Is Ennis turning into a ghost town?

poppyvally

[QUOTE=Clareboy;77649606. Going forward, the centre of Ennis should be pedestrianised, .[/QUOTE]

Whenever this is suggested there's a loud protest from the shopkeepers

Run_to_da_hills

You can tell an up and coming Ghost town by the amount of discount euro and second hand charity shops springing up left right and center. You can't go anywhere now in town without tripping over them and It won't be long before we see the Cash Converters.

Dunlaoghaire Co Dublin where I come from going down the exact same route and if anyone has been to Holyhead UK recently this is exactly what Ennis will come to in a few years.

Strict planning laws must be put in place to prevent this happening but I doubt if this would happen because the council would be denied the potential rates. Town soon will end up where you will not be able to purchase anything of decent quality except for the muck that you have to put up with in these places particularly the Euro stores.

Balagan

Very interesting comments.

So there are discount shops and charity shops springing up all over town and you can't move without tripping over them?

They are opening and staying open because they are obviously doing well i.e., people are buying stuff there.

But still there are claims that Ennis is a ghost town, a term accepted as meaning a town, once flourishing, which has been abandoned for economic reasons.

So, am I correct in thinking that the people who are frequenting the Euro shops and charity shops are some kind of invisible entities who are really not to be counted as people or as customers?

Really?

CptSternn

dh0661 wrote: »

If we all followed that logic, all the retail places are going to close up shop and go online.

Where are you going to check out your intended purchase then.

It's already happening. The selection for many items around town is rapidly shrinking. Most of the time when I go shopping now I go to Dublin, but even they are having similar problems.

Shopping online though has big savings that you just can't ignore. For example, I just bought a new home security system from America. I had to use a power converter to plug it in as it is setup for American mains, but that's the only difference from the one they sell here. Well, that and in America I bought this system for €150, paid €50 in shipping and another €50 in customs/VAT totaling €250 I paid for the system which retails here in Ireland for €1,300.

As much as I would love to buy things in town and support local businesses I just can't see paying over €1,000 more for the exact same item.

Run_to_da_hills

Balagan wrote: »

Very interesting comments.

So there are discount shops and charity shops springing up all over town and you can't move without tripping over them?

They are opening and staying open because they are obviously doing well i.e., people are buying stuff there.

Really?

Headshops in their day also stayed open and obviously did well because people bought stuff there. :rolleyes:

Euroshops thrive on loss leaders and ignorance, they deal in substandard and sometimes dangerous goods particularly in batteries, mobile phone accessories, hardware, hand tools etc. my old man constantly buys rubbish in these places, I borrowed two so called Super heavy duty Hyundai C cell batteries from a multipack for a bicycle lamp, By the time I cycled about two miles the bulb went out. The Iphone car charger / cable I purchased was also binned within a week.

Shapey Fiend

Well you go into a computer shop and the actual computers are the loss leader and they make all their money on cables with obscene markups so I'm always tempted to scour CEX or something similar when looking for mobile phone or laptop chargers that cos 50cent to manufacture and retail for €30+. I used to be extremely snobby about discount shops in the past but I've come to find them quite useful if you pick and choose wisely.

It's just a reality of a country in recession. Ennis had loads of brick a brack shops full of junk and pawn shops during the 80's an early 90's. Cash for gold and 2nd hand exchange business is just a natural evolution. Things will swing back to more upmarket fare when the demand returns.

I'd hazard a guess that we have 3 times as many retail units in town that we did in the early 90's and a much lower proportion of them are unoccupied now than back in the day. It's worth keeping things in perspective.

Jennii.

Its crazy how many places you see just opening and a few weeks later they are out of business, such a shame that things are so bad. The cutest little shop was open near the market, broke my heart when it left

scrawnyass

Ennis on a Saturday is like a ghost town compared to 4 or 5 years ago.The parking situation is pretty much ridiculous in town.Only for the twenty-somethings going to the pub at weekends Ennis would be more or less a dead town.Sad, but true.People from Ennis go to the big Limerick outlets to shop.Or online. Small business shops in Ennis have little hope.

CptSternn

Shapey Fiend wrote: »

I'd hazard a guess that we have 3 times as many retail units in town that we did in the early 90's and a much lower proportion of them are unoccupied now than back in the day. It's worth keeping things in perspective.

And you would guess wrong.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfqlsnmhsnau/rss2/

There are over 70+ empty shops in town, a new record according to various groups.

Hawk Wing 2

the parking situation is chronic in Ennis, and also a rip off, i deliberately go to aldi and lidl rather than pay the council money to park

Shapey Fiend

CptSternn wrote: »

And you would guess wrong.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfqlsnmhsnau/rss2/

There are over 70+ empty shops in town, a new record according to various groups.

I said proportion not overall number. The fact is far, far too many shop units were developed in the last decade for this towns population at any rate. And plenty of them in stupid and or unsustainable locations.

The parking charges definitely need to be dropped back down a little bit. The point of parking charges isn't to generate revenue it's to free up spaces and there are plenty of free ones at the moment so time to drop it back to a euro an hour or something like that.

MyKeyG

scrawnyass wrote: »

Ennis on a Saturday is like a ghost town compared to 4 or 5 years ago.The parking situation is pretty much ridiculous in town.Only for the twenty-somethings going to the pub at weekends Ennis would be more or less a dead town.Sad, but true.People from Ennis go to the big Limerick outlets to shop.Or online. Small business shops in Ennis have little hope.

Would you blame people for going to the bigger outlets and online stores though? All you ever hear is support your local town etc etc but people can't afford to. My sister is in the market for a new telly and she went to the shop in the Quin road industrial estate and while the prices weren't bad you get more choice for your buck in a place like Currys.

Palmach

CptSternn wrote: »

And you would guess wrong.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kfqlsnmhsnau/rss2/

There are over 70+ empty shops in town, a new record according to various groups.

Thanks to the likes of you. Take a bow.

Hawk Wing 2 wrote: »

the parking situation is chronic in Ennis, and also a rip off, i deliberately go to aldi and lidl rather than pay the council money to park

Parking at Lidl and Aldi should paid for the same as in town parking.

MyKeyG wrote: »

Would you blame people for going to the bigger outlets and online stores though?

People who extol online shopping know the price of everything but the value of nothing. I can guarantee you with a bit of effort you could buy most things locally at the same price as online. As a retailer most of the supposed savings are utterly exaggerated. Amazon has been dearer than the last 3 books I bought in the Ennis bookshop. I sell a small amount of electronics and when I check in online I am there or thereabouts with the price.

MyKeyG

Palmach wrote: »

Thanks to the likes of you. Take a bow...

....People who extol online shopping know the price of everything but the value of nothing.

First of all there's no need to get snippy or rude we enjoy a bit of civility on the Clare boards thank you.

I can guarantee you with a bit of effort you could buy most things locally at the same price as online. As a retailer most of the supposed savings are utterly exaggerated. Amazon has been dearer than the last 3 books I bought in the Ennis bookshop. I sell a small amount of electronics and when I check in online I am there or thereabouts with the price.

Second of all you couldn't be more wrong. Amazon isn't the only on-line book store. I can get books on-line at a fraction of the price of the Ennis book shop and a better selection. They also sell used versions at an even better savings.

Your attitude is just typical. You hold the ordinary decent citizen trying to save a few bob to ransom using their loyalty to their community so that the local businesses can maximise profits on each commodity.

CptSternn

Palmach wrote: »

Thanks to the likes of you. Take a bow.

Until the local merchants listen to the people and start working for the customers instead of against them, I'm happy to stand up and take a bow for standing up against them.

I go to Dublin a few times a month, as well as Limerick and Cork on a regular basis. I often buy stuff I wasn't really shopping for when I am out for a day in the shopping areas there. I like walking through pedestrian areas like Grafton street or in Cork or Limerick, having lunch outside of a nice little cafe. The vibe you get makes you want to do a bit of shopping and socialising. Ennis has none of that. We have cramped streets and no good place to sit outside and have a drink while shopping. I love having a pint outside Tom Steele's in the summer and having tea outside the Ennis Gourmet shop on occasion as well, but we need more of that. The people of Ennis have continually said this, and the merchants continually have fought this. Until they make the place more shopper friendly and give customers a nice area for them to stroll around while in town I feel no remorse for not supporting them more.

I actually don't mind paying a bit more if I enjoy the whole shopping experience, but fighting my way through town with a buggy is a nightmare, dodging cars and pushing through a crowd on a footpath built for one.

Given the current set of options, I shop online and then when time and weather permits go out shopping in areas that do cater to the customer instead of fighting against them.

Parking at Lidl and Aldi should paid for the same as in town parking.

Why? If these shops want to allow customers to park for free, then it's nobodies business but their own. They are offering a free service to their customers instead of trying to suck every penny they can out of the experience. I find it quite irritating when I have to go to Dunnes or Tesco to buy one or two items and am then forced to pay for parking. It's adding an extra Euro on the item or two I came to buy and any discounts I may have been getting are immediately erased. I find it a bit refreshing to find companies who are progressive and offer such services here. We should not be saying 'Aldi and Lidl should be forcing us the consumer to pay more' we should be saying Dunnes and Tesco should be offering us more savings.

People who extol online shopping know the price of everything but the value of nothing. I can guarantee you with a bit of effort you could buy most things locally at the same price as online. As a retailer most of the supposed savings are utterly exaggerated. Amazon has been dearer than the last 3 books I bought in the Ennis bookshop. I sell a small amount of electronics and when I check in online I am there or thereabouts with the price.

It's not just the savings I go for, I just hate the whole experience in town. Once you have been in areas where they have a pedestrianised shopping area it puts everything else in perspective. I mean, we have Parnell Street as well, I love it's layout and going to shops along there, what few there are, but we should have the same for O'Connell.

Maybe it's just me. I have traveled the world and seen so many places where it works, including many here in our own country. Plus, being in the IT industry one goal we always apire to meet is to try and make a product more user friendly. Seeing an industry not make use of it's obvious assets and at the same time rally against the customers and their publicly known wishes is counterproductive.

I can't begin to tell you of all the IT companies I have seen over the years go under because they refused to listen to their customers. A new product comes along with a slick intuitive interface and they are out of business. Retail is no different in this way. People don't mind paying more when they get a bit extra, but when companies ignore the pleas of the customer and refuse to look at their business model, they go the route of the dinosaur.

One good thing I can say about town - Enzos and Yvonnes now deliver and since they have begun offering this new service I have been ordering both a few times a month. See, some businesses get it. The others are going to have to learn the hard way.

maiden

One more to add to the list!

JD's Coffee House in the Market, all staff were let go on Saturday and is now closed down

cynder

maiden wrote: »

One more to add to the list!

JD's Coffee House in the Market, all staff were let go on Saturday and is now closed down

NOOO, i love the breakfast there been going there for years, when my daughter was 2 (10 years ago) we used to go in there for her scramble eggs on toast with 1/2 a cup of coffee, went there every day till she was 5. 2 of the girls who used to serve us opened up a baby shop in roslevan, and we purchased all our baby stuff off them.

so sad to see that go

cynder

poppyvally wrote: »

Topaz, opposite St. Flannan's closed
OTT clothing, O'Connel St...Closing down.
Lots of charity shops opening up. Theres my latest findings on this subject

OTT is opening up again opposite glitzy bitz.

Palmach

MyKeyG wrote: »

First of all there's no need to get snippy or rude we enjoy a bit of civility on the Clare boards thank you.

If that is your view of rude you must live in a convent.

I can get books on-line at a fraction of the price of the Ennis book shop and a better selection.

Not true more spoofery.

You hold the ordinary decent citizen trying to save a few bob to ransom using their loyalty to their community so that the local businesses can maximise profits on each commodity.

No I'd like to see the same ordinary decent citizen who runs to me for sponsorship, spot prizes and summer jobs for their kids, not to mention "I'll sort you out next week" to show some loyalty. It is not too much to ask.

CptSternn wrote: »

Until the local merchants listen to the people and start working for the customers instead of against them, I'm happy to stand up and take a bow for standing up against them.

You utter utter clueless individual. You know nothing about retail or what owners go through. God I despair for this country with people as grubby as you.

Why? If these shops want to allow customers to park for free, then it's nobodies business but their own. They are offering a free service to their customers instead of trying to suck every penny they can out of the experience.

It encourages the use of cars and encourages the doughnut effect which destroys towns, socially , economically and culturally. That is what has destroyed many towns in many countries such as the UK and the US to name the obvious suspects. But of course to people like you planning is an irrelevancy. As long as you can screw people out of a few bob by using them shur isn't everything grand.

I find it quite irritating when I have to go to Dunnes or Tesco to buy one or two items and am then forced to pay for parking. It's adding an extra Euro on the item or two I came to buy and any discounts I may have been getting are immediately erased. .

A whole euro! "gasp*.

Palmach

grindelwald wrote: »

NOOO, i love the breakfast there been going there for years, when my daughter was 2 (10 years ago) we used to go in there for her scramble eggs on toast with 1/2 a cup of coffee, went there every day till she was 5. 2 of the girls who used to serve us opened up a baby shop in roslevan, and we purchased all our baby stuff off them.

so sad to see that go

Try buying the stuff on line.

cynder

Palmach wrote: »

A whole euro! "gasp*.

Its €1.30 in town and is a f*****r, i can never find a 10c :mad:

My husband works near enough to town and i park at his work FOR FREE

I park at dunnes and tescos when i do my weekly shop. I get the money back that way, if i rememeber to give them my ticket.

Clareman

Folks, please stop the bickering, back biting and snide remarks, this thread is tragic enough due to people losing their livelihoods besides internet warriors taking pot shots at each other.

If you have a problem with a post REPORT IT.

Palmach banned for a week for repeated personal attacks against multiple posters.

MyKeyG

Palmach wrote: »

Not true more spoofery.

Try play.com. And don't you EVER again call me a liar.

You utter utter clueless individual. You know nothing about retail or what owners go through. God I despair for this country with people as grubby as you.

No you're right. You're not rude at all:rolleyes:

Clareman

MyKeyG wrote: »

Would you blame people for going to the bigger outlets and online stores though? All you ever hear is support your local town etc etc but people can't afford to. My sister is in the market for a new telly and she went to the shop in the Quin road industrial estate and while the prices weren't bad you get more choice for your buck in a place like Currys.

I know what you mean about more choice and competition for prices in bigger shops & on-line, personally I buy way too much stuff online, mainly because I spend so much time on line and I enjoy searching for what I want, if I could buy most of the stuff locally for a similar price (even allowing the local shops profit margins) I would.

Saying that, my family won't go anywhere else but Martin Heaney's for their TVs, they love the fact that they can go in there, say what they want and have it brought to their house, Enda will set it up and everything for them, they don't care about the extra cost, good service is worth it.

MyKeyG

Clareman wrote: »

I know what you mean about more choice and competition for prices in bigger shops & on-line, personally I buy way too much stuff online, mainly because I spend so much time on line and I enjoy searching for what I want, if I could buy most of the stuff locally for a similar price (even allowing the local shops profit margins) I would.

Saying that, my family won't go anywhere else but Martin Heaney's for their TVs, they love the fact that they can go in there, say what they want and have it brought to their house, Enda will set it up and everything for them, they don't care about the extra cost, good service is worth it.

There is something to be said about that I admit. There is more personality with the local businesses and you don't have to cart your fridge all the way into Limerick if something does go wrong but I will without fail go elsewhere if it does give me more choice for my quid. This other poster is going on as if we're trying to be mean but for the most part on-line gives me way more. I bought three books on play.com the other week used in great condition for 2.99 each where new would have cost between 9 and 11 euro.

I can't afford to look that in the mouth for the sake of supporting my local business. At the end of the day what goes around comes around. These businesses had no problem charging top dollar when we had more money than sense.

Clareman

It's a convience thing as well, you don't know if 1 of the local shops have those books available second hand, by getting onto ebay or play (or other sites) you can find what you want easily.

In regards to buying from the internet damaging the local economy, there is still of a lot of jobs maintained by logistics of the product, as well as the fact that a few firms in the location will supply the repair services for the products.

maiden

Another little shop that i really like is Cusack View Store beside Cloughleigh school is closing down. I love going in there because of the elderly lady behind the counter, a pure dote!

Sad to see it going!

Hawk Wing 2

jd's gone! feck

MyKeyG

Hawk Wing 2 wrote: »

jd's gone! feck

They did do a good breakfast but to be fair any of the hotels will do you up a pretty good fry.

cynder

MyKeyG wrote: »

Did they do a good breakfast but to be fair any of the hotels will do you up a pretty good fry.

Hotel breakfasts are way over priced, the Sherwood.will take most of the trade. Hotel breakfasts aren't that nice, jds did a great full breakfast decent price too.