Demise of the department store | Shopping | Oxford Street | Reporting London | 1982

[@philfedora495]

40 years on and there are only 2 department stores left on Oxford street, Selfridges and John Lewis, and even the other stores shown, such as C&A, Littlewoods and BHS are gone. Internet killed them all.

[@lizclegg7556]

Fascinating watching these old Thames TV clips.

[@Dead-Ball-Situation]

This is so weird watching this from 1982. They speak of the decline in stores almost as if it were today. I began shopping as a teen in the late 80's/early 90's and all I remember were very busy department stores, so I assumed they were still very popular even back then.

[@rachelm7525]

Fascinating. Poignant reminder of a life I once (almost!) had. I left a famous British Department store 5 years ago as I sadly watched its decline. I tried to offer a very high standard of customer service...only to find that customers didn't want it! The snatch-and-go mentality had taken over. My 'old friend' passed away just a few weeks ago. Ironically, many of the retail names in this video are gone, too, victims all not of Covid, but mainly the internet. Very sad.

[@joanne26]

Your comment sums up what has gone wrong with the High Street. Nobody wants high standards of customer service anymore and COVID has made the retail industry have to RESET. Its sad i know My local town Sutton Coldfield died when Beatties was bought by House of Fraser some years ago and they 'modernised it for the 18-30 age group and ruined and even back in 2017 there was no one going in only to the restaurant and cafe.

[@charmainnosworthy1195]

The quality of mostly everything now has gone downhill too.

[@johnking5174]

Are You Being Served was not a sitcom, more a semi documentary about the decline of department stores in England.

[@GrahamGroovyUK]

Filmed in Simpson of Piccadilly (Now Waterstones I think?) I only found out after being given a suit (Aquascutm) and a new, bright orange Simpson of Piccadilly shirt (Made in Scotland). Fantastic quality and fit.

[@sfoeric]

Reminds me of the demise of department stores here in the US. It’s all very sad. When I was growing up in the SF Bay Area we had Sears, Montgomery Wards and stores my Mom had told me about from her time living on the East Coast like Filene’s. Nowadays it’s the Internet that really challenges brick and mortar businesses worldwide.

[@frothe42]

It is not the internet that changed retail, but humans themselves. They want cheap goods, which come from Commie China 🇨🇳. They did not care that their jobs fled overseas until it affected them personally. That, and corporate greed, is what caused steep declines.

[@sfoeric]

@@frothe42 In the 1980s there was no Internet. But there was certainly a change in how consumers chose to spend their money. And yes, it was towards purchasing lower price goods produced in China as opposed to higher priced domestic goods (regardless of whether we are discussing the UK or here in the US). Everybody likes to talk a good game about supporting domestic economies, but when it comes to parting with their money, they won’t demand it and will easily gravitate towards lower prices inferior goods being offered by businesses. The Internet today just makes it so much easier to obtain these lower prices goods.

[@frothe42]

@@sfoeric I wouldn't say the internet gives the best deals, but it makes it easier to shop, especially when one lives in a rural area like myself. The pandemic also helped change the way we aquire goods. Now, people are pandemic weary and want to go back to going into stores, as I do. But as you stated, many of the stores both you and I grew up with are now gone, bankrupt, thanks to Ghetto Mart (aka Walmart and that evil Walton family).

[@sfoeric]

@@frothe42 Agreed! Take good care!

[@etangdescygnes]

@@frothe42 When I see "commie" I know there is a high probability the writer is native to the USA. Yes, people strive to satisfy their needs at the lowest price, (Adam Smith 1776). That's life! Communist nations have never satisfied the needs of their own residents, let alone profitably exported goods on a massive scale to other countries. I have seen much. Developed western nations have never lost sales to Communist countries. In the 1970s and 1980s they lost evermore sales to avowedly capitalist economies such as those of Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia: the Asian "tigers" run by autocratic right wing regimes put in place and kept in place by western developed nations, as a bulwark against communism. Later, when China adopted capitalism, (Deng Xiaoping: "The colour of the cat doesn't matter as long as it catches the mice"), it began to export massively to western developed nations. Western developed nations discovered that when the free market they pretend to desire, actually exists, they cannot compete with poverty-stricken peasants willing to work gruelling hours for little pay to improve their desperate lives. When capitalism is permitted in a country with such people, they will out-compete those carrying much more body-fat. However, most US residents are poorly educated, and will continue to bleat about "commies" and put their faith in a non-existent god for decades, if not centuries. That too, is life.

[@zeddeka]

So interesting that the trends that are so visible now started so long ago. So many of the department stores back then were stuffy, pompous and overpriced. They almost pushed customers away with the snobbiness. The department stores that still exist like that: Harrods, Forrnum & Mason etc. now operate with a kind of manufactured quaintness for tourists.

[@zunairafaiz372]

I love the way they spoke back then

[@MultiKs22]

yes I must agree Angela lambert introduction of Bowens department store where her voice encapsulates the viewers watching the clip and the nice elderly gentleman spoke so refine about his dress tire and the old lady the glasses; when asked do you come to the west end anymore she replied I just don't bother in that lovely calm English accent.

[@KateJunita]

Me too ❤❤❤

[@anthonyglee1710]

It is sad and having a day out in Oxford St was such a buzz as a teenager. Now, a bit older the thought of a visiting there would be a big no. Ashamed to say I do all my shopping from an iPad.

[@Larry]

wonder what guy would have made of Amazon?

[@whatamalike]

HELLO YOOOOUUUUU!!!

[@NexusApollo]

Pretty much the same reasons of today. Overwhelming convenience and the death of the high street shops. Also, hi Larry. Didn't expect to see you here.

[@rachelm7525]

Amazon killed the High Street 😞

[@robertmarsh3588]

Interesting that many of those chain stores featured - BHS, Littlewoods, etc have also gone now. The analyst at the end was spot on with his prediction of store within a store, automation, new locations etc. This process is still continuing.

[@Westhamsterdam]

BHS, Littlewoods, etc went bust because they were seriously badly managed, chasing shareholder value at all costs, sell your freehold & buy back leasehold. Debt bought them down not necessarily retail sales.

[@Matty112uk]

The largest department store near me for a time was 'Beatties'. It sold everything from clothes to electrical items and toys. I used to go (or was rather brought) there nearly every Saturday with my parents as part of the regular weekend shopping trip. At the time I didn't really enjoy visiting it - I only really liked the toy department - but looking back now I miss the old girl. Its building is still standing, but only the ground floor is used as an Iceland frozen food store.

[@zoyablake9538]

I remember getting my school uniform from D.H. Evans. Going to Oxford Street was such a treat in those days.

[@simonm7133]

C & A closed in the U.K. but it still continues as a major force in Europe with 1500 branches. It is part of a family owned business empire with its corporate HQ in Switzerland. They could see the writing on the wall in the U.K. and closed in 2000. Mind you, it’s quality left much to be desired, hence its nickname, Cheap and Awful!

[@ingiemummalove130]

Your comment has made me laugh so much!!!! We nick named it coats and ‘ats!!!!! 😆 God bless c&a!!!👍

[@gilgameshofuruk4060]

Towards the end the quality was actually ok. I still wear a smart casual jacket I bought at C&A. It's as good as new and still looks good. Even on me. And I only recently stopped wearing a raincoat from them as the rainproofing had worn away.

[@MultiKs22]

@@ingiemummalove130 yes when by the statement cheap and awful.

[@dan11438]

2021: Take me back to 1982 please

[@zeddeka]

I can understand wanting to be young again, but really? 1982? Mass unemployment. Constant threat of nuclear war. AIDS on the horizon. The worst violent crime in Europe in the UK in the 80s.

[@monkeybhoy75]

Walk down any street in many UK cities vastly empty plots high rents. Foreshadowing

[@beanbison]

Remember when shop staff knew about the products they were selling?

[@madandy3176]

Well that guy at the end got everything absolutely spot on about the future, especially the shop within a shop (Argos --> Sainsbury's; Carphone Warehouse --> PC World --> Currys.)

[@madandy3176]

@Factual Truth King Yes, pretty well so. The big supermarkets are losing out to home deliveries and Argos whose business model cuts out shoplifting and breakages havem without a need for putting goods on display, got into this very sensible arrangement probably saving a fortune on rent

[@Dead-Ball-Situation]

I am not convinced he "predicted" it, as if it were lottery numbers. My guess is he already knew it was coming down along the line at some point.

[@WhitneyHouston4eva1]

I've seen the demise of our high streets over the years. Nowadays it's mainly places for takeaway food and charity shops and even some of those are closing down and not just due to people shopping online. The pandemic caused some places not to reopen, plus the high business taxes placed on bricks and mortar stores.

[@Ology3121]

4:19 Littlewoods Marble Arch. I worked there 1985.

[@Clavinovaman]

4:02: C&A, British Home Stores, Littlewoods, Mothercare, Debenhams, Dixons, Dorothy Perkins... All gone now.

[@fishandchips9033]

Gary J Yes a real shame I grew up in the 1980s and remember all those stores.

[@cigmorfil4101]

Dixons exists under the guise of PCWorld which they bought in 1993. They rebranded all the DSG main stores as Currys PC World.

[@Clavinovaman]

I'm aware of that.

[@theoriginalbluey]

I'd like to go back in a time machine to 1982 and have a good look around those shops. How fascinating that would be. I buy nearly everything online so that's obviously one of the more recent trends. Off to London on Saturday but doubt I'll spend much on shopping.

[@adailydaughter6196]

Wow, most of the stores that were doing well then are now gone too 😢

[@cafsixtieslover]

I used to love Bournes. I worked nearby and I remember the closing down sale very well. I used to like Swan & Edgar as well and Dickins & Jones.

[@DIETRICHCICCONE]

Dickens & Jones seemed to go on for years without any customers, till it finally closed about 15 years ago. Ditto Austin Reed further down the street. In the end, all that will survive will be stores selling very expensive items, and cheap tat. It depresses me to see Oxford Street full of awful 'American Candy' shops and cheap luggage/tourist tat shops.

[@mypointofview1111]

I loved Dickins &Jones. The interior was absolutely gorgeous. I remember going to Bourne & Hollingsworth in its last weeks & days. So sad. All of these department stores were like grand old ladies who'd seen better days.

[@zoefroon4269]

It is always sad when people loos their jobs. End of an era

[@lizclegg7556]

Well its 40 years later and some department stores are still hanging on. The real loss was Dickins & Jones. They had great stuff and amazing sales.

[@joanne26]

After leaving school in May 1981 my late parents would book what we now call a 'mini break of 2-3 days in London. We would always stay at the ROYAL LANCASTER HOTEL, Hyde Park but in the main THE STRAND PALACE HOTEL and would book to see some West End Shows My Mom and myself would always make a trip to Dickins & Jones. It was what i call 'top draw' I know the business was bought by Harrods at the start of the 20th century and then many many years later part of House of Fraser but D & J had something extra for me

[@lizclegg7556]

@@joanne26 Yes, they had top quality and top design stuff, but without any pretension. They were also a bit of a "hidden gem" in that people would overlook them and head to Harvey Nichols/Fenwicks etc. I used to get my "smart" clothes there in the sales in the 1990s - Ungaro, Nicole Farhi, Romeo Gigli, Armani at unbelievable prices. Beauty department, homeware all fantastic.

[@jonathanlee5938]

I worked for the then Simpson Piccadilly many years ago which also closed down in 1999. The problem is the huge rise in costs , the internet now but also that most people dress appallingly so they don’t buy the fine clothing they once did . Terrible times in retail now however you can forge a niche in the marketplace if you control your overheads and specialise in areas of clothing and give exceptional service irrespective of your location you can still survive , My business is still here to prove it .

[@MultiKs22]

Jonathan lee. there is old saying if you got it flaunt it e\, meaning show of your finest . finery . people don't have money anymore for the finer clothes. charity shops have taking over sales and gross income in most department stores here in Ireland. such as Dunnes stores pennies and . and Dorothy Perkins. that is due to price rise in clothing and textiles . as for overheads some business have to expand or else go under plus you have to pay for tax and vat on all items you buy in as well you should know. And that is more burding on the customer .

[@adailydaughter6196]

Great documentary. Thank you. Now all retail is under threat. We'll miss it when it's all gone 😐

[@robertcomer2767]

Amazing to think they've all gone. Can't say nobody could be bothered about the crap sold by BHS, Littlewoods and C&A.

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

It's funny, many of the arguments Edward McFadyen lists are still relevant today. it is almost as if Retail didn't learn. All of the currently successful retail companies all adhere to that list.

[@LewieEvans]

It's crazy how many shops on here, being described as prosperous, now have all gone bust

[@MrDanielfff777]

Yup, that is how capitalism works

[@Pinerocks]

I can remember all those stores that closed - very sad 😢

[@gabriellaj.o.6180]

I remember that shutting when i was very young. It is nearly dead the Department store now as only John Lewis and Selfridges left. Plus the 2 M and S stores with one rumoured to shut. Bourne and Hollingworth is now Next having previously been The Plaza shopping centre.

[@Bigreid92]

You’re not alone British Cousins, over here in the states we’ve lost many great stores like Sears, Montgomery Wards, Marshall Fields, Rich’s, Burdines and many others. All we have now is Wal-Mart and Macy’s

[@citizen1163]

Globalisation that's crept up since WW2 after which military Containers were then used to transport goods worldwide. No matter which country you're in, most High Streets/ shopping malls look identical. No diversity there! Pity.

[@tracyhoward8228]

broadway, bonwit teller,

[@dbeaver317]

L.S.Ayres, Lazarus, Broadway, Robinsons May, Bullocks, Parisian, Jacobson's, Block's, Carson's, and on... I dislike Macy's and Walmart because of how monopolizing they have been.

[@a.a.p1952]

In Canada is has happen as well. We lost of Canada’s flagship Eaton’s goes back to 1869 base in Toronto it went bankrupt in 1999. The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) founded in 1670 is one of the oldest in Corporate company in the English world based in Toronto. Has bought many Department store chains Saks Fifth Ave, Lord & Taylor but is steadily going down hill. I so sad, but people are changing like it or not. But it’s we that have the controls to make changes in the first place. God Bless Cheers 🇨🇦

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

que je sois

[@markdixey3180]

Fascinating that the Department Store was in decline around forty years ago. I'd say that with online shopping, this report is as relevant today as it was then. Concerning the shopping centres, I've never visited Brent Cross. In the late 80s, there was the Lake Side shopping centre and the Kent equivalent opening in the late 90s. Yet you need a car to get to these places. When I was at school, having a day in London was something exciting - more exciting than visiting a soulless shopping centre

[@michaelsalt4565]

And this was before internet shopping

[@janeporter818]

Exactly

[@citizen1163]

The plan was already in progress.

[@Dead-Ball-Situation]

@@citizen1163 Exactly. Hence the guy who "predicted" a shop with a shop probably didn't predict it as such, more he just knew it was coming down the line.

[@zeddeka]

Amazing how so many people seem shocked to find out that the forces of change that have changed the lives of every generation ever apply to them too. Nothing ever stays the same. Everything is in a process of constant change.

[@karldelavigne8134]

The problem was that Bourne and Hollingsworth was at the grotty end of Oxford Street, which has long been horrible anyway.

[@julianaylor4351]

It's now a shopping centre, as is Whitley's. Department stores are still dying. 😞 The shop I miss the most is not a department store, it's a chain store .... Woolworths. 😢

[@Chris-ln6so]

Not all are. Some, like Selfridges, are excellent and continue to thrive because they sell products people actually want to buy. The ones that don’t (BHS, Debenhams, C&A etc either go bust or have to withdraw from the local market). Incidentally, Whiteleys has now also closed as a shopping mall (it is being redeveloped).

[@mypointofview1111]

@@Chris-ln6so Woolworths was great for bargains but became tatty and not particularly nice to go to. Selfridges has always been upmarket but now only caters for the young, pretentious with lots of money. I don't bother going there anymore.

[@joanne26]

I used to love Woolworth's and spent every Saturday in my local one. I would buy all my Christmas presents there and would come out of the shop with some PICK AND MIX. I'm going back to the early 1970's

[@dvidclapperton]

Woolworth was extremely busy on a Saturday, you could barely move. Extremely busy store = high sales

[@DaraM73]

I stopped buying electronics from John Lewis once they did a commercial deals with manufacturers, dismissed the majority of their sales staff and replaced them with Samsung agents. All trust gone, and they couldn’t even offer warranties without arguments. People prefer the old ways of service and interaction, and to know that items on sale are t junk.

[@zeddeka]

"people prefer the old ways of service and interaction". Obviously not, otherwise so many of those stores wouldn't have taken a nose dive.

[@zeddeka]

@Shlomo Golnenbaum Shekelberg you're trying to say HFC Bank stood for decency??? I used to work for the financial ombudsman and they were notorious for how bad they were.

[@DaraM73]

@@zeddeka as it states in the film, Harrods, Selfridges, F&M etc are destinations because of quality and customer experience, still true today.

[@citizen1163]

@Shlomo Golnenbaum Shekelberg The Financial Ombudsman & run by Banks for Banks!

[@DaraM73]

@m v yeah, largely true, but big ticket items need so much research before you buy now because JL shop floor isn’t staffed the same way.

[@margaretpepper3550]

I don't know about anyone else, but when I want to buy any item such as camera or household appliance, by first action is to go online & check out prices, availability, etc.... & if I find something I want in a store my next reaction go online to to check if the trains are running & also the weather forecast....BECAUSE MY TIME IS VALUABLE...

[@xkyleprivatex815]

lol

[@heinkle1]

They probably couldn’t even comprehend e-commerce and Amazon

[@Greenwillow]

I remember BHS in O’Connell street here in Dublin my mam bought me a two piece half zipped outfit in white as it was the 80’s I thought I was very trendy. Its now Pennys aka Primark. Also C&A was briefly here. I visited Harrods the last time I was in London 7 years ago got a lovely Barbour jacket which I wear to this day. The decline of department stores happened here, one of our most famous on O’Connell street was Cleary’s it closed a few years ago and is left derelict I had heard stories it was haunted.😉

[@mohammednadeemanwar2213]

If not for foreign tourists, Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and Fortnum & Mason would have gone lomg before the more common department store. Even John Lewis is down scale to before the pandemic. But definitely miss old stores of mid 70's to 80's.

[@jasonayres]

I bought my wife a Christmas gift from Harrod's, online of course. I say "of course", because it was during a time when we all had lock down, and I live on a different continent. I am a man of modest means, and the gift was very much at a modest price, for Harrod's. Harrod's is an institution, of sorts, that the tourists (-if you're old enough, you may remember us -) (-don't worry, they'll be back -) would visit, when in London. So, the old institution now being online, it worked out well for both of us (-the retailer, and the shopper -). Who said that you can't teach an old dog, new tricks?! Keep calm and carry on.

[@citizen1163]

Certainly very convenient but shoppers shoot themselves in the foot when using online services & self service check outs bc it means ppl lose jobs. The horse has bolted though & there's no turning back. Shopping in central London isn't pleasurable anymore bc of the tension of constant demonstrations. I won't go on about the violent crime bc that's almost a given in cities worldwide, sadly.

[@jasonayres]

@@citizen1163 Such a shame. The young, I suppose some old people too, are buying clothes and shoes, of all things, online. What if they don't fit properly? "Send them back.. and again, and again." The worst case scenario I know of was my well meaning daughter buying 'vegan' shoes, off a website. I think the shoes, made from 100 % natural ingredients, lasted about a fortnight, because the soles turned into a type of porridge (!) during days of prolonged rain.

[@citizen1163]

@@jasonayres I sympathise with your daughter. It's difficult to judge quality of products & too easy to be conned by labels like 'vegan'. It used to be difficult back in the day to complain despite Trading Standards but trying to get a refund for substandard products online is sometimes impossible! I found Twitter to be useful. Sometimes shaming a company works. I got a £1500 energy bill halved when I tweeted the company. I'd spent AGES emailing the company & when they refused to listen I finally compiled masses of paperwork that Ofgem demanded in order for them to investigate. They couldn't help. I tweeted to the fuel company to find out how to pay outstanding amount & a representative said she'd do a 'Health Check ' on my account. After a few minutes she came back to me & halved the £1500 outstanding bill!! It was time consuming & most ppl don't have that time & just give in. I hope your daughter has better luck in future!

[@jasonayres]

@@citizen1163 Thanks very much. 🤔 I guess the old adage of "The pen is mightier than the sword" has moved to the keyboard (or phone, etc). 🤔👍

[@mypointofview1111]

@@jasonayres Serve them right. You wear shoes on your feet you don't eat them. Vegan shoes, whatever next

[@wombat1238marsupial]

fast forward nearly 40 years and the High Street is dead

[@citizen1163]

It started dying over 20 years ago in UK, the same time as more severe cuts to all essental services. The NHS, that was formed in 1948 was already being dismantled in late 70s!

[@crazyfishmonster459]

Wonder what the chap who lamented having to 'dress down' would think today!

[@simongill4715]

He’s probably dead

[@rachelm7525]

Not much! In retail we took pride in wearing a smart uniform - till it was taken away for something more casual. Smart uniforms generated respect from customers. Not like today!

[@rickcuster8661]

Yes, he had to “dress down” he said, whilst wearing a shirt a tie!🤣

[@zeddeka]

@@rachelm7525 having worked in retail myself for years, it was only the most pompous, narcissistic types who thought like that. The world moved on and we no longer wanted to live in "are you being served".

[@rachelm7525]

@@zeddeka well, I still like standards. 🙂

[@Natalie-Smith-1111]

I miss going out and shopping, the good old days 💔

[@purpleangel5029]

Me too...

[@Tgoo89]

But you can, shops still exist... what's stopping you from going?

[@purpleangel5029]

@@Tgoo89 it's not the same loads of shops are closing and going into liquidation..

[@Natalie-Smith-1111]

@@Tgoo89 all the idiots worried about covid-19 and not letting you try on clothes and stuff like that.

[@citizen1163]

@@Natalie-Smith-1111 Yes! The Plandemic. The Great Reset & Fourth Industrial Revolution. All happening as explained by founder of World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab. All Govts talk about 'Build Back Better' but it won't be better for us, just for the Few.

[@prd1073]

Ironic that so many of those "multiples" are now gone or going.

[@ctcurry1777]

ALL high St shops will be gone in the next 10 years.

[@sjwillis1137]

The coming of the mall . And now Amazon and online shopping of every kind . I think it's really sad . I have department store nostalgia . I even dream about milling around long gone department stores like Hanningtons in Brighton . 😢

[@mikewest1542]

I can see where Dick Emery got his characters from!

[@adailydaughter6196]

Almost ALL the shops shown in this are now gone. Really sad. We do everything faster now but yet seem to have less time...

[@zeddeka]

That's what older people in every generation say, I'm afraid. As we get older, we start to feel that the world is leaving us behind. It happens to everyone.

[@gabriellaj.o.6180]

Bourne and hollingworth shut xmas 1983. I was 14 and remember the closure sale.

[@sumitghosh3237]

I remember starting there in 1978, we used to have tills there that the maximum you could ring up at time was £4.00 so for any sale over 100 pounds you would have to count the number of times you had to press the buttons and then put the money into a tube which then went to the account through pipes all around the store. Also, the escalators were wooden and every day a lady would have her heel stuck in them. Those were the retailing days

[@alzeNL]

For technology / computers tottenham court road was the place to go for a great deal on computers and the latest technology. Completely overshadowed by the Internet and ability to click and buy with next day delivery TTCR would never be the same as it was in the 80/90's.

[@davidbrown6039]

yes remember those shops like Laskey's where you could get the latest in Hi-Fi and all kinds of tapes cables etc. A lost age

[@Humvee369]

Have visited a few European cities in recent years and their shopping offer still seems busy and vibrant.

[@iqraiqra9172]

My mum used to love BHS fish n chips on Oxford Street. Take us hamleys and cobra sports and Hyde park

[@joeymcfloey2467]

I used to work Bournes in the fabric dept. Later, moved to Brentcross M & S.

[@Known-unknowns]

Remember; once these department stores were new. They put other traders out of business. Jeff Bezos has said that one day Amazon will fail.

[@tayachting6345]

Well, everything comes back. I used to live in the states and remember hearing people take about how the malls put the main streets out of business. Then, the malls declined because shops wanted to move back to the main streets and boulevards, which is occurring now in the states, according to my folks. I think the internet has definitely made an impact, but I also think high rates/rents in places such as malls as well as the lack of security and violence/thuggery caused the decline of malls as well.

[@zeddeka]

Absolutely true. Everything is constantly changing and nothing ever lasts forever.

[@ivanahavitoff7308]

Remember Bournes (and Hollingsworth) It never changed, it stuck hence why it closed.

[@pit_stop77]

He missed out on foreseeing the online shopping revolution. How careless of him 🤣🤣

[@simongill4715]

It’s not only that. But the rise of the supermarkets, line sainsbury, who now owns Argos

[@Westhamsterdam]

Tesco changed the retail climate back in the 90´s.

[@nicky29031977]

What would they say now with all the online shopping killing the department stores?

[@BenNZ-j9n]

This is 1982zzzz how many of those department stores still exist

[@AchtungEnglander]

Things change. The department store replaced independents. The internet has replaced the department store. Technology destroys old jobs and create new ones

[@EgoShredder]

Tech creates new jobs for high level programmers etc, while making the rest of the population redundant and irrelevant hence the "Great Reset" or "4th Industrial Revolution", which admittedly has long been wanted by the elites but would have happened anyway, seeing as tech has improved VASTLY in the past ten years. So what to do with the billions of now useless eaters? Hmmm.... some kind of ruse is needed to make the world look the other way, while a new system is put in place that also disposes of the useless eaters at the same time.......hmmm.......pretend there is a killer plague, then offer the solution a.k.a vaccine = mRNA gene modifier = mass gen o cide event.

[@AchtungEnglander]

@@EgoShredder wow you went down the rabbit hole with that one..

[@EgoShredder]

@@AchtungEnglander Yeah its hard to not go down the various rabbit holes; infact even when I have deliberately tried to avoid doing this, I always end up at the usual suspects etc. I'm more interested in the information that is purposely kept hidden from the public, than the official line spoon fed to the lazy. This gets you tarred with the conspiracy tin foil hat brush though. However why should we pay attention to those only willing to follow?

[@Devilfromthecaucusmountains]

@@EgoShredder Resist 💉💉 Poisons at all cost.

[@zeddeka]

@@EgoShredder you're clearly nuts

[@camelia9802]

Accents have changed as well. Not everyone speaks the queens English anymore.

[@Pinerocks]

I miss well spoken presenters

[@LordMazzello]

No, they speak 'The King's English' instead!

[@thomashumber9762]

sad....so sad. PROPERTY PRICES HAS SCREWED IT ALL !! and then JEFF BUMOSS at Amazon....he is OK with his pissing Spaceship...but look at how many jobs have been lost!

[@ianbrighouse3056]

All Internet now...

[@jacquelineb4375]

@ TLG you are bang on when you said this government encourages it. All the government cares about is money & power...PERIOD. The sooner people wake up to the antics of THIS government & other world's leaders the better. Regarding some of the comments on here about not being able to see a white face in say...Oxford Street nowadays is pretty sad. Of course this government encourages it....because they gain from it. Some people leave their own countries to escape conflict & such like...they leave to make a better life. Plenty of British people are doing it too btw. Yes many retailers have shut up shop here & gone elsewhere. Debenhams Mothercare & La Senza are but a few tiny examples that continue to trade in other parts of the world. Shame that so many are losing their jobs.

[@marklola12]

People did not go to Harrods and such for OLD FASHIONED SERVICE lol People went there who had money simply because they usually felt they were better than other people and are too good to be shopping in shopping centres. Fortnum Mason was not special food wise like this report makes out. Basically people who had more money shopped there and got into their heads things were better because they paid more...a bit like how M&S used to be until someone who never really shopped there decided to buy a few things and found they taste just like they do anywhere else sometimes worse yet you paid more.... A friend of mine she is in her 70s now used to work at young's fish factory here where i live...they used to supply nearly everyone with fish and seafood inc M&S the only difference literally between the M&S prawns to the others shops was they had to choose ones that were all more or less the same in size...that is literally it....it was all the same fish and seafood that the other cheaper shops got lol. when M&S used to visit the factory the workers turned the conveyor belts down to go slower before M&S got there...as soon as they were gone they sped it back up and yep..if things fell on the floor it got picked up and put back on the conveyor even for M&S. I have had a few things from M&S and they are very average in taste though they have lowered the prices alot recently to try match Aldi...who have better food tbh and better quality

[@simongill4715]

How can you comment on what people’s motives are

[@DanBmthUK]

Were now seeing the demise of the shopping centre in favor of the retail park. It’s all cyclical.

[@julianaylor4351]

Brent Cross is still open. ❤️

[@DangerBooger]

Is Grace Brothers still around ?

[@iqraiqra9172]

Miss the 80s

[@ajs41]

Not many would describe Brent Cross as particularly pleasant these days.

[@rainyfeathers9148]

Damn... look at that too, it seemed everyone back then used to talk good🤭

[@xelakram]

These days a billionaire will walk around in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, not a pin-striped suit! He'll probably have tattoos and piercings, too. How times have changed!

[@mypointofview1111]

A billionaire doesn't need to make an impression on anyone.

[@xelakram]

@@mypointofview1111 Not any longer, it seems. In times past, the super-rich felt differently about making an impression. They would have generally felt the need to live up to their status. Times really have changed. Standards, I suppose, have declined.

[@mfitzy100]

Old England- decent people decent values

[@bostonblackie9503]

Malls are shutting down now!

[@philipcurnow7990]

'Retail concentration' seems like a place we should all avoid.

[@gabriellaj.o.6180]

She should see the west end today. The department store is dying.

[@Mustardonmyjeans]

This report is from 1982 yet it could be from 1962 judging by the attitudes and decor... Post-war Britain was a slow moving old thing...

[@mypointofview1111]

I was working in the West End when Bourne & Hollingsworth closed which would put that report at 1978

[@shauntaylor6040]

Inventions change society.

[@alantorr4761]

Looked like that woman from Hinge and Bracket the still shot on the notification 🤣

[@richardtheeighth4431]

On social media and the web, the "still shot" is called a "thumbnail." Click on the thumbnail to open the graphics file to reveal a + or - surprise. 🖥 📦

[@AtheistOrphan]

‘Woman’ from Hinge & Bracket? LOL!

[@cigmorfil4101]

@@AtheistOrphan Probably means "Maud".

[@johngill7776]

Are you free Mr Humphries.

[@albear972]

1:20 that young woman was dressed in granny fashion more so than the real granny that was interviewed after her.

[@gerardacronin334]

That was Princess Diana chic in 1982!

[@sillymadeupusername]

Remembering being dragged along behind my mother as a little boy to go shopping in Bull Ring (Birmingham) - frankly I do not miss department stores or the high Street (so vaunted by newspapers) - goodbye and good effing riddance!

[@joanne26]

I remember as a kid in the 70's being taken on the bus into Birmingham City Centre with my late parents and loved going into Lewis's Bull Street. The shop was well known and the Food Department was amazing. Also i remember as a child being taken to Rackham's and going to the Toy Department on the top floor. They had everything you ever dreamed about and so many Train Sets. My dad purchased a Hornby Set for me. I have not been into Brum for over 2 years and i buy most things ONLINE. More choice

[@thetwitterlectual9528]

Plot spoiler: department stores are still here in 2022. They haven’t demised much.

[@thejoin4687]

Wendy's no longer stealing clothes from Marks & Sparks

[@davidbowie2046]

Problem with department stores is that it's all the same stuff, same brands. The likes of Next, Primark and M&S are still going because it's their own brand.

[@joanne26]

This clip takes me back to leaving school in May 1981 and going out into the 'REAL WORLD' I now needed smart clothes in the hope i would be invited for many interviews. i went into Birmingham City Centre to MARKS & SPENCER. You could always GUARANTEE you would get smart COURT SHOES in black in the main, some smart blouses and skirts in black or brown or grey in the main. Also you would get some smart jackets MARKS & SPENCERS was always thought of as a GREAT COMPANY to BUY from and WORK for. MARKS & SPENCER like many High Street Department Stores had FLOOR WALKERS in all the sections. They would be there if you wanted help or they would be making sure nothing was hanging off the rails or if clothes were on the floor they would put them back on the hangers. SADLY, by the early 1990's things had started to decline especially when M&S declined to purchase from UK suppliers and quality and standards slipped. ONLINE is here to stay and is only going to get bigger globally. Its called TECH AND PROGRESS.

[@zeddeka]

Why do you keep putting stuff in upper case? You do realise that it's akin to shouting?

[@joanne26]

@crazyclive No I was never a fan of what you describe. So uncomfortable they were for me when I was a kid and in my teens When I did start full time work in 1981 in an office I could then wear high heeled shoes. They just made you look sophisticated and smart 😁😁😁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@joanne26]

@crazyclive Please don’t swear😖👎 I was 16 when I started full time office work and wore high heels like every girl at that age wore them They were fashionable in the 80’s Now everyone wears sneakers👎👎😖😖

[@simonba9944]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@joanne26]

As the 🌏has moved on what with the way we live and work and ‘play’ the high street has been in decline. An example is Gracechurch Shopping Mall. It was not huge but big enough to have the shops you needed and Beatties as the main shop 40 years ago it was a thriving area But in the last 5 years Laura Ashley Beatties is now House of Frazer and the only footfall they get is for the 2 coffee shops And BHS which closed around 5 years ago and has been empty since is a huge place I feel that it should be repurposed into flats 🇬🇧🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️❤️

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

Jean-Michel Jarre soundtrack.

[@MilesBellas]

1:00 Jeam Michel Jarre

[@Diddy1970AD]

And then came the internet.....................

[@ayoa.o.9966]

If they only knew....

[@permijitdunkley1697]

.......

[@dan11438]

Back when England was English, London was an English city, and people spoke proper English

[@zeddeka]

Jesus Christ. What parallel dimension did you step out of?

[@margaretpepper3550]

You feel you are in a foreign country when in central London....& we witnessed this unfolding disaster whilst our govts did nothing to stop it..

[@gymbuddy32]

@@margaretpepper3550 Oh wake up you silly girl. The government did nothing to stop it. They encouraged it.

[@johnclark7065]

Still English in London many just moved to Essex and Kent ,most English people still work in central London and travel in everyday .

[@dan11438]

@@margaretpepper3550 Correct - in fact there was a Labour minister in Tony Blair's government, Barbara Roche, who explicitly stated her only intention was to increase immigration into Britain. Horrid woman.

[@robharding5345]

No, you have got it wrong, its the demise of the whole bloody Country.

[@S7EVE_P]

The price of "progress". Just give it another 10 years and our skies will be filled with drones doing deliveries. #progress

[@bostonblackie9503]

Frankly that was PR who wants to see their beautiful sky covered with drones!