Xmas shopping: Where to buy?

Nothing wrong is going elsewhere to get what you need and not pay through the nose as per your examples.  The Rock at Bury isnt that bad when compared to Trafford Centre. Which I will not go near at this time of year!  I may lose a limb or something.

TBH Hinch at least we can debate this type of issue on here without anyone jumping in with the new buzz word 'negative' or even disloyal and trying to stiffle the debate.   Not good.

Agreed Hinch.

In this day and age you have to budget and watch the pennies.  But, according the masses out there, if you cant find it in Rochdale you go without, as you are disloyal to go elsewhere

Yes, the internet and massively powerful supermarkets have put paid to the traditional high street. It's hard to pay more for something than you need to, just for the greater good, whatever that might be. Now if councils were to try to make it easier and cheaper to run a shop on the high street then that might change things. Whatever anyone thinks about the Feel Good Cafe episode, the fact that the rates were £30k a year is unbelievable. Surely £5k or less is more realistic, and then perhaps shops could afford to move in with decent goods as cheap as the supermarkets.

As for the internet, when you can have an idea about buying something, source and order it in two minutes from the comfort of your home, there isn't a right lot can compete with that, is there?

I bought a clothes drier a couple of months ago, went into a store in town and was told delivery would take a week with a £10 delivery charge (I only live a mile and a half away)! Went online when I came back, ordered the same drier, free delivery, they took my old one away and....they delivered the next day. Yes I had to pay for next day delivery, but is still worked out cheaper than buying it from the store in town.

I don't buy too much online at all, I prefer to see what I am buying but, in this case there was no contest!

Dalelad wrote:Yes, the internet and massively powerful supermarkets have put paid to the traditional high street. It's hard to pay more for something than you need to, just for the greater good, whatever that might be. Now if councils were to try to make it easier and cheaper to run a shop on the high street then that might change things. Whatever anyone thinks about the Feel Good Cafe episode, the fact that the rates were £30k a year is unbelievable. Surely £5k or less is more realistic, and then perhaps shops could afford to move in with decent goods as cheap as the supermarkets.

As for the internet, when you can have an idea about buying something, source and order it in two minutes from the comfort of your home, there isn't a right lot can compete with that, is there?

Some great points there. 30k a year rates will put anyone off opening a business straight away.

According to Councillor Farooq Ahmed, the Council does have such discretionary powers with regards to business rates. If  R.M.B.C.  really do have extensive discretionary 'wriggle room' in the matter of business rates, widely blamed as the last straw for many shops and businesses, it would be interesting to know more about the nature and extent of these discretionary powers, and how they might be more usefully applied.


http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/83434/feel-good-cafe-expansion-greeted-with-anger

And how might you suggest they do that? Let's see - . Hmm- What's our favourite shop? We will give them a 40% rebate. Opps - well I suppose we shall have to include every shop in the town as well otherwise - - ?
That's how many 100's of thousands of pounds less revenue?
You make it sound as if it's easy. Attract more business by lopping off the rates? I'm sure you would be the first to scream 'cuts, cuts and more cuts because the town no longer has sufficient funding to operate properly. It's already a cut to the bone situation. So that's a none-starter isn't it?
There are no magic panaceas for what's ailing the town.

The malaise of decades has worn out whatever spirit there was. Only new people with new ideas and the will to succeed for the town can even begin to bring it back to what it once was and I'm not sure that 'will' exists anymore. Sad to say.  

How business rates could be adjusted will depend on the discretionary powers available and mechanisms by which they are collected.

A percentage cut fixed for three years, across the board seems fairest. There will be a mathematics as to what percentage may balance business survival with maximum revenue.

A suitably competent person with access to relevant data and information should be able to approximate that within a reasonable time. If it shows adjustment to business rates is barking up the wrong tree, at least it has been looked at.

Makes more sense. A calculation of the 'town's' previous years GDP might be a sound basis to work from which spread across the board may wheedle out the incompetent traders from the rest. Competition has to be a level playing field when the 'powers that be' are involved and market forces have to operate within its own parameters for business to work efficiently. I see nothing wrong in each 'area' making adjustments for the 'workings' of that area in order that the UK market functions within the capabilities of the populace - as do London and 'working practice and pay level' adjustments for that area. It cannot be said that the rest of the country has the same 'needs' as is apparent to be seen even to a blind man.   But I'm not so sure the intelligent great and good have moved thus far into such logical thinking.

I noted your comments over on FB Hinch about the Promote Rochdale document. I wasnt surprised when the usual suspects rolled out the word negative out to supress discussion and debate.

Mind boggles

Hinch wrote:In a way Chill, I think it's Rochdale's biggest problem. If you write anything about the place without mentioning our wonderful Town Hall,  stunning moorland views, Hollingworth Lake and our fantastic, friendly inhabitants, you are seen as being negative.

When will this town learn to look at itself in the mirror now and then?

Indeed.  Or even mention crime rates (despite recently released figures showing sexual crime has increased) as our streets are safe.  Another page on FB has banned talk about TBA as , I quote which I believe was one of the Mods, 'I wont have anything negative a bout Rochdale said. That to me is wrong, TBA is a massive problem you cant ignore history

Still did you know we have a loverly Town Hall?

Still did you know we have a loverly Town Hall?

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Yes but the Civic Carol Service won't be held there this year the Mayor want's it in Heywood so much for traditions! we are supposed to be one Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale ?

We like to think we are one Borough.

Personally, maybe we should rotate where the service is held.  Rotate through all of our Town Ships.