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Banks are they to blame

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

For the high street crisis. With local branches closing. There is less need to go into town. Interest rates and the lack of lending to small businesses. Do you know who your local bank manger is I dont and do you have a good relationship with them. Thoughts please x

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By *od_AlmightyMan
over a year ago

Heaven

what high street crisis?

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"what high street crisis?

"

Um the lack of shops. Chains closing etc. I know wthe way people shop are changing but it's not for the greater good. I don't trust online banking. Prefer to speak to people face to face and where does your shop keeper go when they need change lol x

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By *od_AlmightyMan
over a year ago

Heaven


"what high street crisis?

Um the lack of shops. Chains closing etc. I know wthe way people shop are changing but it's not for the greater good. I don't trust online banking. Prefer to speak to people face to face and where does your shop keeper go when they need change lol x"

well peterborough sounds like a right little ray of sunshine ... maybe they should relocate those folks from the east end london tenements that they're evicting into the place to give it some vibrancy

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"what high street crisis?

Um the lack of shops. Chains closing etc. I know wthe way people shop are changing but it's not for the greater good. I don't trust online banking. Prefer to speak to people face to face and where does your shop keeper go when they need change lol x

well peterborough sounds like a right little ray of sunshine ... maybe they should relocate those folks from the east end london tenements that they're evicting into the place to give it some vibrancy "

Have you seen Peterborough town centre can't even get in it for the amount of bloody roadworks lol its horrendous and going to be like this for next 6 months by then we won't have nothing left lol x

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By *anejohnkent6263Couple
over a year ago

canterbury

not banks more councils/goverment rates killing small bizz

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By *ercuryMan
over a year ago

Grantham

My town centre has been killed off by having four large "one stop" supermarkets within a mile, sky high rents, Draconian parking restrictions and the ease and convenience of online shopping.

I do all of my banking online. It's instantaneous and safe. I visited my bank twice last year.

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By *ara JTV/TS
over a year ago

Bristol East

Are you talking about the closure of bank branches in centres?

I get the impression banks sense an opportunity to improve their margins by persuading more people to do their transactions online, reducing the footfall in premises and justifying the removal of overheads by closing down premises.

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By *exybecs777TV/TS
over a year ago

Weymouth

Personally I blame the councils rather than the banks. Where I used to live there are at least 4 coffee shops, numerous charity shops and mobile shops. Could I buy clothes in that town for my age........nope. Therefore forcing shoppers to go elsewhere for some basics.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Unfortunately it's the "system " that is at fault!

Year after year rents and business rates rise and businesses have to pay it. That's a huge cost and business income has to cover all these. There comes a time when you actually reach the limit and this is what has happened! The public want everything for nothing and the business owner needs a profit. We see it in a shop at "x" and then we go on line for a cheaper deal! Not a fair playing field but then who cares we want it cheap! So it's us the public are partly to blame. You reap what you sow!

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire


"Unfortunately it's the "system " that is at fault!

Year after year rents and business rates rise and businesses have to pay it. That's a huge cost and business income has to cover all these. There comes a time when you actually reach the limit and this is what has happened! The public want everything for nothing and the business owner needs a profit. We see it in a shop at "x" and then we go on line for a cheaper deal! Not a fair playing field but then who cares we want it cheap! So it's us the public are partly to blame. You reap what you sow!"

This..

Watching the inevitable news piece as another high street icon bites the dust with people waxing lyrically about how important said shop is and its a shame there never appears to be the obvious follow up questions on just who shops there and who is using online only..

Society and shoping is changing with such things like smart meters, self check outs and to a point online banking and online shopping but with all this so called progress there are consequences and job losses..

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By *alking HeadMan
over a year ago

Bolton

Bolton town centre is a fraction of a glimmer of a shadow of its former self. When the Trafford Centre opened, naturally we lost some footfall, but some of that would have been temporary. What was Bolton councils plan to win people back? Build our own retail parks as far as possible from the town centre as possible! Then just to exacerbate the problem, they allowed the indoor market area that was part of a huge complex in the town centre to be priced out of existence! People from Bolton are now forced to go to Bury and Manchester (when the trains are running) because so many high st names have disappeared. We do have lots of pawn shops situated conveniently close to all the bookies, then when people have sold the shirt from their back, they can get a bargain replacement from the huge choice of charity shops we have. But at least they managed to spend £11m in tarting up the inside of the town hall.

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire

The soul less shopping centres or even malls with their corporate cold practically automaton cloned assistants does my head in..

Feckin consumerism..

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I put it down to brexit lol.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"For the high street crisis. With local branches closing. There is less need to go into town. Interest rates and the lack of lending to small businesses. Do you know who your local bank manger is I dont and do you have a good relationship with them. Thoughts please x"

All stems from credit crunch. Yes it is partly the banks fault but also the people who took out the loans and mortgages they couldn’t afford. This blame isn’t just on the banks.

As for banks and shops closing, people are becoming ever more so lazy. Most things can be done online now and shops even offer same day delivery. Why go outside in the cold wet and wind when you can stay inside with a cuppa? Given that the uk weather is usually horrible.

I know who my bank manager is and have a great relationship with him. Mind you I have known him before he became the bank manager at the branch. You could just book a appointment with him/her? From then on it will be easier.

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By *agermeisterMan
over a year ago

Leeds


"Personally I blame the councils rather than the banks. Where I used to live there are at least 4 coffee shops, numerous charity shops and mobile shops. Could I buy clothes in that town for my age........nope. Therefore forcing shoppers to go elsewhere for some basics. "

How is that the council's fault?

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By *ary_ArgyllMan
over a year ago

Argyll

We need to change town centres to a mix of smaller specialist shops and housing - the old model of the high street is dead and buried by internet shopping.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Pedestrianise your towns and fill them with coffee shops and bars and restaurants Have a weekly market ..Street festivals every season .

You'll upset the oldies but what the hell

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By *mmabluTV/TS
over a year ago

upton wirral

It is many factors.

High business rates

Internet shopping

High price of street parking in towns.

Out of town shopping centres

I do believe that business rates and the internet are the main reasons.The internet will destroy society as we know it but this is a different topic

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By *mmabluTV/TS
over a year ago

upton wirral


"My town centre has been killed off by having four large "one stop" supermarkets within a mile, sky high rents, Draconian parking restrictions and the ease and convenience of online shopping.

I do all of my banking online. It's instantaneous and safe. I visited my bank twice last year.

"
Internet banking is not safe,nothing on the net is safe.I go to my branch every week,get the cash I need and check my account simple.

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

Been to my bank today all computers down had to wait two hours to get any money out. When computers go down all hell breaks loose x

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By *ercuryMan
over a year ago

Grantham


"My town centre has been killed off by having four large "one stop" supermarkets within a mile, sky high rents, Draconian parking restrictions and the ease and convenience of online shopping.

I do all of my banking online. It's instantaneous and safe. I visited my bank twice last year.

Internet banking is not safe,nothing on the net is safe.I go to my branch every week,get the cash I need and check my account simple."

Yet here you are on the internet?

Internet banking has certain safeguards built in. Providing you follow the guidelines and don't do anything silly, you are legally covered.

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By *mmabluTV/TS
over a year ago

upton wirral


"Been to my bank today all computers down had to wait two hours to get any money out. When computers go down all hell breaks loose x"

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"My town centre has been killed off by having four large "one stop" supermarkets within a mile, sky high rents, Draconian parking restrictions and the ease and convenience of online shopping.

I do all of my banking online. It's instantaneous and safe. I visited my bank twice last year.

Internet banking is not safe,nothing on the net is safe.I go to my branch every week,get the cash I need and check my account simple."

Putting money under your mattress would be safe. Even if you don't use internet banking, isn't your account available on the net. Cashiers can access your account, transaction systems that are legacy are open. Banks run on computer systems.

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By *asyukMan
over a year ago

West London

Banks are no more to blame than the borrowers

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By *illwill69uMan
over a year ago

moston

Of course banks are to blame!

There was and is good reason why banks need to be heavily regulated. There is equally good reason that since the deregulation of the banks and financial industry that there has been a continual drip of financial scandals all of which have one thing in common.

They involve fraudulent manipulation of funds and the theft of investors and depositors funds.

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By *exybecs777TV/TS
over a year ago

Weymouth


"Personally I blame the councils rather than the banks. Where I used to live there are at least 4 coffee shops, numerous charity shops and mobile shops. Could I buy clothes in that town for my age........nope. Therefore forcing shoppers to go elsewhere for some basics.

How is that the council's fault?"

Any attempts by chains to get into the town were/are blocked by the council......

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By *asyukMan
over a year ago

West London


"Of course banks are to blame!

There was and is good reason why banks need to be heavily regulated. There is equally good reason that since the deregulation of the banks and financial industry that there has been a continual drip of financial scandals all of which have one thing in common.

They involve fraudulent manipulation of funds and the theft of investors and depositors funds."

Do borrowers have no responsibility for what they do?

I think you know that I am confident that the pusher is equally culpable.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

While there are a lot of practices which are unsavoury, I’m not aware of anything fraudulent or stealing.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Banks set up systems that only rewarded higher and higher levels of lending and in doing so they started lending to businesses and people who had no hope of repaying the loans. They rewarded this practice with massive bonuses,to people who were salesmen and spivs not bankers in the old fashioned way that had been prudent in the pre big bang days...In the end the house of cards collapsed and the banks had to be bailed out, They broke all the financial policies that had made them successful in the first place. In the end they are GUILTY of a massive mis management of funds.

OH and of course they did not pay the price..We the working people of this land paid with years and years of redundancies, no pay rises, and dwindling monies for our social needs in the nation

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire


"Banks set up systems that only rewarded higher and higher levels of lending and in doing so they started lending to businesses and people who had no hope of repaying the loans. They rewarded this practice with massive bonuses,to people who were salesmen and spivs not bankers in the old fashioned way that had been prudent in the pre big bang days...In the end the house of cards collapsed and the banks had to be bailed out, They broke all the financial policies that had made them successful in the first place. In the end they are GUILTY of a massive mis management of funds.

OH and of course they did not pay the price..We the working people of this land paid with years and years of redundancies, no pay rises, and dwindling monies for our social needs in the nation"

Spot on..

people were being allowed to self assess their income and mortgages were being set at multiples of 6 and even 7 times the income, sheer incompetence and or deliberate bad practices..

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By *alcon43Woman
over a year ago

Paisley

My local council have driven business from the town centre due to high rates. Not only in Paisley but in surrounding towns as well. Pedestrianisation of the High St and Braehead was another nail in the coffin. Large stores moved to the shopping mall and the bus stopped passing the smaller shops.

Online shopping has also had an impact on the shops.

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By *asyukMan
over a year ago

West London


"Banks set up systems that only rewarded higher and higher levels of lending and in doing so they started lending to businesses and people who had no hope of repaying the loans. They rewarded this practice with massive bonuses,to people who were salesmen and spivs not bankers in the old fashioned way that had been prudent in the pre big bang days...In the end the house of cards collapsed and the banks had to be bailed out, They broke all the financial policies that had made them successful in the first place. In the end they are GUILTY of a massive mis management of funds.

OH and of course they did not pay the price..We the working people of this land paid with years and years of redundancies, no pay rises, and dwindling monies for our social needs in the nation

Spot on..

people were being allowed to self assess their income and mortgages were being set at multiples of 6 and even 7 times the income, sheer incompetence and or deliberate bad practices.. "

Of course banks were hugely liable, but did those people who incorrectly self-assessed have no responsibility for the consequences?

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire


"Banks set up systems that only rewarded higher and higher levels of lending and in doing so they started lending to businesses and people who had no hope of repaying the loans. They rewarded this practice with massive bonuses,to people who were salesmen and spivs not bankers in the old fashioned way that had been prudent in the pre big bang days...In the end the house of cards collapsed and the banks had to be bailed out, They broke all the financial policies that had made them successful in the first place. In the end they are GUILTY of a massive mis management of funds.

OH and of course they did not pay the price..We the working people of this land paid with years and years of redundancies, no pay rises, and dwindling monies for our social needs in the nation

Spot on..

people were being allowed to self assess their income and mortgages were being set at multiples of 6 and even 7 times the income, sheer incompetence and or deliberate bad practices..

Of course banks were hugely liable, but did those people who incorrectly self-assessed have no responsibility for the consequences?"

Some may have done and learned from that but some never will and it won't be their fault, credit was and maybe still is too easy to abuse..

Does it go back to the loads a money mindset during thatchers time or has it always been there with some, who knows..

We were brought up with the mindset that if you can't afford it you either go without or save till you can and to live within ones means..

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By *asyukMan
over a year ago

West London


"Banks set up systems that only rewarded higher and higher levels of lending and in doing so they started lending to businesses and people who had no hope of repaying the loans. They rewarded this practice with massive bonuses,to people who were salesmen and spivs not bankers in the old fashioned way that had been prudent in the pre big bang days...In the end the house of cards collapsed and the banks had to be bailed out, They broke all the financial policies that had made them successful in the first place. In the end they are GUILTY of a massive mis management of funds.

OH and of course they did not pay the price..We the working people of this land paid with years and years of redundancies, no pay rises, and dwindling monies for our social needs in the nation

Spot on..

people were being allowed to self assess their income and mortgages were being set at multiples of 6 and even 7 times the income, sheer incompetence and or deliberate bad practices..

Of course banks were hugely liable, but did those people who incorrectly self-assessed have no responsibility for the consequences?

Some may have done and learned from that but some never will and it won't be their fault, credit was and maybe still is too easy to abuse..

Does it go back to the loads a money mindset during thatchers time or has it always been there with some, who knows..

We were brought up with the mindset that if you can't afford it you either go without or save till you can and to live within ones means.. "

No personal responsibility then?

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By *illwill69uMan
over a year ago

moston


"While there are a lot of practices which are unsavoury, I’m not aware of anything fraudulent or stealing. "

Of course you don't...

...

Nick Leeson and Barings Bank.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae selling worthless mortageages round the world that led to the 2008 'Financial Crisies'. All the banks worldwide who have reached settlements with governments worldwide to pay for their massive frauds!

Or how about the fixing of Libor?

...

Does that help your memory? Or are you still unaware of any frauds or stealing?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"While there are a lot of practices which are unsavoury, I’m not aware of anything fraudulent or stealing.

Of course you don't...

...

Nick Leeson and Barings Bank.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae selling worthless mortageages round the world that led to the 2008 'Financial Crisies'. All the banks worldwide who have reached settlements with governments worldwide to pay for their massive frauds!

Or how about the fixing of Libor?

...

Does that help your memory? Or are you still unaware of any frauds or stealing?"
fair comment. I will give you fraud. Whether the mortgages is fraud or stealing is debatable ...

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By *asyukMan
over a year ago

West London


"While there are a lot of practices which are unsavoury, I’m not aware of anything fraudulent or stealing.

Of course you don't...

...

Nick Leeson and Barings Bank.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae selling worthless mortageages round the world that led to the 2008 'Financial Crisies'. All the banks worldwide who have reached settlements with governments worldwide to pay for their massive frauds!

Or how about the fixing of Libor?

...

Does that help your memory? Or are you still unaware of any frauds or stealing?"

...and personal responsibility?

The banks and politicians are guilty. What about the rest of us? Just victims?

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire


"Banks set up systems that only rewarded higher and higher levels of lending and in doing so they started lending to businesses and people who had no hope of repaying the loans. They rewarded this practice with massive bonuses,to people who were salesmen and spivs not bankers in the old fashioned way that had been prudent in the pre big bang days...In the end the house of cards collapsed and the banks had to be bailed out, They broke all the financial policies that had made them successful in the first place. In the end they are GUILTY of a massive mis management of funds.

OH and of course they did not pay the price..We the working people of this land paid with years and years of redundancies, no pay rises, and dwindling monies for our social needs in the nation

Spot on..

people were being allowed to self assess their income and mortgages were being set at multiples of 6 and even 7 times the income, sheer incompetence and or deliberate bad practices..

Of course banks were hugely liable, but did those people who incorrectly self-assessed have no responsibility for the consequences?

Some may have done and learned from that but some never will and it won't be their fault, credit was and maybe still is too easy to abuse..

Does it go back to the loads a money mindset during thatchers time or has it always been there with some, who knows..

We were brought up with the mindset that if you can't afford it you either go without or save till you can and to live within ones means..

No personal responsibility then?"

First paragraph

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By *ouple in LancashireCouple
over a year ago

in Lancashire


"While there are a lot of practices which are unsavoury, I’m not aware of anything fraudulent or stealing.

Of course you don't...

...

Nick Leeson and Barings Bank.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae selling worthless mortageages round the world that led to the 2008 'Financial Crisies'. All the banks worldwide who have reached settlements with governments worldwide to pay for their massive frauds!

Or how about the fixing of Libor?

...

Does that help your memory? Or are you still unaware of any frauds or stealing?

...and personal responsibility?

The banks and politicians are guilty. What about the rest of us? Just victims?"

Of bystanders as the crash happened, even after some of us who have no formal economic qualifications but have experience of that in raising families, running a small business etc had told others that were going down the path of overstretch and speculation and that what they brought just may not increase so fast they were covered and make a killing..

Responsibility was evident across the board but too many thought they could get rich quick so greed over took responsibility and old fashioned common sense..

It will happen again as people exploit the flaws in the system..

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By *entralscotscpl7Couple
over a year ago

Falkirk

You want to see the state of our old town Falkirk.

Extortionate rates from the local council have driven most retailers away.

The town looks horrible. As far as I was aware there was a local business man that proposed to buy all the retail space and allow for new business start ups and smaller indipedent retailers better rate incentives to locate in Falkirk.

Again the idea was snubbed because the council would loose to much money going to a private holding company.

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By *asyukMan
over a year ago

West London


"You want to see the state of our old town Falkirk.

Extortionate rates from the local council have driven most retailers away.

The town looks horrible. As far as I was aware there was a local business man that proposed to buy all the retail space and allow for new business start ups and smaller indipedent retailers better rate incentives to locate in Falkirk.

Again the idea was snubbed because the council would loose to much money going to a private holding company.

"

Part of the problem is central government funding policy.

Business rates are one of the few ways of raising funding, but councils have been squeezing too tightly...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

You can't blame councils they've had their budgets slashed by the goverment .This is why your council tax will go up this year and every year until the goverment funds council services properly.Alternatively you remove statutory services completly for the young and old and disabled.Because if you look where the money is being spent it's there.

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By *mmabluTV/TS
over a year ago

upton wirral


"Of course banks are to blame!

There was and is good reason why banks need to be heavily regulated. There is equally good reason that since the deregulation of the banks and financial industry that there has been a continual drip of financial scandals all of which have one thing in common.

They involve fraudulent manipulation of funds and the theft of investors and depositors funds.

Do borrowers have no responsibility for what they do?

I think you know that I am confident that the pusher is equally culpable. "
There is something in what you say but the public are very brainwashed by advertising in many cases,and they are to keen to borrow money it is a society problem

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By *illwill69uMan
over a year ago

moston


"fair comment. I will give you fraud. Whether the mortgages is fraud or stealing is debatable ... "

To say I find your moral and ethical compass questionable is an understatement. Unfortunately I believe you probably represent the majority of society, not only in Britain but round the world.

Theft is theft regardless of the method used to misappropriate property and misappropriation of property is stealing.


"...and personal responsibility?

The banks and politicians are guilty. What about the rest of us? Just victims?"

Personal responsibility, really? That is straight out of the victim blaming handbook.

Is the patient of a 'medical practitioner' to blame if they follow what they believe to be advice given in good faith that turns out to have been given in bad faith for profit and it damages the patient? Remember doctors prescribing unnecessary and on occasions harmful drugs because they were getting backhanders from the pharmaceutical industry a few years back? Or how about dentists doing unnecessary dental work in the 60's and 70's because they were paid by the filling and extraction.

Where is the difference? If I go to my bank or insurance company for financial advice I should be able to trust that the bank will give me honest advice. Fact is I can't because the banks and insurance industry have become the dodgiest of second hand car dealers.

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

That's the thing every thing is paid by card it's not like having cash in your pocket.

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By *asyukMan
over a year ago

West London


"fair comment. I will give you fraud. Whether the mortgages is fraud or stealing is debatable ...

To say I find your moral and ethical compass questionable is an understatement. Unfortunately I believe you probably represent the majority of society, not only in Britain but round the world.

Theft is theft regardless of the method used to misappropriate property and misappropriation of property is stealing.

...and personal responsibility?

The banks and politicians are guilty. What about the rest of us? Just victims?

Personal responsibility, really? That is straight out of the victim blaming handbook.

Is the patient of a 'medical practitioner' to blame if they follow what they believe to be advice given in good faith that turns out to have been given in bad faith for profit and it damages the patient? Remember doctors prescribing unnecessary and on occasions harmful drugs because they were getting backhanders from the pharmaceutical industry a few years back? Or how about dentists doing unnecessary dental work in the 60's and 70's because they were paid by the filling and extraction.

Where is the difference? If I go to my bank or insurance company for financial advice I should be able to trust that the bank will give me honest advice. Fact is I can't because the banks and insurance industry have become the dodgiest of second hand car dealers."

I'm not talking about PPI misselling or businesses being asset stripped when they should have been offered an overdraft. Not the interest rate spikes like in the 80s.

Self-certified mortgages that came with a nudge and a wink? Come on.

Borrowing money to go on holiday or buy a top spec new car or wide screen TV?

That's not victim shaming. That's greed. Both vendor and buyer complicit. People are certainly being offered credit inappropriately but these aren't complex financial products. It's unsecured loans for "stuff" that people do not need but want.

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By *ophieslutTV/TS
over a year ago

Central

It's a complex situation, with many factors involved - potentially the banks amongst them. Local planning has helped to pull people away from centres towards out of town malls etc.

Governments have cut local income levels, forcing councils to increase local taxation indirectly, including via parking fees - this has acted as a deterrent. A lot of free spaces have been lost in towns.l, with more paid parking spots, policed heavily by outsourced wardens. Shoppers and parkers have been treated less as customers of local services and more as people who should be punished because they have occasional needs that are unpredictable, forcing them to be penalized with huge ticket fines. The car and traffic situation made worse by a privatized public transport system, including cuts to local bus services.

One of the worst impacts on local facilities comes from internet stores undercutting local businesses, whilst not paying local contributions, thus fuelling a race to the bottom. Though they use local infrastructure such as roads etc, they don't pay for it - you do.

People work longer and harder than they did in the past, leaving less time for city centre daytime visits too. And pay is worse than 10 years ago, pushing them to find ways to save on shopping - though many of their solutions don't exist in the centres.

Much of this is predictable and appropriate strategies would accept and would plan for accordingly. I don't think that this has really happened though

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By *ELLONS AND CREAMWoman
over a year ago

stourbridge area


"It is many factors.

High business rates

Internet shopping

High price of street parking in towns.

Out of town shopping centres

I do believe that business rates and the internet are the main reasons.The internet will destroy society as we know it but this is a different topic"

In a nutshell .....

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By *illwill69uMan
over a year ago

moston

It is all part of the same con trick that sees wealth stripped from the many and passed up to the most wealthy and powerful. The reality is we were only ever lent wealth by the rich and powerful to gain our cooperation during the struggle between private capitalism and state controlled capitalism. Once state controlled capitalism was seen to be destroyed by our willingness to outproduce it for a share of the spoils in the early 80's private capitalists started to reclaim and recover the wealth they had loaned the majority of us. Shame is most of us still believe we are classless and free to join the ranks of the capitalist elite when in reality we are all being returned to serfdom.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

TL;DR the thread but

Yes they are, just beware the internet crank who feels the need to bring up "the Rothschilds."

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Online transactions are the biggest killer of the town high street, lack of parking finishes it off.

Internet prices are generally far lower for most items.

If I'm after an item that doesn't need to be held / tried on before I buy then I'll probably whip out my phone and have it ordered in under a minute.

Same for banking, everything's on direct debit / PayPal , Sage etc but if I have to take cash to pay in it does feel old fashioned & extremely time consuming lol

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By *oi_LucyCouple
over a year ago

Barbados


"For the high street crisis. With local branches closing. There is less need to go into town. Interest rates and the lack of lending to small businesses. Do you know who your local bank manger is I dont and do you have a good relationship with them. Thoughts please x"

Interestingly Metro Bank are just opening a branch in Bristol. They are the newest high street bank in years and they are deliberately opening branches, which seems against the flow of the move to mobile banking. But they seem to recognise the needs of the consumer. Most banks are only open 9-5. What use is that to most working people? Metro bank branches are open in the evenings too.

-Matt

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By *oi_LucyCouple
over a year ago

Barbados


"Online transactions are the biggest killer of the town high street, lack of parking finishes it off.

Internet prices are generally far lower for most items.

If I'm after an item that doesn't need to be held / tried on before I buy then I'll probably whip out my phone and have it ordered in under a minute.

Same for banking, everything's on direct debit / PayPal , Sage etc but if I have to take cash to pay in it does feel old fashioned & extremely time consuming lol"

I just received a cheque for refund of my car insurance. It is still sat on my desk weeks later as the hassle of actually paying it in is almost more than it is worth. I’m pretty sure that is why they do It.

On the other hand I sold the car with Webuyanycar and they asked me if I wanted to pay £40 to have payment paid by Faster Payments. Cheeky fuckers!

-Matt

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Jeeez, £40 for a Bacs, there again I'm not surprised.

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By *oi_LucyCouple
over a year ago

Barbados


"Jeeez, £40 for a Bacs, there again I'm not surprised.

"

Yup. The underlying faster payments network charge 3 pence per transaction. WBAC even state that the slower payment is by ‘future dated faster payment’. Ie exactly the same thing as the faster one, just the hold on to your money for a few more days. I just wish they’d be more honest about it and say ‘if you let us hold on to your money for four days we’ll give you an extra £40’.

-Matt

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"It is many factors.

High business rates

Internet shopping

High price of street parking in towns.

Out of town shopping centres

I do believe that business rates and the internet are the main reasons.The internet will destroy society as we know it but this is a different topic

In a nutshell ..... "

Here is an example. My father in law who is very comfortable and living in an affluent area often goes into his local gentleman's shop for Church shoes or Barbour jacket get the sizes etc Then goes home and orders on line to save a few bob. He knows it's wrong and the shop are measuring him etc etc spending time with him to make sure he gets what's best for him. One day that shop will close thanks to people like him!

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