I truly now believe that the pandemic has devastated the high streets from my own personal experience.
There’s my local bakery in London that use to be a hangout for my friends before our law lectures in sixth form.
When I went recently the shelves were bare.
Even the cheese baguettes that use to be by the door (perfect advertisement for hungry bellies)were nowhere in sight.
I asked the owner.
He said since pandemic few people want baked goods, as they now are making their own curtesy of YouTube tutorials during lockdown ,and simply don’t have money.
So he cant afford to make in bulk and throw it away, as he’s losing money.
And he’s in a losing battle, as even though there’s no customers he has to increase his already scarce pasties to make up for the loss.
And I to be honest thought the prices are almost daylight robbery .
Take for example a flaky croissant for £2.50 and my personal guilty pleasure a victoria sponge slice for £3.80.
I just think wow for those prices I can buy the raw ingredients and get a apron and still have change left over.
Why would for one sitting I forfeit that money.
So I now know why people are becoming their own Martha Stewarts at home.
Even my local butchers are hard hit too.
I recalled one day a elderly woman begged a butcher for £3 goat meat.
He said that’s physically impossible.
She said that’s all she can afford, and due to her poverty her daughter has become a vegetarian as she doesn’t want t o put stress on her mum purchasing a lot of meat for their household.
How sad is that.
Even the butchers said I was their third customer (and people this was mid-afternoon), and they even close early as there’s no point in keeping their lights on for nothing.
I believe times are tough for them as that day when I entered they were all texting due to lack of customers.
I remembered the days you’d have to physically squeeze through the crowd and rush your shaki and cow foot order before it all ran out.
Wow how things can change.
When you hear the plights of traders and customers you realise we are all on the same battle for survival and sadly we are all losing.
What I believe their should be more help for businesses as the rates of closures every working day in Britain is alarming.
Covid claimed lives but it also claimed the growth of the high street.
How has the pandemic affected your local high street?