Stafford shops closing - Turning into a ghost town?

joshua

Well-Known Forumite
Always reassuring when a place selling expensive furniture is using a Gmail address.
Selling ?, taking sizeable deposits and giving bloody long delivery times and heaven help any poor sod who has an order running.
 

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
I think he was selling on another company's behalf though, so if that company fails , he doesn't really have anything to sell. I'm not saying that has happened , just pure speculation.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Selling ?, taking sizeable deposits and giving bloody long delivery times and heaven help any poor sod who has an order running.
I'm just glad they didn't answer the phone when I tried enquiring about delivery times etc before venturing to town to look at furniture a couple of months ago. Thought at the time if I can't get hold of them now, I might have difficulty getting in touch if we had any problems with an order.
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
Walked through the market today, first time for a while. There's more empty stalls than full ones.
Noticed a new fruit & veg stall, and butchers. Bloke running the butchery one (Mark) used work at Hindells up on Bridle Road.
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
I had a wander through on Saturday, found it quite depressing. Stalls open but unattended, stallholders seemed to be spending their time chatting with other stallholders.
If they can't be bothered it's never going to work.
Catch 22. The stallholders lose interest they get no business. They make no money, they lose interest.
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
I noticed that.
There seemed to be loads of clothes hanging round the place too, but they didn't appear to be connected to the stalls they were hanging from.
I used love shopping in the market, spent a fortune on fruit and veg at Billingtons stall. So sad to see it disappearing in front of us.
The council could always knock it down and build some 3 storey 'Lego' houses on the site.
 

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
I had a wander through on Saturday, found it quite depressing. Stalls open but unattended, stallholders seemed to be spending their time chatting with other stallholders.
If they can't be bothered it's never going to work.
Catch 22. The stallholders lose interest they get no business. They make no money, they lose interest.
Indeed was in there the other day myself, I was contemplating making an impulse purchase for a friend's birthday, but not only did the stall holder not acknowledge me, he proceeded to walk off the stall , I'm guessing for tea or lunch, but after ten minutes , I changed my mind and left.

Seems a lot of these stall are run as a hobby more than anything else.
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
The guy who runs the fruit and veg stall is great, he delivers around the borough too.
My daughter in law has Fibro, she was so excited to find he delivers.
Fingers crossed he doesn't succumb to whatever is causing the rest of the stall holders to disappear.
 

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
Think a lot of it is down to age / retirement , the store holders mainly , seem to be of an age where it's just some kind of social , and a way to get them out the house.

The only way forward, is to attract younger stall holders to it, make it a bit like afflecks palace, a bit more vibrant.
 

RobUSA

Well-Known Forumite
I had a wander through on Saturday, found it quite depressing. Stalls open but unattended, stallholders seemed to be spending their time chatting with other stallholders.
If they can't be bothered it's never going to work.
Catch 22. The stallholders lose interest they get no business. They make no money, they lose interest.


I just about re,e,ber the old market. Shunting all the stall holders off to the back seemed a bad idea then.
 

Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
I'm not surprised. they take the Francesco rejects.
Had my bum length hair cut off there about 10yrs ago now. The girl that did it, didn't listen to anything I requested and I came out £35 lighter and in tears.

But what did you say when she asked you "do you like it?"

I only ask as I have heard Mrs Goat recall a very similar tale, although it wasn't at supercuts. She said yes, its great.....................then cried on the way home.

Having said that, she quite often returns from the hairdresser now and then restyles it herself
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
I'm not surprised. they take the Francesco rejects.
Had my bum length hair cut off there about 10yrs ago now. The girl that did it, didn't listen to anything I requested and I came out £35 lighter and in tears.
But what did you say when she asked you "do you like it?"

I only ask as I have heard Mrs Goat recall a very similar tale, although it wasn't at supercuts. She said yes, its great.....................then cried on the way home.

Having said that, she quite often returns from the hairdresser now and then restyles it herself
I smiled, said that I loved it, even gave the girl a tip, then walked out and burst into tears on the way home.
Had my hair cut by a proper hairdresser once since. Other times my sister has done it for me.
It's now waist length and probably won't go near another salon for a few more years yet.
 
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