Rant number 325
As of monday it was confirmed that 41 Comet stores and also some of their logistics centres are shutting down - losing many people their jobs in the process.
In the past - I worked for Comet and so I know some of these people - and my thoughts completely go out to them.
On a less personal note though - its a generally sad thing to see one of England's big staple brands fall so dramatically.
The last few years has seen other massive names like Woolworths, JJB and Clinton cards going the same way - so it does beg the question:
Is the high street losing the battle for our pounds?
Probably.
It's sad to think that things will change so dramatically - but its just the way things are I suppose. The internet has become a massive part of a successful modern business.
Ignore the E-pound to your peril!
The truth of the matter is though - shopping in a retail store is generally not actually a good experience (bearing in mind I have worked for quite a few of the big names myself.)
Online, you can compare places to buy, find the cheapest prices and the best candidates to buy from. You can research and review and generally share & research all you need to know.
What they don't try and do online is bombard you with services you don't want and conn you into buying an expensive set of accessories.
The high street as such, needs to learn to focus on its strengths. They should be able to offer great customer service and support. They can be friendly and outgoing in the way that an online service just can't be. They should be focussing on what the customer wants - not want they want to sell.
That is the only way that the internet is going to survive the competition - because the internet doesn't do after-sales all that well on the whole. It takes a long time to sort something that could have been sorted quickly in a shop.
It costs a lot of money to run a shop too compared to an online business - so they need to be making sure to get every sale through with competitive prices and great advice.
I just don't feel like the high street really does that for me now.
I buy pretty much everything online now, except for general household stuff. I don't go shopping for stuff in town because its more expensive, there is less choice, because I have to be surrounded with morons and finally because they try and sell me stuff I just don't work.
I don't want the high street to die, just evolve like the internet has. When something new comes along - you have to evolve, you can't just think that people will stick to the same old ways for ever!
Rant over.
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