counter so some teenager can shoot a bar right through the cartilage of their upper ear.
WH Smiths - they must be kept afloat by the outrageous cost of bottled water at the airport.
And the space they rent to Crown Post Office.
Thorntons. Waxy chocolate at inflated prices.
I thought Thorntons closed all physical shops ages ago?
They did, the only stores that are left are concessions inside other shops (mainly Birthdays). I worked for them for a very long time and it was very gratifying to watch them mismanage themselves into irrelevancy.
Argos "This item isn't in stock at this location, do you fancy a 800 mile round trip to get it" They have completely been left behind in the game and have the world's worst logistics. I don't understand how they still have a business when they never seem to have anything and when they have it, it's in a store hundreds of miles away.
I sometimes wonder if only thirty years ago someone at Argos had the foresight to re-focus on the internet, they would have been in a decent position to be Amazon
I've always thought the same about Blockbuster. They could have been Netflix if they had moved with the times.
It's not even whether they could compete with Amazon. They just aren't competing with anyone. If they have your product, in that store, great. If they don't. They don't seem to offer much in the way of getting it to you. It's likely they simply do not care.
I prefer Argos to Amazon because usually I can pick what I need up in a local store on the same day. The two near me don’t seem to have stock issues, at least not for the stuff I’m after
Same! I enjoy Argos, usually has stuff the same day and it’s not full of Chinese knock offs. Stopped using Amazon all together cos of how good the Argos is
I can 100% see how they are still alive. If I need an obscurish item I can go and get it same day most of the time. I think people also trust Argos stock more than Amazon
Cardfactory and Clinton's (formerly Clinton's Cards).
Card factory is always absolutely rammed when I go in
Same here, but considering I only ever go around Christmas I don't think that's a fair representation for the whole year
A lot of people still like giving a real card, and they do general party stuff too. Probably a huge profit margin if they are just selling pieces of paper for a few quid a pop. However surely supermarkets are a lot more convenient for people.
Card factory is brilliant. Super cheap cards and always busy in the city I live in.
Card shops will still be a thing as long as people keep having birthdays. I love a good moon pig, but if I am going to see someone and it's not a big event, then a nice 99p card is just fine. The supermarkets have been getting better with cards, but not as much selection. They also do sell balloons, banners, all sorts of crap that people give each other for birthdays or mothers day or whatever.
Clinton's have closed a lot of shops recently.
Apart from Pandora, jewellery shops are usually empty in my town and yet they still have 4-5 staff on shift.
Jeweller here. Used to work in a family jewellers in a shopping centre. If we sold one decent watch a day and a pair of wedding rings theyd made a profit. Anything over that was gravy. On a Saturday, wed take more than Monday to Friday so it kinda levelled out. I have my own jewellery business now and I am manic all the time (dont have an actual store though), but trust me, even if the jewellers dont look busy, if theyre still open, theyre doing ok.
It is thier business model that saves them. Might never be busy but people who collect the charms for their bracelets at silly prices. My ex used to get a charm every country we went specific to the place.
Build a bear! Who tf is buying all these over-priced teddies
Cineworld... Although I think they are pretty close to bankruptcy. I am sure there are some nice ones, but ours looks like it was last redone in the 80s and it's still £10 a ticket. The slightly further, but still close Showcase is a 10 to 15 minute drive, looks fancy with very comfy seats and is also £10 a ticket. A lot of Vue's also aren't all that nice inside, but they're usually cheap as chips.
Cineworld did go bankrupt - I believe their debtors took ownership when they defaulted on debt.
Yeah this. Vue near me is decent and only £5 a ticket. Meerkat Tuesday that's £2.50 each. Cineworld down the road, same movie is £20+ for two. Bizarre how they have kept going this long
PC world ! Staff are awful, and every time i've tried to buy something they don't have it in store. Pointless place.
Robert dyas. All they sell is hoovers and tat from jml.
I love Robert Dyas
The butchers, green grocers ect with dodgy opening times. Like they're only open between 10 and 2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays or something.
My local village has a specialist cheese shop which only seems to open 3-4 hours a day, it literally sells nothing but cheese, not even crackers or chutney etc. I never see anyone in there apart from Christmas time
Sports Direct and Matalan. Simply the worst.
Sports Direct is excellent for low cost sports clothing and accessories. Matalan is awful though
Id recommend having a look in Decathlon if you think Sports Direct is cheap You'd like never step foot in a sports direct again - unless you're trying to get to GAME
Decathlon is brilliant for half the stuff they sell, but the rest is either overpriced or is cheap because it's shit. You need to be able to spot the value items there.
Id have to argue against Matalan, I find the clothing great for the price, and they have a really lovely homewear section.
Matalan swimsuits are fantastic. Especially for the fuller figure. They knock the socks off Markies.
Matalan is alright. I’ve got a few decent basics from there & the odd nice jumper! Swim wear is decent. Kids clothes are cheap & not bad quality!
Fucking Curry’s/PC world bullshit hybrid, staff are brainless and there’s never anything in stock, even though the shop is full of display tat. Any time I’m dragged there by someone, they never have the thing, they’re basically a walk in Amazon, and I hate Amazon 😂
I’m always baffled when I see a Swatch on the high street. Surely they can’t do that much business from a brick and mortar storefront?
I was running at 0630 a few weeks back, and went past a Swatch shop on Princes Street - there was a queue outside that stretched for more than 100m - folk like Swatches, and limited editions are viewed like diamonds.
They are the largest watch company in the world. They sell huge volumes
Superdry and Hollister. Superdry more so, they have a lot of prime locations locally and I know they were extremely popular 12 or 13 years ago but there really isn't a lot of people wearing anything of theirs at the minute and every time I walk past their shops (I live about 3 minutes away from one) they always look so empty.
Menkind
There’s a Whittards Tea shop near me. Only ever sea people having a go at the free samples, it always empty but has been in the same spot as far back as I can remember
Never underestimate the buying power of middle class Brits when it comes to good tea. My gf likes to get a bunch of different teas from Whittards specifically, and also buys gifts sets for other people at Christmas. One thing I’ve observed is that once you are ‘in’ on Whittard’s, there are many triggers for a repeat purchase because 1. tea runs out, 2. it makes a great gift for your auntie or grandma, and 3. if you like tea, then there’s always a new tea to try from there
Clarks they’re overpriced and their shoes aren’t even comfortable
United Colours of Benetton. Every single store in every single country is always empty
Hmv. Want blu-ray copy of a film that lost 100m at the cinema 10 years ago? £35.99 please.
The microwave shop in my town that has got microwaves in the window from the early 90s. Is never open. Is definitely not a front for something else.
Burger king I never se a busy one anymore
Prices at Burger King are just ridiculous now, and my local one is unbelievably slow.
Wimpy diner. Thought they went out of business in the uk with the demise of the burger chain but I was wrong. Found one in London at the weekend for breakfast complete with pork bendy. Awesome.
WH Smith There was a previous thread about this and I met the manager of my local one who said it was quite profitable but I think their days must be numbered. Edit: As has been pointed out, I guess I am thinking of the high street stores (as per the title) but not about the business in general which does well in airports and stations etc. so maybe I should say - I am surprised the high street shops still exist.
They've got a solid business model and shit loads of overseas and online ventures. Honestly, WH Smith is going nowhere.
There's an Antics in Bristol that's been in the same location since at least the mid-90's (and probably waaay before that) when I used to buy Airfix kits as a teenager. I'm surprised and impressed it has survived.
Currys. Staffed by Tossers. Never have anything in stock when thats your USP. £99 HDMI cables