Shoppers' Challenge

If reports on the business pages are anything to go by, we are changing our shopping habits and big out of town stores are not looking as fashionable in the future as they have in the past few years.

Not sure that this big fella outside our nearby DIY store would quite agree and if he were able to give his advice he could count the number of potential shoppers inside the store and the number of cars in the car park outside.

There is no denying this store has changed in its approach to us do-it-yourselfers, reluctant or not, and according to the Sunday papers this company is primed for a significant revamp over the next few years.

It’s a far cry from the days of the local ironmonger in my home town when I was a youngster. The one thing that could be said was that the owner would invariably be able to find solution to your particular problem about the house from somewhere inside what appeared like an Aladdin’s Cave of a shop.

Today’s out of town stores have more stock, albeit the manner in which we look to doing things around the house have thankfully changed, undoubtedly for the better — much simpler to do some jobs now than I would never have dreamt of attempting years ago.

Yet perhaps it is significant that much of the car parking space at this particular out of town retail development is now leased weekdays to the NHS — hospitals and administrative operations are not far away.

But I for one can still find plenty of fascination in an all embracing environment like this — today it was a search for lighting. Oh yes, and couldn’t resist taking in some hi-tech Christmas decorations as well.

Just so that I could give the big fella a wave on my way out!