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British High Street Death List 2020

Started by Blue Jam, January 10, 2020, 01:36:38 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Ham Bap

GAME closing down 40 shops this year.
I'm surprised they've lasted this long.

Their prices are mental and the local store here is tired and run-down. Always empty.
Last I went in 6 months ago just to look at the prices they charge.

If they can make it to the end of the year they may survive a bit longer with new game consoles coming out.
But those will probably kill it off long term with game passes and digital downloads becoming the norm.

The only thing that has stopped me going total digital this generation is the size of the hard-drive on the PS4 original model.

I'm not even sure what can be done to save Game.
Even when I want a physical copy I just order next day delivery from Amazon/Game Collection for £15 cheaper.
If I'm in town I buy from Argos one floor down for £10 cheaper.

It's fucked.

the

Quote from: Ham Bap on January 11, 2020, 01:57:53 AMI'm not even sure what can be done to save Game.

That's why we Game
Oh yeah we Game
We got to Game
Just to make it today

popcorn

The fake bizarro Japanese Superdry thing is fucking bananas and makes me cringe every time I see it. The MAX CRINGE is the occasional whitey you see wearing them in Tokyo.

This blog translates people's Chinese tattoos. It's a good laugh.

There was also a fascinating breakthrough when someone sent in a chart that was being used by tattoo artists. It made sense of the dozens of completely indecipherable tattoos the blogger had been seeing for years.



The arrogance of this chart is maddening. The premise being that if you want to get a tattoo that says "LOVE" you need only get the kanji that means L, the kanji that means O, etc and bob's your uncle, as if that would be how other writing systems definitely work.

Dewt

The absolute bland-mindedness of getting a Japanese/Chinese tattoo

on the basis

that it's

m e a n i n g f u l

and yet

you are attaching to your body

something that has the least meaning to you out of anything in the world

because you cannot read it, or even verify it

bgmnts

Why does it need to be in Kanji anyway? Why not hiragana or katakana?

the

Quote from: Dewt on January 11, 2020, 03:58:28 AMThe absolute bland-mindedness of getting a Japanese/Chinese tattoo

on the basis

that it's

m e a n i n g f u l

and yet

you are attaching to your body

something that has the least meaning to you out of anything in the world

because you cannot read it, or even verify it

Well it's sort of cryptography combined with some voguish Eastern mysticism isn't it. (That's just an understanding of it, not an endorsement of it - it is shit).

the

Quote from: bgmnts on January 11, 2020, 04:27:41 AMWhy does it need to be in Kanji anyway? Why not hiragana or katakana?

Yeah, or a fourth thing that makes you sound clever.


;)

Dewt


bgmnts

Quote from: the on January 11, 2020, 04:30:30 AM
Yeah, or a fourth thing that makes you look clever.


;)

None of it makes you look clever to be fair but at least hiragana is easier to understand.

Dewt


thenoise

They could get one in ziblonja like I did when I went travelling (the second time).

Flatulent Fox

#101
Rumbelows
J Sainsbury
Spud-u-like
Woolworths

They've all packed up shop and moved to America to get away from this wretched cold.

Oddbins or the Tie 'wrack' perhaps?



Fkn look at this add for oddbins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11dM0UNHxb8
I like this - an everyday alcoholic runs into the store to  buy some presents for himself ....
Wasn't he one of the bad guys in Home Alone 2?



Blue Jam


Blue Jam

Quote from: Ham Bap on January 11, 2020, 01:57:53 AM
GAME closing down 40 shops this year.
I'm surprised they've lasted this long.

Their prices are mental and the local store here is tired and run-down. Always empty.
Last I went in 6 months ago just to look at the prices they charge.

If they can make it to the end of the year they may survive a bit longer with new game consoles coming out.
But those will probably kill it off long term with game passes and digital downloads becoming the norm.

The only thing that has stopped me going total digital this generation is the size of the hard-drive on the PS4 original model.

I'm not even sure what can be done to save Game.
Even when I want a physical copy I just order next day delivery from Amazon/Game Collection for £15 cheaper.
If I'm in town I buy from Argos one floor down for £10 cheaper.

It's fucked.

Might pop out and spend that voucher today then. I guess I could buy some more Funko Pops.

Shoulders?-Stomach!


Blue Jam

Quote from: popcorn on January 11, 2020, 03:54:47 AM
There was also a fascinating breakthrough when someone sent in a chart that was being used by tattoo artists. It made sense of the dozens of completely indecipherable tattoos the blogger had been seeing for years.



The arrogance of this chart is maddening. The premise being that if you want to get a tattoo that says "LOVE" you need only get the kanji that means L, the kanji that means O, etc and bob's your uncle, as if that would be how other writing systems definitely work.

That is indeed arrogant, fascinating and hilarious. Of course there's also the irony that tattoos aren't mainstream in Japan and are still associated with criminality. If you got a gibberish tattoo in kanji and then went to Japan you wouldn't find the locals admiring it and thinking you were really cultured and worthy and deep, you'd probably just find yourself unwelcome at every swimming pool and hot spring you tried to enter.

I thought it might be funny to get a tattoo reading フライド ポテト* as a phrase every gaijin recognises on menus.

*furaido poteto, AKA chips

Blue Jam

Quote from: Ham Bap on January 11, 2020, 01:57:53 AM
GAME closing down 40 shops this year.
I'm surprised they've lasted this long.

Their prices are mental and the local store here is tired and run-down. Always empty.
Last I went in 6 months ago just to look at the prices they charge.

If they can make it to the end of the year they may survive a bit longer with new game consoles coming out.
But those will probably kill it off long term with game passes and digital downloads becoming the norm.

The only thing that has stopped me going total digital this generation is the size of the hard-drive on the PS4 original model.

I'm not even sure what can be done to save Game.
Even when I want a physical copy I just order next day delivery from Amazon/Game Collection for £15 cheaper.
If I'm in town I buy from Argos one floor down for £10 cheaper.

It's fucked.

Just used my £50 Game gift card to buy £50 of Xbox Live credit. I suspect a lot of their customers will be doing this. Did it online, didn't want to do it instore as I didn't want to look mental and I would have felt bad for the staff who presumably know what's coming. Glad I started this thread now- cheers for the warning, Ham Bap!

chveik


Blue Jam

How the hell are Argos still going? My first ever job was a Saturday job at Index ("The Catalogue Shop!") and I'm showing my age there because Index didn't survive. They're like Amazon with fewer products and higher prices.

Incidentally, the last time I bought anything from Argos was also the last time I bought a physical copy of a game, because of some weird pricing quirk that meant it was cheaper than the download, and Argos had the lowest price according to Google. Generally I would rather not clutter up my house with plastic boxes and contribute to the destruction of the planet so I prefer to download games, music, books etc.

Hmmmm, Books etc is another chain that closed down innit...

Ham Bap

Quote from: Blue Jam on January 11, 2020, 02:08:39 PM
Just used my £50 Game gift card to buy £50 of Xbox Live credit. I suspect a lot of their customers will be doing this. Did it online, didn't want to do it instore as I didn't want to look mental and I would have felt bad for the staff who presumably know what's coming. Glad I started this thread now- cheers for the warning, Ham Bap!

No problem.
I wouldn't be surprised to see them vanish overnight, some day.
It's probably only trade-ins that keep them going but how can you rely on that for your high street business.
Especially when physical sales are way down and digital sales up.


the

Quote from: Blue Jam on January 11, 2020, 04:54:49 PMHow the hell are Argos still going? (...) They're like Amazon with fewer products and higher prices.

They're like (a higher priced) Amazon for when you need something right now rather than in a week.

Very handy for Click & Collect too if you've bought something off eBay, saves the nightmare of parcel delivery to your home. Whether they get much commission off that I don't know.

Blue Jam

Trade-ins and pre-orders perhaps, but how many people still pre-orders physical copies of games when you can get little bonuses by pre-ordering the downloads from the Xbox store etc?

I guess some people still like getting limited edition packaging, Game Exclusives like metal boxes and booklets of artwork etc, but I imagine more people would rather have an extra bit of DLC, like a new map or some exclusive cosmetic items. Modern games aren't like records, they're nowhere near as collectible. Also Fopp do a bit of that with exclusive editions of DVDs etc and they might also be in trouble.

Game seriously need to adapt or die here, look into doing their own PC game launcher or something.

Blue Jam

Quote from: the on January 11, 2020, 04:58:41 PM
They're like (a higher priced) Amazon for when you need something right now rather than in a week.

Ah yes, fair enough. I guess I'm the wrong person to comment here because I can't drive. Last year we got a new TV in the January sales and I got a TV stand from Argos because the ones on Amazon were more expensive and uglier and Ikea had a delivery charge (we're in Scotland) which would have wiped out any savings. I was happy with my purchase but it was a bit of a bugger to get it home. Argos is probably very handy if you have a car and don't need to worry about delivery though.

the

Quote from: Blue Jam on January 11, 2020, 05:11:24 PMArgos is probably very handy if you have a car and don't need to worry about delivery though.

Not really a factor when you need something like a USB stick or a shaver. That's the sort of thing it comes in handy for.

Ham Bap

Argos do next day delivery on a lot of stuff now too. Quite handy and something they should push more including same day delivery on items. Only way to go up against Amazon.

I don't drive either so it is quite handy.
Bought an iPad for Christmas and had it the day after ordering.
We don't have an Apple Store so only other place i could have got it was Curry's delivery 4-5 days later.


Sebastian Cobb

It wouldn't feel right buying a F91-W from anywhere but Argos.

Blumf

Think Argos, if they're smart (big if), can survive through a mix of convenience and being a kind of retail post office. Hell, they could probably host real Post Office branches too.

Sony Walkman Prophecies

Quote from: Flatulent Fox on January 11, 2020, 05:27:29 AM
Fkn look at this add for oddbins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11dM0UNHxb8
I like this - an everyday alcoholic runs into the store to  buy some presents for himself ....
Wasn't he one of the bad guys in Home Alone 2?

Interns? Apprentice contestants? Special needs children? Someone randomly tearing pages from a David Walliams book and pasting them in to a colouring book retitled "Brand Strategy". So hard to tell these days. So hard to tell.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Blumf on January 11, 2020, 05:42:03 PM
Think Argos, if they're smart (big if), can survive through a mix of convenience and being a kind of retail post office. Hell, they could probably host real Post Office branches too.

Yeah, I think they do click and collect for other people.

Given the bulky white goods/domestic items they sell, they can wind up being more convenient than amazon, for certain things as you can just nip out and get a new vacuum or drying rack rather than have to organise delivery for the weekend and stay in or whatever. Unlike a lot of high street names they're also often in retail parks so you can drive and park at them for nothing as well, so they probably do quite well with the surburban middle classes who drive everywhere anyway.

chveik

Quote from: Ham Bap on January 11, 2020, 05:32:42 PM
Argos do next day delivery on a lot of stuff now too. Quite handy and something they should push more including same day delivery on items. Only way to go up against Amazon.

their workers will be very pleased