|
|
Post by WH241 on May 15, 2022 17:06:19 GMT
Personally think we could see a return to more in person shopping as people have to tighten budgets and go and hunt out bargains. There is also a downturn in streaming as people have to tighten budgets. Said something similar before but don’t think online shopping will carry on in its current form for ever. Online retailers are facing huge number of returns where people buy in bulk and only keep one or two things. I'm not too sure, if anything I believe it pushes even more people to online shopping. I've always found far better bargains online than in store, and at a time where people may not want to be blowing money on fares or petrol to go to the shop while Amazon delivers next day for a monthly cost lower than a single day cap. I can only see online shopping becoming stronger and stronger to be honest, I don't think online shopping's popularity has ever declined in history so I can't see that happening out of the blue when that's the quickest way to hunt out cheap prices quickly. Well I’ll be stuffed then as I can’t stand buying clothes online! Nothing fits or looks like it does on screen. I don’t trust Amazon one bit they are just sucking people in and in years to come when competition has gone they will ramp up delivery charges and prices. They are also extremely wasteful with packaging. |
|
|
|
Post by ServerKing on May 15, 2022 17:19:00 GMT
The thing is Amazon, clothes sites like ASOS and Boohoo, and streaming platforms have taken such a chunk of shoppers away from high streets and town centres. Posh shopping centres like Westfield and Bluewater or Oxford Street and places like that are still busy because it’s more of a day out than just going to boring Bexleyheath or Croydon with all the empty shops. I think a lot a the decline is down to areas that alienated cars through exorbitant parking charges. A lot of people now go to out of town shopping areas like Bovingdon Market, Bicester, Bluewater, Braintree and Lakeside to name a few... have car, will travel. Some councils are running a racket like Camden and are charging more "polluting" vehicles (my Combo work van on a 70 plate is a Euro6 using AdBlue) more to park... I had a petrol hire car (1 litre Fiesta) thinking it would change things, but they pretend to care for the environment to steal more from the motorist. Limited spaces from road re modelling has driven people into the arms of Amazon and Ebay. I would like to shopping in Croydon again (Centrale and Whitgift, IIRC) but driving there at 20 is too soul destroying... lower speed limits in the name of "safety" where you burn more fuel in a higher gear is worse than driving at 30  |
|
|
|
Post by Eastlondoner62 on May 15, 2022 17:19:14 GMT
I'm not too sure, if anything I believe it pushes even more people to online shopping. I've always found far better bargains online than in store, and at a time where people may not want to be blowing money on fares or petrol to go to the shop while Amazon delivers next day for a monthly cost lower than a single day cap. I can only see online shopping becoming stronger and stronger to be honest, I don't think online shopping's popularity has ever declined in history so I can't see that happening out of the blue when that's the quickest way to hunt out cheap prices quickly. Well I’ll be stuffed then as I can’t stand buying clothes online! Nothing fits or looks like it does on screen. I don’t trust Amazon one bit they are just sucking people in and in years to come when competition has gone they will ramp up delivery charges and prices. They are also extremely wasteful with packaging. I think it comes down to personal preferences, a lot of people I know always buy clothes online. Shops like Boohoo and Asos sell a good standard of clothing, even Zara I believe tends to have more people shopping online these days rather than in store. I think Amazon are working the opposite way, if you smash the competition you can lower your prices even more which allows you to spread even further and continue monopolising the market. It's when they inflate prices that competition pops up a lot cheaper. It's how companies like RyanAir can afford to monopolise entire airports but continue to get even cheaper and cheaper every single time. |
|
|
|
Post by vjaska on May 15, 2022 17:47:41 GMT
The thing is Amazon, clothes sites like ASOS and Boohoo, and streaming platforms have taken such a chunk of shoppers away from high streets and town centres. Posh shopping centres like Westfield and Bluewater or Oxford Street and places like that are still busy because it’s more of a day out than just going to boring Bexleyheath or Croydon with all the empty shops. I think a lot a the decline is down to areas that alienated cars through exorbitant parking charges. This depends on the town centre in question - parking in Brixton has always been problematic not to mention the demolition of the much hated multi storey car park by the Recreation centre yet its not declining anything like certain others mentioned. Maybe those really affected town centres aren’t offering enough for people to come and visit. It’s interesting that a lot of the town centres mentioned in this thread that haven’t declined have buses run directly along the high street without being diverted all over the place unlike elsewhere like Croydon where they are shoved all over the place to accommodate unnecessary pedestrianisation |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 15, 2022 18:49:46 GMT
So what are our favourite areas of London? I find Kingston lovely, and I’ve always really liked Bromley and Greenwich too. The areas themselves not the boroughs as a whole obviously.
|
|
|
|
Post by abellion on May 15, 2022 19:06:33 GMT
So what are our favourite areas of London? I find Kingston lovely, and I’ve always really liked Bromley and Greenwich too. The areas themselves not the boroughs as a whole obviously. I really liked Turnham Green, Kew Bridge, Ealing Broadway, North Acton and Acton Main Line/Willesden Junction (around the 220/487 terminus, certainly not Harlesden) when I went past all of them on a sunny morning. The area around Stratford is really nice. It was terribly ugly when I went end to end on the 238 BUT Bow, Bromley-By-Bow, LI, Hackney Marshes, Hackney Wick.. I could go on Mill Hill East was very peaceful. There were horses nearby and lovely bus stops such as "Singleton Scarp" and "Cissbury Ring" plus close proximity to Hampstead, Highgate and PHF for more nice areas. |
|
|
|
Post by route53 on May 15, 2022 19:14:51 GMT
I love Greenwich, Blackheath and Dulwich, they’re little villages with a good vibe, Herne Hill is also a favourite of mine.
Kingston is really nice, a great town centre and night life, same with Richmond, but I’m more partial more to South East London than I am to North London.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 15, 2022 20:28:32 GMT
I actually quite like Thamesmead ! But apart from there, I like Stanmore , Totteridge , Southgate, Clapham , Golders Green , Pinner , Heathrow , Richmond , Chiswick , North Kensington & Shepherds Bush. Can’t really get to like anywhere east of Stratford.
|
|
|
|
Post by ServerKing on May 15, 2022 20:37:17 GMT
Richmond Hill is nice, Twickenham and Hampton Court are nice areas along with Ruislip and Harefield, I like Crystal Palace and the shops around South Norwood too, along with Dulwich. Closer to North London I would have to say Hampstead, Alexandra Palace and Muswell Hill. Crews Hill and Cockfosters (Trent Park) along with Barnet are nice parts of town. Some places are trying to improve, Tottenham Hale has changed beyond recognition and is becoming a mini Stratford with lots of high rise apartments, though the road layout of the A503 leaves more to be desired |
|
|
|
Post by Eastlondoner62 on May 15, 2022 20:59:50 GMT
So what are our favourite areas of London? I find Kingston lovely, and I’ve always really liked Bromley and Greenwich too. The areas themselves not the boroughs as a whole obviously. I think I'd go for Canary Wharf, and in general the Docklands area. There's something extremely calming sitting there at sunset just looking at all the beautiful skyscrapers, it's a sense of calming, especially in the dark it's just somewhere you can escape everything for a while. Following on that theme the City of London is lovely too, another area where sometimes in the evenings the area is just a quiet jungle of glass beauty. There's little parks and squares scattered among the Gherkin and Cheesegrater and it just feels like time stops when you're among these places. The only sound often being the occasional sound of a Enviro400 in the distance on the 25 and a cool breeze. You've got some rooftop gems there as well, some are free and some you need to pay for but there's nothing like sipping a Martini looking over the city and skyscrapers. I'd like to second Crystal Palace as it was mentioned earlier in the thread. The park there is beautiful, certainly one of my favourite parks in London. It has something for everyone. However while it's one of my favourite parks, my top favourite park has to be Thames Barrier Park, much like Canary Wharf and the City, at the correct time of day it's a small haven to escape into while overlooking the river. You have the boats going past and the occasional flight out of LCY but it's just another part of London where time stands still. |
|
|
|
Post by thesquirrels on May 15, 2022 21:09:34 GMT
So what are our favourite areas of London? I find Kingston lovely, and I’ve always really liked Bromley and Greenwich too. The areas themselves not the boroughs as a whole obviously. I'm a sucker for the bits of LBRUT that hug the Thames - Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington. Further east, Forest Gate, even before it started getting the craft beer drinkers and Walthamstow overspill turning up. Wanstead, South Woodford. Chislehurst. Blackheath. Always half-fancied the furtherest flung extremities of the Met line (Northwood, Pinner, Croxley etc) and beyond but ruled out ever getting out that way on cost grounds. Then I met my now-wife, an Amersham resident, and those areas are now daily sights as my fast Met line to/from work sails by. As a son of Haringey I'm obliged to give honourable mentions to Muswell Hill, Crouch End and Highgate but three decades of familiarity has bred a sort of disdain there. Highgate Village is lovely, though, as is Hampstead, which is probably my stand-out favourite area. Highbury Barn and Canonbury have always had more of an appeal to me than my in-borough neighbours. On reflection I feel like these answers have changed a lot in the last 10 years - I did a lot of enjoying life in inner London and my answers back then reflected what I enjoyed doing in those days. Now I want space to push the buggy and somewhere outside to have a pub lunch. And good charity shops. And no crackheads. |
|
|
|
Post by ronnie on May 15, 2022 21:29:04 GMT
I love Greenwich, Blackheath and Dulwich, they’re little villages with a good vibe, Herne Hill is also a favourite of mine. Kingston is really nice, a great town centre and night life, same with Richmond, but I’m more partial more to South East London than I am to North London. Indeed, I was in tower hamlets for close to a decade (4 years in Aldgate, 5 years in crossharbour). I have now moved to Blackheath and mist say the greenery / open spaces are amazing. The little one loves the duck pond while I just grab beer / order pizza and sit on the Heath! Greenwich park ia good but they need to sort out those parking meters and move to the 21st century. I also love Rochester way heading towards falcon wood when it goes through oxleas wood Dulwich is also very beautiful Greenwich town centre is also amazing but the traffic to get there is so annoying (doesn’t matter if you use bus or car!) |
|
|
|
Post by LondonNorthern on May 15, 2022 21:32:11 GMT
So what are our favourite areas of London? I find Kingston lovely, and I’ve always really liked Bromley and Greenwich too. The areas themselves not the boroughs as a whole obviously. I'm a sucker for the bits of LBRUT that hug the Thames - Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington. Further east, Forest Gate, even before it started getting the craft beer drinkers and Walthamstow overspill turning up. Wanstead, South Woodford. Chislehurst. Blackheath. Always half-fancied the furtherest flung extremities of the Met line (Northwood, Pinner, Croxley etc) and beyond but ruled out ever getting out that way on cost grounds. Then I met my now-wife, an Amersham resident, and those areas are now daily sights as my fast Met line to/from work sails by. As a son of Haringey I'm obliged to give honourable mentions to Muswell Hill, Crouch End and Highgate but three decades of familiarity has bred a sort of disdain there. Highgate Village is lovely, though, as is Hampstead, which is probably my stand-out favourite area. Highbury Barn and Canonbury have always had more of an appeal to me than my in-borough neighbours. On reflection I feel like these answers have changed a lot in the last 10 years - I did a lot of enjoying life in inner London and my answers back then reflected what I enjoyed doing in those days. Now I want space to push the buggy and somewhere outside to have a pub lunch. And good charity shops. And no crackheads. Barnet is really nice as is Stoke Newington & Newington Green. |
|
|
|
Post by ronnie on May 15, 2022 21:37:48 GMT
Catford and Lewisham are scary, especially at night. I do a lot of night cycling, and I literally don’t feel safe with all the gangs hanging about. Woolwich and Plumstead as well, and Croydon obviously. Bexleyheath is getting very rough as well, especially when all the gangs of teenagers are hanging about. There’s always community police at the bus stops by the clock tower in the afternoons. I used to find a police car always parked by the junction of Clarendon Rise and Lee High Road in the evening at lewisham. I used to think - oh such a dodgy area, police around all the time Till the time i figured out they were grabbing dinner at Nando’s which is there at the corner!!!! Ok so today (Sunday) I was in lewisham to pick up some stuff from the Indian convenience store opposite the nando’s. I was parking on Lee High Road (facing east on the east facing side); while parallel parking I all of a sudden saw what were fumes emanating from the bonnet. I was dead scared, finished parking asap and literally jumped out to see what was happening. Turns out some lowlife had thrown a lit cigarette butt onto the bonnet - mercifully it was raining and I was quick so no harm done Quickly finish my shopping. I come back, see a hooded person walking ahead of me casting more than a cursory look at the car. I take off my hood just to make sure no one is behind me - guy spots me and hastens on. Only then so I unlock the car, dump in the shopping and run |
|
|
|
Post by route53 on May 15, 2022 22:31:34 GMT
I love Greenwich, Blackheath and Dulwich, they’re little villages with a good vibe, Herne Hill is also a favourite of mine. Kingston is really nice, a great town centre and night life, same with Richmond, but I’m more partial more to South East London than I am to North London. Indeed, I was in tower hamlets for close to a decade (4 years in Aldgate, 5 years in crossharbour). I have now moved to Blackheath and mist say the greenery / open spaces are amazing. The little one loves the duck pond while I just grab beer / order pizza and sit on the Heath! Greenwich park ia good but they need to sort out those parking meters and move to the 21st century. I also love Rochester way heading towards falcon wood when it goes through oxleas wood Dulwich is also very beautiful Greenwich town centre is also amazing but the traffic to get there is so annoying (doesn’t matter if you use bus or car!) I’m on Shooters Hill Road at the moment! But moving away in the next few weeks, we’re basically neighbours 😁 Blackheath is an amazing area, very family friendly, Greenwich isn’t far either if you want something different, and it’s well connected too, The East Greenwich traffic is an issue however and is annoying. I hope you and your family will be very happy in Blackheath! 😊 |
|
