called my local blacks to ask they closing, and got told to F*ck off and stop being a vulture!! and to think of the people loosing their jobs....
woops!
woops!
Blacks to close 89 stores
- Thread starter Shewie
- Start date
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Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Two Milletts and one Blacks near me are all closing. Just had an Army and Navy store that had been around for fifty plus years close too.
indeed, having two or three stores selling the same stuff all within a mile of each other doesn't seem like a great business model to me.
seems they have an EBAY outlet store, ebays deal of the day is north face sleeping bag half price and free delivery... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/North-Face-Do...emZ270464824473QQcategoryZ36116QQcmdZViewItem
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Blacks-Outlet__W0QQ_armrsZ1
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Blacks-Outlet__W0QQ_armrsZ1
Sad they are closing but then I'm not surprised.
Many of you have mentioned the reasons that I don't shop there. They are too expensive, they feel like an outdoor fashion store with staff who are not outdoors people themselves, they are often competing against each other with a Blacks and a Millets in the same high street.
I think that it may be true to some extent that shops like Argos, Tesco and Asda, and now Halfords as well, are taking some of their business. Before Millets was about the only high street chain that sold camping gear. Casual campers who just want a cheap tent they don't have to bother bringing home after a festival or couple of nights out somewhere can just pick one up at a retail park or supermarket now.
The local outdoor store where I live recently closed down, even their bargain prices were too high for me. All I bought from their closing down sale was some Nikwax Down Wash (and that was full price
). Someone opened a cheap and cheerful outdoor shop just a few hundred yards away, although he is aiming at a different market (bargain hunters) he probably took away some of their customers.
Even though it was a privately owned store it still had young snooty female assistants so you couldn't go there to get expert advice on which kit was best. It reminded me of Blacks a lot.
I guess I'd better check out my local(ish) Blacks and see if there are bargains to be had. I somehow doubt it.
Many of you have mentioned the reasons that I don't shop there. They are too expensive, they feel like an outdoor fashion store with staff who are not outdoors people themselves, they are often competing against each other with a Blacks and a Millets in the same high street.
I think that it may be true to some extent that shops like Argos, Tesco and Asda, and now Halfords as well, are taking some of their business. Before Millets was about the only high street chain that sold camping gear. Casual campers who just want a cheap tent they don't have to bother bringing home after a festival or couple of nights out somewhere can just pick one up at a retail park or supermarket now.
The local outdoor store where I live recently closed down, even their bargain prices were too high for me. All I bought from their closing down sale was some Nikwax Down Wash (and that was full price
). Someone opened a cheap and cheerful outdoor shop just a few hundred yards away, although he is aiming at a different market (bargain hunters) he probably took away some of their customers.Even though it was a privately owned store it still had young snooty female assistants so you couldn't go there to get expert advice on which kit was best. It reminded me of Blacks a lot.
I guess I'd better check out my local(ish) Blacks and see if there are bargains to be had. I somehow doubt it.
Blacks have been having problems for a while, their Ex CEO was a bit of a pariah to say the least and there was all sorts of trouble with miss-management. Despite being on the go from about 1861 and owning brands like O'Neil, Mambo and Freespirit they've been sliding for a long time due to lack of direction and being massively stretched.
Best way I can think of putting it is that they were like Woolworth's. Had expensive prime retail locations and didn't have a coherent idea of what to fill their branches with.
( They also pee'd off a lot of their suppliers by trying to throw their weight around as they were quite big).
I'm sorry to see any company go under and worry about the jobs of those that they employ. But they were trying to pose as outdoor specialists one minute ( and then never training their staff - so you couldn't get an answer to a question ), the next minute they were trying to be stack 'em high and watch them fly retailers and getting pounded by folks like Tesco, Argos and Lidel.
You either have to have low, low prices, or to compete with specialists have high caliber staff that will be able to provide you with information and answers for those purchases you want to make.
I've no doubt that internet purchases made a dent in their figures, they have for everyone. But good staff, training and high street stock holding do cost money. What we have to remember is that it's all very well getting the info from a specialist shop, but then it might be an idea to buy from them at a little extra rather than then using that info to buy off of the net. Yes you'll save a couple of quid, but next time something goes wrong or you have a problem that friendly shop down the road may not be there. ( I do shop online too - but I try to balance it out).
Sorry rambling on there, just think it's sad that a lot of folk are going to loose their jobs.
Cheers
Goatboy.
Best way I can think of putting it is that they were like Woolworth's. Had expensive prime retail locations and didn't have a coherent idea of what to fill their branches with.
( They also pee'd off a lot of their suppliers by trying to throw their weight around as they were quite big).
I'm sorry to see any company go under and worry about the jobs of those that they employ. But they were trying to pose as outdoor specialists one minute ( and then never training their staff - so you couldn't get an answer to a question ), the next minute they were trying to be stack 'em high and watch them fly retailers and getting pounded by folks like Tesco, Argos and Lidel.
You either have to have low, low prices, or to compete with specialists have high caliber staff that will be able to provide you with information and answers for those purchases you want to make.
I've no doubt that internet purchases made a dent in their figures, they have for everyone. But good staff, training and high street stock holding do cost money. What we have to remember is that it's all very well getting the info from a specialist shop, but then it might be an idea to buy from them at a little extra rather than then using that info to buy off of the net. Yes you'll save a couple of quid, but next time something goes wrong or you have a problem that friendly shop down the road may not be there. ( I do shop online too - but I try to balance it out).
Sorry rambling on there, just think it's sad that a lot of folk are going to loose their jobs.
Cheers
Goatboy.
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