| Archive Index | Main Site |   

 No. 15  A Better Way ?

***A step towards the solution of traffic congestion in our towns and cities.   Old habits die hard and the British have always accepted the end of the working day for the majority as 4.30/5.30 pm.   The supermarket supremos realised a long time ago that it would be profitable to be open when the majority arrive home from their workplace.   The majority of high street shops close at this time !

***This leads to the mass exodus that we have become used to in our towns and cities.   It seems that the whole of London is making it’s way home at the same time each evening !  There has to be a better way.   Why do we accept this common finishing time ?

***The majority of high street shops open at 9 a.m.   (The exceptions are newsagents and the convenience stores selling foodstuffs which usually open earlier)    They open their doors, and the staff wait for the rush to buy their goods; but this just doesn’t happen, at least not until Saturday morning !   There is no rush during the weekdays and most non-food shopping starts after the streets are aired.  This explains the crowded high streets on Saturdays; the workers find the shops closed when they finish work during the week and accept that Saturday is their chance to visit the shops when they are open.   This convergence on town centres on Saturdays is another cause of our congestion problems.

***The exception are the supermarkets which are open all-hours, most until  10pm in the evening and some 24 hours.   This probably explains why they are taking on more and more lines in their product range; the kind of goods that would normally be bought down the high street on a Saturday when the whole family are together can be  bought at the supermarket every evening after work.

***If our high street shopping areas are to survive into the 2050’s they are going to have to alter their practices in order to compete with the superstores.  
  The first step will be to alter the hours of opening.  It is pointless opening at 9 am if there aren’t any customers until 10.00 am.  It would surely be more sensible if the opening times were put back to 10.00 am and the closing time around 7 pm.  
  This would enable the workers to do their shopping during the week instead of the mad rush on Saturdays and the shops would retain the custom that is rapidly being lost to the superstores.  
  With the loss of the local stores goes the personal service that most of us value.  If the shops are open when the shoppers are around the profits will rise and the costs of goods could be discounted to compete with the superstore prices.  
  The Trade Unions will no doubt argue against the change in the hours of working, but, at the end of the day their workers jobs will be non-existent if these changes are not considered.

***There are many advantages to such changes: -

   1. The high street shop will be ensuring  it’s existence against the challenge of the superstores.

  2. Office and Factory workers will be able to do their shopping during the week with the later closing of high street shops (7 pm).

  3. The exodus from our towns and cities will be modified with a significant reduction in late afternoon traffic. (less traffic congestion)

  4. There would be less shoppers in the towns and cities on Saturdays making driving into town less frustrating with more parking spaces available for those that have to shop on weekends. (less traffic congestion)

  5. The creating of part-time work for students during the extended evening opening times.

For this change to be effective the shops in a particular area would have to agree together to stay open for the accepted time, say 7 pm in order that the public would be sure that their shopping area is as convenient as the local superstore.  Such a change of opening hours would soon become an accepted way of doing business.

Back