Woolies Pick n Mix.

[Raven]

Remember this, I always loved it when I was growing up and so did my kids.

[Alex]

Yes I remember the Pick & Mix counter in Woolies, you still see them sometimes. I think The Range has a Pick & Mix as I try to avoid it 

[klondike]

I remember light bulbs there. They always tested them before they were sold (no doubt so they could refuse returns).

They also sold children's toys. I loved a clockwork walking bear I had from there. I saw one on antiques roadshow years ago. That bear is still in this house somewhere but I'm unsure where. It was in a sorry state last I saw of it with it's cloth fur worn through but I think the legs were still going. I wish now I'd put it aside and renovated it if I could.

[Scrumpy]

I remember Woolworths and Pick n Mix..
I have seen them recently in another store.. 
They didn't look as enticing as they did many years ago..
Though I must confess I sampled one as I walked by..

[Mups]

I do wish we had our old shops back.   I don't half miss them.
It's hardly worth going in to our town now,  not unless you want your nails done, or a tattoo,  or a daft  hair colour doing.  
I miss a decent hardware shop too.

[klondike]

Town centres are into a death spiral. Few interesting shops means less people bother going into town. Low footfall makes it less worthwhile having a shop in town.

I think a lot of the blame rests with greedy council's. High business rates and inconvenient and expensive parking for a start.

[Mups]

Town centres are into a death spiral. Few interesting shops means less people bother going into town. Low footfall makes it less worthwhile having a shop in town.

I think a lot of the blame rests with greedy council's. High business rates and inconvenient and expensive parking for a start.

Yes,  I agree with all that.  

[Michael Rolls]

Me too

[GrannyMac]

There's an old fashioned electrical shop near here, it sells all sorts of odd bulbs.  A couple of butchers, bakers, and a greengrocer.  Ten minutes away - a proper hardware shop.  But the tattoo parlours, charity shops and nail bars are increasing.  

The charity shop where I volunteer used to be a Blockbusters.  Anyone remember those?

[klondike]

Killed by Netflix. Where do you think all those absent town shoppers are getting their goods? Online is the answer same as the Blockbusters ex-customers and often the same people.

[Michael Rolls]

I'm housebound, but when I could get around, it seemed that every time I went into Perth another shop had closed

[CHF]

Our town council kept out the larger shops for a long time because most 
of the councillors were shop owners. This was resented by the towns 
people who went off to the city to do their shopping.
It was ages before we got an M&S, then along came Covid and everything
changed.

[GrannyMac]

So many have gone, Woolies, British Home Stores, Littlewoods, Debenhams, Wilko to name a few.  😐

Morrisons do pick & mix.

[klondike]

I think Comet was one of the first to go here. Apart from Currys there don't seem to be any big electrical retailers left. C & A went early onto in the UK. They were still trading in Germany but maybe they've gone there too. It surely can't be just here where town centres are on the waine

There are some new names though Dunelm The Range and I think Primark are relative newcomers too,

There's a peculiar one here called Home Sense. Lots of imported oddities for the home.

[Alex]

There's a Home sense not too far from me, a lovely shop I can spend a long time in there 
C & A still going in Germany, they do online too.
Debenhams was a nice shop, I miss that.  They do online, but it's not the same as feeling the material.