There isn't much to get excited about in our town centre, and I usually just go in when I need to go to some of the cheapo shops and card shops. I mean card factory do 10 cards for a £1 and actually aren't that bad...especially for people who may not appreciate a nice expensive one!
Town was even more empty than I have ever seen it though, it was like a ghost town, every other shop was either shut or closing down, which I know is sort of expected given the current financial climate. My heart sank though when I saw Early Learning Centre had shut (it was a good job I hadn't said Alex could have a play there), I have picked up so many bargains there over the last 3 years, and have bought things that I probably wouldn't have had I just been online, it's been a great place to go at the end of a shopping trip for Alex to have a play. He used to love playing on the demo kitchen, and the music toys...I would pretty much always have to bribe him out with food of some description!
Is it pathetic to say I was actually quite sad and gutted about it? We have one ELC 'store' still open but it's in a Mothercare at a district park and I don't think it is as good as the one we had in town, they don't seem to have half the products that the larger store did. As it's in a district park I have no way of getting there apart from a rare weekend where James has some spare time, I don't buying online but there's is something more satisfying coming home with bags of bargains, rather than missing the postman/delivery van and having to collect your parcel somewhere at the end of a very long queue of people.
So now our town centre has a grande total of 1 toy shop, which is the Disney store...which I don't really classify as a proper toyshop, and certainly not somewhere I could afford much!
Here's hoping things change and the highstreet can at least survive a little better than it is at the moment! I am also a little gutted I didn't go to town the week before and grab some bargains!!
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The demise of the traditional high street is pretty depressing. Some areas of the country seem worse than others. It is a shame though, soul-less out of town shopping centres aren't quite the same. I agree with you regarding Early Learning Centre - great place to let the little one have an impromptu play! It's been my sanity saver a few times :0)
ReplyDeleteCertainly is a shame, not that I am much of a shopper, and will admit to seeing in store and then buying elsewhere on-line which I know doesn't help matters ;)
DeleteELC has certainly been a BIG sanity saver on many trips!