Bargains galore for shoppers

One of the few perks to come out of the credit crunch is all the bargains and offers available on the high street. This year it is a shopper’s paradise as we are spoilt for choice and can easily purchase all our Christmas gifts for a reasonable price if you shop around for the best deals.

However, retailers are that desperate to entice customers into their shops that their advertisements can be misleading. JJB Sports currently have the best offer on Preston’s high street offering up to 95 per cent off their 2008 stock. On visiting the shop, it becomes apparent that this is not reality. Expecting to find sports clothing at knock down prices, it is disappointing to find that discounts are mostly between 20 and 50%.



Read the small print

The only item in the entire store that is actually reduced by 95% is shoelaces, reduced from £2 to 10p. Sales assistant Tracy, points out that the advertisement does say UP TO 95% off but agrees this could be misleading.

JJB is not the only one. Scores of shoppers were disappointed with Woolworth’s half price sale when in reality goods were only reduced by 10 or 20%. As the stores face closure, Woolworths will undoubtedly be forced to slash its prices properly in the coming weeks.

Shopping around for the best deals is hard work and time consuming. It is difficult to judge whether consumers are actually spending more because of the sales or less because of the recession.

(Picture left:Bargain shoes at 20% off in Barratts)


What credit crunch?

Although it is clear that retailers have been severely affected by the credit crunch, it is not always the case for consumers. Shopper Judith Douglas, 43, had taken advantage of the recent 20% discount day event at Marks and Spencer in Preston and bought some gifts for her family. She said: “I always buy in the sales; with all the bargains on offer at the moment in almost every shop it would be silly to pay full price for something.”

Mrs Douglas is a planning consultant from Clitheroe, her husband Michael works for Blackburn Council and they have two sons aged 11 and 13. She said that her joint income has actually increased this year, so she plans to splash out on gifts this Christmas. “I have put in more hours at work and my youngest son no longer needs a babysitter which means we have more money.” She went on to say:

“My husband and I both have secure jobs, a good salary and so the current financial crisis doesn’t really affect us.”

Redundancy

In stark contrast, shopper Gillian Farrimond, 48, is forced to stick to a tight budget but says the sales have not inspired her to buy more than usual. She says: “I haven’t bought much yet and I am not impressed with the sales. The items that have money knocked off are mostly tat and you wouldn’t want to buy it.”

Mrs Farrimond is from Leyland and has a son and daughter aged 22 and 24. Her husband, Paul, works for Leyland Trucks and has been forced to take a four week holiday over Christmas. The motor industry has suffered enormously with falling sales and many car manufacturers have had to cut back on hours and made some employees redundant.

She says:

“It is still uncertain whether Paul will be made redundant in the New Year, he has worked for the company for 28 years and he is very angry about it all.”

It is evident that the financial crisis has affected consumers on a massively sliding scale. Regardless of all the discounts and sales, consumers will still need to buy presents and hopefully retailers will be putting off their Christmas shopping until the last moment to get the best deals.

Preston's struggling market

The woe of high street retailers has been well documented over the past few months. However, it is market traders that are suffering the most this Christmas. Preston market is located in a cold, run down building, next to the bus station and is in dire of renovation. Planning permission has been sought to regenerate that area but will it make a difference?

The market has been a dying institution long before the recession came about. The success of the famous Bury market is sadly a rarity. It has become increasingly difficult for markets to compete against the convenience of supermarkets that sell nearly everything we could possibly want at a cheaper price.

No bargains here

The market is renowned for stocking cheaply priced goods, which normally means special offers and discounts are unnecessary. There are few bargains on offer in Preston market at the moment. Prices in Preston market are similar to what supermarkets and some high street stores offer. So there is little to encourage people to use the market.

Mick Syal owns a ladies fashion stall in Preston market and said that the credit crunch has had a negative impact on his business. He said:

“I do have a few regular customers but I am loosing out to stores such as Primark and supermarkets who undercut me on price. Recently I am struggling to buy stock because money is tight and I doubt I will have a good Christmas this year.”

Threat of Closure

Mick is not alone. In Preston, several market stalls remain unoccupied or only open late morning as there are few customers early in the day. Many stalls are threatened with closure and Graham’s Jewellers is one of them. It is a family run business selling jewellery along with batteries and watch repairs. Owner Graham Bass believes his stall will probably close in the next six months and may have to sell his car to cut back on expenses. He said:

“In the first Saturday in December I did not sell a single thing. In January things will only get worse.”

Gold

Graham’s situation is made worse by the increased price of gold. Graham said:

“I can’t afford to buy gold and it is too expensive to sell so what am I supposed to do?”

Dying customers

The market’s regular visitors are mostly the older generation and it is failing to attract new customers. Graham (pictured above) agreed: “I have been here 28 years and most of my customers have either died or are in nursing homes. The market is not accessible enough and older customers won’t come upstairs as they find it too difficult so I am losing out on a lot of custom.”

The end of an era

It is worrying that the livelihoods of market traders are at risk in what should be the busiest time of the year. The reality is that the combination of the recession and already dwindling customers could spell the end of an era for Preston market. Already there are numerous stalls unoccupied with some not opening until late in the morning due to lack of custom. (See picture below)

Both Mick and Graham realise that the future is grim for their businesses. Grahams summoned up the problem by saying:

“If Woolworths can’t make it then what chance do we have?”

The answer to that does not bare thinking about.

Have a look at the video below to see the problems associated Preston's indoor and outdoor market.

A credit crunch Christmas

Walking down Preston’s high street you would be forgiven for thinking that we are in the middle of the January sales. Finding a shop that does not advertise discounts or offers in the window is a rare find. The recession has hit retailers hard over the past couple of months proving that this year is going to be the ultimate ‘credit crunch Christmas.’ With failing banks, poor interest rates, falling house prices, redundancies and mountains of debt, it is little wonder people are reluctant to part with their hard earned cash over the festive season.

Discounts are nothing new

Advertising sales and discounts before Christmas to encourage spending is not new for 2008. The 3 for 2 offers on Christmas gifts in Boots and Marks and Spencer are as part and parcel of the Christmas package as the nativity set. The difference this year is that people want more for their money and retailers have reacted by introducing lower priced goods normally reserved for the January sales.

British Homes Stores is no exception and is a typical example of what is currently on offer on the high street. In store competitions such as the chance to win a diamond worth £15,000 with every jewellery box purchased along with the chance to win £35,000 by purchasing Christmas crackers is a yearly event.


Bhs manager, Sharon Thompson, says that customers have always expected festive deals.

“Every year we have good offers but this year is the best yet. We have gifts for under £6 as well as reductions of up to half price. Our competitions are always popular and are reflected in the number of sales of crackers and jewellery boxes.”

Shaky Start

From October through to December retailers have reported disappointing sales figures prompting universal price cuts in shops. According to the British Retail Consortium sales fell by 2.6% compared to last year. A price reduction of 20% or more is common on the high street as well as hosting discount days and is a sure sign of desperation by retailers. The most popular of which was the two day 20% off clothing and Christmas goods event by Marks and Spencer.

Preston’s Marks and Spencer, Commercial Manager, Brett Mandell said

“Both days were a huge success and have boosted our sales considerably. I would’t be surprised if Marks and Spencer do something similar in the not too distant future.”

VAT

To encourage spending in shops the government cut VAT from 17.5% to 15% at the beginning of December. In reality this means a saving of £2.50 for every £100 spent which is hardly a big saving for shoppers.

Closing down sales

Unfortunately discounts, sales and VAT cuts haven’t saved some stores from going into administration. The Woolworths, Pier and MFI branches in Preston will close over the coming weeks. Fashion store MK One is disappearing as it has been bought out by Internationale.

Slight improvement

Thankfully in the past few weeks sales have improved. Consumers seem to have held back on spending in the hope of picking up bargains closer to Christmas. You only have to fight your way through the bag laden crowd on Fishergate on Saturday to realise that people are finally spending their money.

Map

Have a look at the map below showing what shops in Preston are offering at the moment. The blue pins show some of the best offers and discounts on offer. The red pins highlight stores which are not as good.

View Larger Map

Sale time? It's dog eat dog out there

I am loving all the discounts on offer at the moment. On Thursday I braved Marks and Spencer's one day sale. With 20% off all clothing and Christmas gifts it was too good an opportunity to miss. The Preston store has only been refurbished earlier this year and it looks fantastic. It was a perfect opportunity to do most of my Christmas shopping and it seemed I wasn't the only one with the same idea. People had hundreds of pounds worth of clothes and Christmas gifts piled high in their shopping trolleys.

What I find fascinating with sales is how women's behaviour completely transforms. Sale time makes shopping a serious and dangerous venture. Gone are the polite, civilised ladies. They turn into savage rottweilers. Prepare to be pushed out of the way, jostled, elbowed and rammed in the ankles by shopping trolleys. Shops become an obstacle course. Negotiating around seemingly oblivious shoppers blocking every aisle and exit becomes impossible. They are masters in the art of standing in such a way that you cant get round them or reach the items that you want. Politely asking them to move falls on deaf ears. God help you if you pick up the last bargain cashmere jumper in a size medium and you are confronted by a nostril flaring, red faced middle aged women who claims that its hers.

It is the middle aged women who are the worst culprits. They have had decades of fine tuning their ruthlessness in order to get the best bargains. I am yet to find a man who loves fighting his way through the crowd to sift through reams of crumpled clothes which have been ripped off the hanger and thrown on the floor.

Most men I saw in M&S fell into one of two categories. The first had a glazed look of boredom etched on their face. This 'vacant' look is a telling sign that the men are in their own little world, thinking about anything but the uncomfortable situation they are in. The second are the angry men who stand huffing and puffing, veins throbbing in their temple as their wives or girlfriends amble through the aisles oblivious to their pain. These are the ones who have been dragged along specifically for their credit cards. So they have the double whammy of being in the last place they want to be as well as costing them a small fortune.

I believe Debenhams has 25% off its clothing at the moment so I may go and have a browse with boyfriend in tow. (He falls into the first "vacant look" category). I think it will do him good and I am not bothered if he is bored, I like the company. After all I am a rottweiler in training.....

Horses-unwitting victims of the credit crunch

As a nation we love to have a good moan, be it complaining about the weather to the sorry state our country's finances are in. But just pause for a moment and think about the animals that are suffering as pet owners can no longer afford the 'luxury' of keeping them.

One of the most expensive animals to look after are horses and consequently they are most likely to be given up. A charity which looks after unwanted horses have been overwhelmed with calls from equestrians who can no longer afford their upkeep. In the past month 640 requests to retire horses has been received by The Horse Trust. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7714802.stm

I am shocked at the sheer scale of it. It is a sad state of affairs when people are cutting back their expenditure and decide that their horses are the first to go. Why not get rid of that gas guzzling 4x4 and replace it with a smaller, cheaper car or even better buy a bicycle? Why not cut back on the amount of holidays or long weekend breaks taken? Why not sell some of your bric-a-brac on ebay?

I may sound cynical but I am under the impression that if you can afford to buy a horse, stables, riding lessons and everything that goes with it you are not short of a bob or two. Animals should be a commitment for life, become part of the family, not given away because money is tight.

There will come a point where the Horse Trust cannot cope and will have to turn away these lovely creatures and then where will they go? Some may have to be shot if they cannot be re- homed. Of all the blunders and mismanagement of the financial crisis surely this abandonment of horses is one of the worst?

For adults eyes only

Vue cinemas have introduced adult only screenings on some of their films. Even though Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond film has a 12A rating, those aged 18 and over can choose to go to a screening which prohibits youths from watching. Other films scheduled for adult audiences include Yes Man and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

At last! I can go to the cinema in peace and not have my film spoilt by noisy children and chavy teenagers. There is nothing worse than trying to watch a film with kids talking, texting, munching noisly, kicking the back of your chair and having popcorn fights. I have long given over going to the cinema on a Saturday for that very reason.

Its just a pity Vue have not introduced it in all of its cinemas. Lets hope other cinema groups follow suit. Vue is asking customers to enter any other films they would like restricted to adults on its website www.myvue.com/voteover18s

At least now when I watch Quantum of Solace I can drool over Daniel Craig in peace.

What do you think? Will you be going to an adult only screening or do the children not bother you?

Christmas bargains galore

Apparently Christmas shopping will be far cheaper this year. According to the Daily Mail on Saturday, many major retailers are set to slash their prices by up to 75%. So stores such as Debenhams, Miss Selfridge, Curry's and House of Fraser are reducing the cost of some of their popular items.

Hooray! As an impoverished student I was wondering how I was going to afford buying Christmas presents this year. Family and friends always seem to have great expectations when it comes to presents and I always spend far too much. I am certainly pining for my Marks and Spencer discount card this year.

Retailers are set to introduce massive savings and discount vouchers this weekend and promise to be the best bargains in over 30 years. In the present economic climate this move will undoubtedly be a welcome relief. Although, it is nothing new, shops have always had good offers to entice us in. Where would we be without the three for two offer in Boots?


As a self-confessed shopaholic I had noticed that Christmas stock this year is ridiculously cheap. Buying Christmas cards, wrapping paper and an advent calender for the dog won't leave a massive dent in your wallet.


I am tempted to be really thrifty (some may say cheap!) and buy all my presents in Primark and Wilkinson's. I asked my mum if she wanted some pyjamas from Primark to which she replied I only wear Marks and Spencer. That's £25 out of my budget then........