roz Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 Lots of cheap shoes at the moment in Barratts' Warehouse Closing Down Sale. Not sure what that means, if they are closing a warehouse or something to save costs or it it is just an attention-grabbing way of saying they have a sale, but if you have a chance go there and check it out. I can't as I'm banned from buying shoes in December, lol
LukeVibertUK Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 Saw this some weeks ago with everyone panicking as they saw "Closing Down" and made a beeline to the store, GF included. At the time, looking at the savings they were only a couple of quid and I think it is a way of them passing on the recent drop of VAT tarted up as a Sale. Using a bit of judicious scaremongering to draw the crowds in I think...dangerous ploy.
Bubba136 Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 Or, ingenious advertising. Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.
astrid Posted December 23, 2008 Posted December 23, 2008 Lots of cheap shoes at the moment in Barratts' Warehouse Closing Down Sale. I can't as I'm banned from buying shoes in December Are things that bad roz? Does that include the post xmas sales? Its the same over here with Barratts. I was in Dublin city centre on sat and all the Barratts have the signs up. I also wonder what is going on? Are they actually going out of business? I hope not cos they are one of the few places that always do a UK8 here. Inside the shops is mayhem. Its practically impossible to locate any decent shoes or boots.
roz Posted December 23, 2008 Author Posted December 23, 2008 Most of the shoes have £10 or so off, so there are quite a lot of bargains in there. I don't know what they mean when they say it's a warehouse closing sale - I think it is just their way of clearing old stock for the new season and having a pre-Christmas sale - just the thing is many shops have 30-50% off posters in the windows they need some way to stand out. It's quite a risky move IMHO, although maybe it gets sympathy buyers in and get people like us talking. I can't imagine they're doing badly, they have cheep and cheerful shoes, so I would imagine more people are buying them instead of more expensive shoes. Hope so anyway, they're one of my favourite budget brands. Plus it would be a shame to see yet another high street store go:mecry: I'm not buying shoes for myself in the approach to Christmas as it is an unwritten rule between myself and my sister. I have done a list of shoes for her to buy, she for me, and we're also saving for a big blow-out in January (that's assuming there are still shoes left on sale!)
Puffer Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 On 26 Jan, the companies running the Barratts and Priceless Shoes retail operations were placed into administration, together with other subsidiaries of Stylo, the parent company. However, the family behind Stylo has said that it intends to restructure and refinance the companies so that they can continue trading. I suspect that, regardless of the compnies' destiny, we shall see a continuing run of discounted sales to thin-out stocks and raise cash and it may be a good opportunity to buy. In any event, I understand that the Priceless Shoes chain regularly sells Barratts shoes (discontinued lines etc) at very low prices and it may well be worth a look. The website shows all sorts of goodies (inc large sizes) - but beware, many items are shown as out of stock if a purchase is attempted. More worryingly, I have heard rumours that Faith is in trouble. Now that would be a disaster if it closed down
roz Posted February 2, 2009 Author Posted February 2, 2009 I didn't know Priceless Shoes did Barratts' discontinued lines I have to admit. I started a thread a few weeks ago on Barratts going into administration. I'm really sad. I think recently they tried to move with the times with their party heels etc, but it was probably too little too late with added competition even from places like New Look. I didn't know Faith was in trouble too, I've not got much from there recently I have to admit but I've always liked their shoes.
Puffer Posted February 2, 2009 Posted February 2, 2009 I started a thread a few weeks ago on Barratts going into administration. Thanks, Roz; I hadn't spotted the other thread when I posted above. I have now added a comment there as well. I didn't intend to suggest that I knew Faith to be in (serious) trouble; only that there are rumours that its retail business may be threatened - as of course many businesses are in the present climate. The same is being said of others, e.g. Next, Debenhams, Topshop ... Enough said!
roz Posted February 2, 2009 Author Posted February 2, 2009 Thanks, Roz; I hadn't spotted the other thread when I posted above. I have now added a comment there as well. I didn't intend to suggest that I knew Faith to be in (serious) trouble; only that there are rumours that its retail business may be threatened - as of course many businesses are in the present climate. The same is being said of others, e.g. Next, Debenhams, Topshop ... Enough said! Next, as far as I'm aware, are safe as houses. I'm pretty sure of that. Debenhams are £1bn in debt and have been for a while, and Top Shop would likely get dragged down with any problems they have too. It's grim out there on the high street.
Dawn HH Posted February 5, 2009 Posted February 5, 2009 Its not only grim on the High Street there, but here in the U.S. we are having problems also. A lot of closings and businesses going out all around and not only here, but around the World. Things are bad everywhere and a lot of people are losing their jobs and homes. Cheers--- Dawn HH High Heeled Boots Forever!
benno Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 I don't think it's a particularly bad thing that some of the least interesting shops on the High Streets of England are closing down. Woolies was always a last resort. I haven't bought anything in there that was cheaper or different than anywhere else. Barratts has always sold cheap and pretty tacky shoes. Since the likes of Office opened up selling far superior fashion focussed shoes at similar prices they were always gonna suffer. Faith used to be major player on the high streets. I found that in the last 5 years the quality of design has fallen and the shoes are copies of other high street shops whereas they used to be copied directly from the catwalks. It's possible that as brands that delivered high quality goods realised that its possible to hike up the prices, by making things seem more covetable, that cheaper brands raise their prices and suddenly they are too expensive. High Street shoes used to be a max of £50 but now nothing decent is less than £60-80. I tend to wait for the Kurt Geiger sales and swoop in and buy a few pairs or buy something nice off Ebay. Whittards... An over priced retailer of tea and coffee that is not as good quality as the stuff in Waitrose. They also sell twee china that my Nan wouldn't even want. I do feel sorry for the people that lost their jobs, but don't mourn the loss of the shops.
Puffer Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 I don't think it's a particularly bad thing that some of the least interesting shops on the High Streets of England are closing down. ... I do feel sorry for the people that lost their jobs, but don't mourn the loss of the shops. Many of the businesses that have closed or are threatened will be sorely missed, Benno, by those whose aspirations and pockets do not stretch to the likes of Office and Waitrose (or most of the trendy retailers in Brighton's Lanes for that matter). You may look down your nose at some long-term 'family favourites' in the High Street but cheap does not necessarily equate with poor quality in material terms. (And I can think of half a dozen small but useful items I often need that will now be difficult to find, almost regardless of price, with Woolies gone.) OK, if you are talking purely from a high-fashion viewpoint, Barratts has never sold the most stylish or original shoes, but it was certainly a place to get something smart and reasonably hard wearing, male or female. I doubt that many teenagers have ever cut their teeth on Kurt Geiger, Bally or Russell & Bromley but have still managed to look good and (even more importantly) feel good in something bought out of hard-earned cash from Barratts, Dolcis, New Look and the like. And anything that helps to make stilettos available to the masses is to be encouraged in my book!
benno Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 I'm not trying to look down my nose at people. Waitrose is the nearest supermarket to me. I was explaining why Whittards is in trouble. They are a Tea and coffee specialist yet the goods they offer are lower quality than Waitrose own brand which are half the price. I am happy to shop in Waitrose knowing that the food they sell is better quality... I am putting it into my body after all. Also it is worth noting that Waitrose do seem to treat staff and suppliers with a fairer hand. I won't try to sum up the problems Woolies had, this link says it much better and with more humour than I ever could. I have no problem with cheap shops. We rarely by any expensive clothes. Most of the clothes my girlfriend and I buy come from charity shops or Ebay. We do buy a few quality pieces to use as foundations for our wardrobe but are in no way snobbish about where we shop. Primark gets used lots for basics like underwear, tights, jackets and accessories. Neither of us earns a big wage. Barratts never had anything I have liked until they started stocking other brands. Is it a bad thing that they lose out if they refuse to react to trends and ideas with the same speed and accuracy as Topshop or Office? If they are a shoe shop should they not be leading the way instead of rehashing other peoples designs but in poorer quality? I have always been a follower of the shoppers mantra of 'Buy cheap buy twice'.
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