Comments on The WORCESTER PARK Blog: Taking A Pounding?

A nice gift shop would be really useful and a dece...

2012-01-27T16:30:46.828Z

A nice gift shop would be really useful and a decent café (not necessarily a chain) Costa Coffee is always so full that every time I go in, there's nowhere to sit, it's rammed! I wouldn't say the Poundland building would be the place to have these but i agree with annonymous above, that the high street could really do with an uplift, Cheam village and Banstead are getting better and we're getting worse.

Shower spray is 87p in wilkinsons and a pound in t...

2012-01-27T06:50:19.503Z

Shower spray is 87p in wilkinsons and a pound in the pound shop. So not every object is cheapest there. I agree about the batteries, I wouldn't rate them either! I do tend to buy stationery and sweets there though.

we really could do with the M&S coming back to...

2012-01-27T00:58:24.773Z

we really could do with the M&S coming back to Worcester Park , the whole street needs to be uplifted , look at Banstead village , lovely little gift shops, ladies and mens clothing shop and shoe shops, a Waitrose and M&S. Please endeavour to get some decent shops opened in this area.

Anonymous I do not think you read my post properly...

2012-01-22T19:51:51.153Z

Anonymous I do not think you read my post properly .. :)

Hannah, simply ask an economics student

2012-01-21T18:52:49.853Z

Hannah, simply ask an economics student

You know those trigger-top bottles of anti-frost s...

2012-01-20T21:34:58.278Z

You know those trigger-top bottles of anti-frost spray for car windscreens? £2-49 in Tesco, £1 in Poundland.
Need an H7 dipped beam headlight bulb? £6-50 in Halfords, £1 in Poundland (with side and break bulbs included). The list is endless.

Hello, I am a journalism student at Kingston Unive...

2012-01-20T18:20:21.487Z

Hello, I am a journalism student at Kingston University and would be interested as to how you found out the information about how the store has been told to prove that it can pay its way. Many thanks, Hannah.
Twitter: @crompie201

I have heard today from another shop owner that S...

2012-01-20T14:46:24.313Z

I have heard today from another shop owner that Sue Ryder have their eye on the Poundland shop to sell second hand furniture, don't know how far true this is, we'll have to wait and see.

I have noticed that it isn't as good as other ...

2012-01-20T09:55:49.664Z

I have noticed that it isn't as good as other Poundlands, or as well-stocked for some reason. As for parking, it might help if they just close that car park ad extend the shop forwards. I've noticed that anyone walking into the store runs the risk of being reversed into by a 4WD or 'people'-carrier.

well , let me put it this way, i would rather had ...

2012-01-20T00:39:23.516Z

well , let me put it this way, i would rather had a poundland than another empty shop. our highstreet turns into gost town....it is not up to us to decide whether it stays or goes it is a big business, we can only shop there to turn the corner.

National Trust branded bird seed, HDMI and optical...

2012-01-19T21:34:52.705Z

National Trust branded bird seed, HDMI and optical cables that work perfectly well, certain DVD's and books that are currently being sold elsewhere for a good deal more and stationery items that my kids stock up on for school. I'm not as previous contributors may term 'lower income', I just like a bargain and refuse to pay more for something that I can buy for a quid. (Personally I wouldn't rate their batteries though).

Its also worth noting that a number of the product...

2012-01-19T12:07:45.511Z

Its also worth noting that a number of the products that poundland sell are end of line products, and those specially produced for poundland in terms of size. Its worth looking at their food and drinks bit. A number of their products aren't available anywhere else because of the forementioned reasons.

The business model is actually around bulk buying ...

2012-01-18T19:19:53.165Z

The business model is actually around bulk buying and gaining volume profit. They keep overheads low, because their stores are a basic fit and they have strong buying power as they are actually a huge chain. They choose low rents, and keep their staff costs minimal.

It probably isn't doing a good trade due to location - it's the kind of place you 'pop in to' rather than being a destination shop. But it's also worth noting Poundland will have aggressive targets per store, that's how they've expanded so rapidly, and so relatively speaking they are probably not doing well. They haven't invested heavily in renting the location or a store fit, so they can walk away.

Sometimes I'm not sure how many of the shops in Worcester Park survive, other than the fact they're convenient, local people are supportive and have an alarming rate of hair growth.

The business model for Poundland and similar busin...

2012-01-18T14:24:41.121Z

The business model for Poundland and similar businesses (eg 99p Shop) is simple - offer loads of great bargains (ie discount to other shops) and advertise these heavily to tempt customers in, then surround them with other items which actually sell at huge mark-ups (ie, would cost less than a pound elsewhere) to make up the discount and produce a profit. They count on impulse buys and the fact that customers won't really bother as "it's only a pound".

Perhaps WP is really full of discerning customers after all and the customers are only choosing to buy the bargain items.

I don't think that poundland actually is for p...

2012-01-17T21:59:58.761Z

I don't think that poundland actually is for people on lower incomes - most items are actually packaged specially to sell at £1 - ie sugar, soap bars, after eights, biscuits etc - they adjust the quantity to make it £1, so it's no more cheaper than other retailers. Other stuff is cheap tat, hardly worth a £1 - basically it's future landfill. I'm often tempted by this stuff and always spend a couple of pounds on impulse tat buys. I too vote for Aldi.

I must confess that i was stunned when M and S wen...

2012-01-17T11:52:29.582Z

I must confess that i was stunned when M and S went and we got the other extreme ie poundland. Nothing against poundland, indeed it is an excellent way of helping those on lower income to buy the basics. However even during the current recession there is still plenty of wealth in Worcester Park and I just dont think that people in our area are suffering so much financially that they can only afford one pound for things! Hope this does not sound snobby its not supposed to, its more a comment on poundlands lack of research regarding the local WP economy

It is a pity but there are shops in the town that ...

2012-01-16T17:30:56.709Z

It is a pity but there are shops in the town that already sell similiar products and possibly aren't more expensive.

The only way forward for the high roads in small towns is housing - Poundland be turned into flats (perhaps there are some already above it) with parking.

People will always buy close to good transport links to London.

I have contacted TfL, Sutton and councillors about the following. Perhaps others could as it is of benefit to traders.

The S3 is useful for shoppers, or was. The new drivers don't appear to be united on where they stop on Green Lane/if they should stop on Green Lane. Some sort of permanent bus stop is needed for the S3 close to the shops. It no longer stops/starts at the station.

By permanent bus stop, I mean a sign stating "request stop here".

Very strange, it's extremely popular and every...

2012-01-16T17:23:34.498Z

Very strange, it's extremely popular and every time I've been in there it's been busy.

It will be a real shame if it goes.

Heard it was on a one year lease which is up in Ap...

2012-01-16T16:45:46.907Z

Heard it was on a one year lease which is up in April and that it was one of a number of temporary Poundland stores that will only survive if the figures stack up

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16469761 All t...

2012-01-16T09:43:34.808Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16469761

All they need to do is change the name then(and the prices).

Its a shame. We find Poundland to be a very usefu...

2012-01-16T08:40:09.476Z

Its a shame. We find Poundland to be a very useful store. There's nothing wrong with having a store which is affordable to lower income families.

I would have thought it would be easy to forecast ...

2012-01-15T21:01:10.072Z

I would have thought it would be easy to forecast sales figures when everything's a pound. Useful for batteries but other than that it's just cheap tat that we could all probably do with less of. Considering it's a fairly big premises it seems to have much less stock than the other shops in Worcester Park. Parking can't be an issue - it doesn't seem to bother neighbouring Costa, which is always packed. Anyway, I would really recommend walking or cycling in Worcester Park - much less stressful, free, quicker and it keeps you thin!

Yeah, it's the car parking! Who would be mad ...

2012-01-14T21:11:07.532Z

Yeah, it's the car parking!

Who would be mad enough to waste 10 pence worth of shoe leather and spend a quid on something locally, when it's far easier to drive to Tesco and spend a fiver on it?

I agree about the parking - not enough space for t...

2012-01-14T20:55:21.056Z

I agree about the parking - not enough space for the Chavs to park their 4x4 pick-ups.

They should build over the car-park and put an Aldi there.

I wonder if the rent on that particular site has s...

2012-01-14T19:41:50.732Z

I wonder if the rent on that particular site has something to do with it?