Bralets, Knickers And Dine In Meal Deals.....

[gness]

I really dislike shopping for anything.......but I will go into Kettering for the above from Marks and Spencer....except......M&S Kettering is to close.
I won't miss their clothing because that's been going downhill for a very long time.....I did like their meal deals though......imaginative and good value.....especially using points from my credit card.....

I can't think of anywhere else in Kettering for undies which has made me realise what a dying town Kettering is becoming.....

I do know how to make bralets.....but I'm blowed if I'm going to start making knickers....so it's online shopping now....which puts an end to impulse town centre buying.....and just having a wander.....

Do you have a town centre? Is it thriving or, like Kettering seems to be, dying?..x

[albaqwerty]

our town centre (well, the big town) has been gasping for air for a good few years now.
The 'wee' town doesn't even have a shoe shop, but boasts a fishing tackle shop, a few cafes and pubs, lots of chemists and quite a few bookies.

[mazie]

What's a Bralet gness? Yes we do and ours is expanding. The last I heard we are have a large M&,S food hall as well. Don't know if that will still be going ahead. X

[pixie374]

It wasn't that long ago that ours was extended and massively changed. Shops seem to last about a month or two and then are replaced with different ones.

[gness]

Kettering is full of coffee shops, Alba.....charity shops which I do like to have a noodle in....but there must be a limit to the number and Kettering's exceeded that limit....
I hate bras, Mazie.....so I wear bralets....a bit like a sports bra...no hooks or wires.....but lacy and feminine...

Ours hasn't changed since Victoria reigned, Pixie.... ;-)

[pixie374]

I think most of them will have trouble competing with online shopping. The rents must be extortionate.

[albaqwerty]

talking of charity shops, on the bus back home, at a junction there used to be 4 charity shops, now there's only 2.
One is now an Asian Supermarket - must have a shifty in there, see what's what.
What was the 4th, is now empty.

[mazie]

Me too gnes. Bralet sounds more comfortable. x

[sunny-dave]

It seems that only charity shops, pound shops, coffee shops and tattoo parlours can survive in central Kettering - the loss of (an admittedly pretty ordinary) M&S is an embarrassment that even the self-satisfied pillocks on the local council must surely take some note of.

Instead of which they will continue to crank up car park charges and allow the road network to decay to the point where you'll need a Hummer to get into town, but won't be able to afford to park it.

[Patsy33]

Must get some bralets. I'm hating bras at the minute!

[gness]

Online shopping must be having a huge impact, Pixie....but I'll buy what I usually shopped for......if they put more thought into what they have on offer in M&S Kettering they'd be keeping customers...

Whenever I do go to Kettering, Albs...there is at least one new charity shop..x

Much more comfy, Mazie...nothing digs in!

[pixie374]

My mum always used to drag us round M&S when we were little... I suspect that's enough to put any of us off going there deliberately :-)

[mazie]

And...in my case nothing sticks out either gness :0)

[Captain2]

@ S-D, substitute Stockport for Kettering and I could have typed your post verbatim. Local councillors just seem hell bent on running down the town centre. They even had Mary Portas do a business plan for them a few years ago and promptly threw it out of the window. Six, seven years ago I used to stand on a thriving outdoor market and had to fight for a pitch at 6.30am - now they are lucky if they get five stalls. Pretty pathetic.

[albaqwerty]

what was our M&S in the high street was knocked down to make way for the second shopping precinct, which accomodated M&S and what was Littlewoods. The 'inshops' were brilliant, now, there's hardly any 'inshops' Littlewoods went by the board ages and ages ago, and I can't see the M&S surviving as there's a big one in out of town place.

[gness]

You're not wrong, Dave....I go in twice a week to the gym and the only thing that will stop me renewing membership this year is the condition of the roads both into and in Kettering...it's hell driving from here....
And as for the council! Your description fits perfectly......I knew many of them when I lived there and had many a todo....but when they chopped down the tree and put up their mate's clock I knew I was fighting a losing battle....self-satisfied is spot on.....!

Patsy.....I have ditched all bras......bralets I can cope with....they keep things just north of south without bouncing.... :-)

[Captain2]

Oh, and we lost our M&S two weeks ago as well.

[shaneystar2]

The M&S in our town centre closed about three years ago ,may be longer actually as I rarely go into town these days.They had been there since before the war. It's still an empty shop.They then opened up a food hall over on a retail park which is isn't doing well by all accounts.
I used to shop there a lot but all I buy from them now are a particular range of black trousers and knickers.Their food is far too expensive to buy on a regular basis.
If they closed down the whole shebang tomorrow I wouldn't be bothered really as I probably have enough black trousers to keep me going for ages and Sainsbury's Tu have nice knickers.
Our town centre is awful but on my side of the river our little High St is lovely with plenty of local shopping. Proper butcher,bakery etc.

[albaqwerty]

talking of parking, the town (Paisley) offers free weekend parking in council operated bays.
Great, but there's hardly any shops !!

[marval]

Bletchley has gone downhill, mostly bargain shops, not that I mind. There is always Milton Keynes city centre though.

[pixie374]

Our M&S was turned into a Primark, but they built a new M&S too.