Boots Cuts 4,000 Jobs

[Hymie]

Once the corona virus lockdown was implemented, my local Boots store started restricting entry to one person at a time – this despite the store being over 500 square metres in size.

Whilst waiting outside in-line to collect my regular medical prescription, I thought to myself – you don’t need more than a low double digit IQ to realise that by operating such a scheme, within a very short time period the business will go bust. But this seems to have been beyond the comprehension of Boots CEO.

[teacake44]

12.30, I used like boots many years ago, but you didn't have much choice but to go there, very few, if any sold their products. Today you have the choice, along with much cheaper prices. I could sit here and list thousands of products that they overcharge for compared to others. People are more price wise now than ever, we are not talking pennies more on one product, but anything from 50p upwards. Boots choose to ignore these price differences.

[pastafreak]

We've lost Clintons, CarphoneWarehouse, Animal, Laura Ashley, Kath Kidson...who knows how many others. I've not been in the city centre in 4 months. I read that we are losing our branch of a homewares/hardware shop that has been in existence for 116 years. Really sad to see them go.

[New Judge]

//Perth is a city but it isn't very big.//

Spent three weeks in Perth on a course many moons ago. What did we do? Not a lot. Had a few beers in the Salutation Hotel (the only place we could find open on a Sunday). Saw Les Kellet and Big Jim Hussey wrestling at the Town Hall (or somewhere). Walked to the top of Kinnoull Hill one lunchtime and got a rollocking for being late back. Went Stock Car racing at Cowdenbeath. Saw St Johnstone beat Raith Rovers 1-0 (still have the programme somewhere). On one of the Saturdays took the train to Edinburgh so we could ride over the Forth Bridge. Nice enough place but won't be going again.

[teacake44]

13.06 Well again, you notice that the ones you mention have all been expensive to buy from. LA and CW were in trouble before all this. Clintons very expensive.

[youngmafbog]

It was coming anyway and I suspect will be followed by many more until it is sold on or is left to rot by its parent company.

No loss though, plenty of others. The High Street is finished, I think deep down we all know it is on borrowed time. Excessive rates coupled with expensive parking that is often no where near the shop have seen to that. Add in on line and thats them finished really. The smart ones have seen this coming and adjusted, the not so smart ones will cease to exist.

[pastafreak]

@ 13:10...but what's expensive? I'd say Clintons charges the same for similar cards to, let's say, WHSmith. L.A. was a shop that presented a style specific to them, so hard to compare. I often got my phones at CW because they were cheaper than if I went to ee who were my provider.
Boots changed years ago from being a pharmacy to providing things like niche brands of makeup, personal care, 'spa' treatments, etc. I can't say that they seemed expensive *when I could afford it*...but now I have less money and less interest in even browsing such things. Others, my daughter's age, do.

[teacake44]

Competition has always been good for the consumer, the shops that survive will have to be even more competitive, only shops that refuse to be competitive will go under, or have ridiculous rents to cover, and oddly enough those that trade in expensive shopping centres may be the ones to go first. If you take Aldi for example love them or hate them, they have forced the big five to reduce their profit margin, so even if you don't want to shop at Aldi they have been a big help to you!!

[Hymie]

jno – yup, it was one customer in the shop at a time. Having requested my repeat prescription from my GP via e-mail last weekend, I will be collecting it from Boots next weekend. I will report back as to whether they are still open and if so, operating the one customer rule.

[Hymie]

My local Boots has now stopped restricting the shop to one customer at a time. At the time I visited today, there was no control of the number of persons in the shop (although there was no more than half a dozen) – with only the 2m distance floor markings and direction arrows in place.