RUTH SUNDERLAND: Labor disappoints High Street

Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. At least not at retail. Baby boomers and Generation

Now, even young TikTok users sadly remember the old shopping days, when “real bargains” were offered on Black Friday.

The past they long for isn’t too far away: Amazon launched its first Black Friday deals in the UK in 2010. The concept, which originated in the United States, where it marks the start of the Christmas shopping season after the Thanksgiving celebrations Thank you, it took off from there. Now, Black Friday is taking hold and around 60 per cent of British retailers are joining in.

Despite anger on TikTok over the relatively paltry discounts: ‘All I get is 10 or 15 percent off.’ What am I supposed to do with that?’ – the event galvanizes Britain’s armchair buyers.

Buy now, pay later company Klarna reported that sales in the first four days of ‘Black Week’ (their term, not mine) were up more than a third on last year, and up 30 percent in the first six hours of the year. the day itself.

But it is not an absolute boon for the consumer sector, as small retailers fear being left out. Black Friday mostly benefits big chains and online operators: A survey over the weekend found that while shoppers theoretically want to support independent businesses, nearly half plan to buy holiday gifts on Amazon.

Christmas, when retailers make a big chunk of their profits, will be a time of unease for many small shop owners.

As my Mail on Sunday colleagues reported yesterday, traders in Rachel Reeves’ own constituency are furious – and fearful – at the budget costs of additional national insurance for employers, reduced business rates and higher salaries.

A man was so angry that he wants to ban the Chancellor from entering his fruit shop.

A common lament on social media in my home town of Middlesbrough is the deterioration of the town centre. It used to be vibrant but, having seen the closure of M&S and House of Fraser, which had been there for over 100 years, it’s just depressing.

The nearby Teesside Park shopping center is much busier, but also much less atmospheric than the bustle of Linthorpe Road.

Independent, quirky shops like Boddy’s Books or Romer Parrish, a magical toy shop from my childhood, no longer exist, although the latter has been recreated at the Beamish Museum in County Durham by popular demand from the townspeople.

The Fate of Romer Parrish is, on one level, a sad story about a disappearing business and a lost past, but it’s also a testament to our emotional connection to the brick-and-mortar stores that are a part of our lives. High streets aren’t just about buying things, they’re also about meeting friends, mother-daughter bonding, having coffee with a neighbor, making childhood memories, going into town to see the Christmas lights, Fenwick or Fortnum’s showcase.

Online shopping is great for its efficiency, convenience and price, but it doesn’t stir the feelings or warm the heart. Labor should support our high streets, not pulverize them with a destructive and ill-considered tax raid.