[Archived] ...and You Thought Blackburn Was Bad ! ! !

[ABBEY]

.......but you're forever telling us about the wonders of the Trafford Centre when Blackburn town centre is crying out for people to spend money in local shops. Doesn't matter if you travel to Malta or the Trafford Centre you aren't spending money in Blackburn. As Coiln says why go to the TC, takes roughly two hours round trip, it's an absolute hell hole when you get there and the travel costs money?

surely paul ,col and spark wouldnt go and pay a few hundred quid more for a holiday in a blackburn travel agent would you?

what does the traff have blackburn doesnt have in its centre? off the top of my head....nandos,haha,tfg,kfc,harry ramsden,spudulike,etc.

starbucks,costa coffee,sony shop,hinds,waterstones,lush ,ben sherman,all saints, selfidges ,john lewis etc

the ones that blackburn have like next,river island or the likes of republic can be fit in the changing rooms of the ones in the traff and dont have half of what you require.

Im not saying its full of wonders at all far from it paul it just has far better choices than blackburn and i go to the arndale as well in manchester.Ah well blackburn center will soon have a primark....

[ABBEY]

well i succumed ,we needed some stuff for the wedding today so we went to blackburn.Got on the multi storey...full no signs,spent 20 wasted minutes finding a space .Moooched round trying to find what we needed...no can do.result drive to preston finds what we want after 20 minutes or so.lunch in blackburn mall consists of takeaway pizza or pies.

[Alex Rover]

well i succumed ,we needed some stuff for the wedding today so we went to blackburn.Got on the multi storey...full no signs,spent 20 wasted minutes finding a space .Moooched round trying to find what we needed...no can do.result drive to preston finds what we want after 20 minutes or so.lunch in blackburn mall consists of takeaway pizza or pies.

The multi-storey holds a fair few and if it was full on a Tuesday that's not a bad sign. Is Tuesday a market day?

[ABBEY]

no its half shut due to repairs and upgrades.

[Tom]

.......but you're forever telling us about the wonders of the Trafford Centre when Blackburn town centre is crying out for people to spend money in local shops. Doesn't matter if you travel to Malta or the Trafford Centre you aren't spending money in Blackburn. As Coiln says why go to the TC, takes roughly two hours round trip, it's an absolute hell hole when you get there and the travel costs money?

Not to get drawn into this argument but Trafford Centre is heaven compared to Blackburn Centre. The two are worlds apart and it is well worth the 45 minute drive imo.

[Ste B]

Actually its only about 5 minutes out of the way on the way home from work. The fact is theres a choice, so its easier to go there than to Blackburn. AND its free to park.

Could we worse, it could be Accy.

[colin]

surely paul ,col and spark wouldnt go and pay a few hundred quid more for a holiday in a blackburn travel agent would you?

what does the traff have blackburn doesnt have in its centre? off the top of my head....nandos,haha,tfg,kfc,harry ramsden,spudulike,etc. starbucks,costa coffee,sony shop,hinds,waterstones,lush ,ben sherman,all saints, selfidges ,john lewis etc

Obviously I don't know what travel agent you went to see in Blackburn, nor in the TC, but the tourism business is pretty much global. You book holidays from anywhere nowadays. Even on t'internet. So I suggest that whoever you spoke to in Blackburn was taking the mickey. Not a Blackburn thing. They just happened to be based there.

As for the list of retail outlets... lets just say I don't go into any of them as I'm not a "shopper."

I thought you'd be happier rummaging through second hand record shops looking for rare imported Zep LPs, rather than sipping a £2.50 latte at Starbucks.

You've changed Abbey. I just don't undestand you any more.........

[Ewood Spark]

.............lunch in blackburn mall consists of takeaway pizza or pies.

You don't have to look too hard to find these four gems Rhubarb , The Cafe in the Crypt, Exchange Coffee Company, Cafe Beees ... all of which I can personally recommend ... unless of course you prefer the cattle market tactics of the nacho selling multinationals to the delights of independent establishments

[Seggie]

QUOTE (Ste B @ Jul 21 2009, 21:05 ) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Could we worse, it could be Accy.

Dunno what your on about, Accy is a fantastic bustling town centre with plenty of options

If you like Pound shops

[ABBEY]

Obviously I don't know what travel agent you went to see in Blackburn, nor in the TC, but the tourism business is pretty much global. You book holidays from anywhere nowadays. Even on t'internet. So I suggest that whoever you spoke to in Blackburn was taking the mickey. Not a Blackburn thing. They just happened to be based there......TOM COOK WOULDNT COULDNT MATCH THE TRAFF CENTRE,SIMPLE.

As for the list of retail outlets... lets just say I don't go into any of them as I'm not a "shopper."

I thought you'd be happier rummaging through second hand record shops looking for rare imported Zep LPs, rather than sipping a £2.50 latte at Starbucks.

You've changed Abbey. I just don't undestand you any more.........IM CULTURED NOW..MAZIN WHAT RISHTON AN A GOOD GAL CAN DO

You don't have to look too hard to find these four gems Rhubarb , The Cafe in the Crypt, Exchange Coffee Company, Cafe Beees ... all of which I can personally recommend ... unless of course you prefer the cattle market tactics of the nacho selling multinationals to the delights of independent establishments

NACHOS YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[thenodrog]

Market forces shape society ...not politicians.It's not rocket science ... pull the rug from under any society and things will become tougher. What really riles me is the lack of a fighting spirit a lot of people in these parts seem to have. Nothing but great big East Lancs surrender monkeys the lot of 'em. B*gg*ring off to Pr*ston or the Tr*fford Centre every week to do their shopping and then falling over themselves to come on message boards and slag off the quality of shops struggling to make ends meet in their own town. T*ssers the lot of 'em.

Somewhat contradicting yourself there ES. Beggaring off to other towns is nothing else but a live illustration of real market forces at work.

The new shopping centre planned for Preston (John Lewis and all) coupled with the superb park and ride will finally put many of Blackburn's shops out of their misery. I hardly think the pound shops can offer much competition for the more discerning shopper.

btw I was phoned by a market research lady tonight who wanted my opinions on the future prospects of BwD Borough. Many local issues e.g employment, hospitals, housing, shopping, community cohesion (... whatever that is. ) were covered. Just as an aside the only positives in Blackburn that I could bring readily to mind was BRFC and BAE (I know thats not strictly in BBurn btw).

BUT the thing that really irked me was that after majoring on employment issues I asked the lady where she was working from and she said Manchester. Unbelievably the task of phoning people to conduct a piece of market research cannot be used to help out the thousands of unemployed and school leavers. And that is close to the nub of the issue imo.

[colin]

btw I was phoned by a market research lady tonight who wanted my opinions on the future prospects of BwD Borough.

Crivens! I bet the poor woman earned her wages on that call.

[Ewood Spark]

Somewhat contradicting yourself there ES. Beggaring off to other towns is nothing else but a live illustration of real market forces at work.

The new shopping centre planned for Preston (John Lewis and all) coupled with the superb park and ride will finally put many of Blackburn's shops out of their misery. I hardly think the pound shops can offer much competition for the more discerning shopper.

btw I was phoned by a market research lady tonight who wanted my opinions on the future prospects of BwD Borough. Many local issues e.g employment, hospitals, housing, shopping, community cohesion (... whatever that is. ) were covered. Just as an aside the only positives in Blackburn that I could bring readily to mind was BRFC and BAE (I know thats not strictly in BBurn btw).

BUT the thing that really irked me was that after majoring on employment issues I asked the lady where she was working from and she said Manchester. Unbelievably the task of phoning people to conduct a piece of market research cannot be used to help out the thousands of unemployed and school leavers. And that is close to the nub of the issue imo.

Ahhhh Theno! .... Where have you been? ... I've been expecting you..... I'm just wondering if you can help me carry this big white flag all the way to the Trafford Centre ..... and while we are there we could buy a couple of ManU shirts ..... finally accepting our lowly position in the grand scheme of all things sport and retail.

[yoda]

Ahhhh Theno! .... Where have you been? ... I've been expecting you..... I'm just wondering if you can help me carry this big white flag all the way to the Trafford Centre ..... and while we are there we could buy a couple of ManU shirts ..... finally accepting our lowly position in the grand scheme of all things sport and retail.

any marketing person will tell you that there is no substitute for brand loyalty

thats why we are on this board yes?

[jim mk2]

I was phoned by a market research lady tonight who wanted my opinions

Poor woman. She's probably lost all faith in the human race after that conversation.

[thenodrog]

Ahhhh Theno! .... Where have you been? ... I've been expecting you..... I'm just wondering if you can help me carry this big white flag all the way to the Trafford Centre ..... and while we are there we could buy a couple of ManU shirts ..... finally accepting our lowly position in the grand scheme of all things sport and retail.

Can't really abide the Trafford Centre personally but the women in my family love it. As for me Preston is a far better shopping experience than Blackburn. The only shops still open in Blackburn worth going to are the watch strap fella in the precinct, Mellors and the market stalls. But even they will suffer (maybe not Mellors) simply because

1. the town centre is for chavs, dollopers and burkha's.

and

2. I have had one too many parking tickets. If they choose to fine me unjustly for using the town centre then I will go somewhere more user friendly and thats that.

As you say ES... Market forces rule. Unfortunately for the very few from my generation and standing still living here time will prove me right.

Oh btw about that white flag...... did the Darwen shopkeepers assoc award it to you first?

btw 2 Do you have a business? I do and I can tell you that if I treat my customers like BwD BC does and especially whilst facing the competition for shoppers that it does from surrounding towns then I would be bankrupt in no time. BwD Council trying all out to stop Preston developing and progressing it's city centre just illustrates how out of touch our lot are.

So there you go, for most people Blackburn centre is history now..... To put it simply you are floggin a dead horse.

[broadsword]

I can't imagine thenodrog going shopping somehow, he must've gone soft.

[JAL]

Ahhhh Theno! .... Where have you been? ... I've been expecting you..... I'm just wondering if you can help me carry this big white flag all the way to the Trafford Centre ..... and while we are there we could buy a couple of ManU shirts ..... finally accepting our lowly position in the grand scheme of all things sport and retail.

I find the Trafford centre a long way to go for nothing, a boring shopping mall for people with nothing better to do ES

The other disappointing thing about the Trafford centre is there are no chavs, no drunks, no drop outs, and very few asians doesnt make for a real place for real people ES.

[Ewood Spark]

I find the Trafford centre a long way to go for nothing, a boring shopping mall for people with nothing better to do ES

The other disappointing thing about the Trafford centre is there are no chavs, no drunks, no drop outs, and very few asians doesnt make for a real place for real people ES.

Does anybody out there no if there is such a thing as a chav-wannabee? ... if not I'd like to like to stake a claim of finding the first one.

I can't imagine thenodrog going shopping somehow, he must've gone soft.

The bit I'm struggling with is imagining him catching one of those dinky-little buses from the park-and-ride with the "great-unwashed".

[Ewood Spark]

Can't really abide the Trafford Centre personally .............. for me Preston is a far better shopping experience than Blackburn.

Hey ... even more apt with the white 'surrender-monkey' flag .... draw a sheep on it and try to recruit people to Dumpdale for your grand idea of a Lacns Utd then you'd never need to head east to Blackburn again. Everyone's a winner ... no?

1. the town centre is for chavs, dollopers and burkha's.

I think this statement contains within it the real reasons for the almost treacherous antipathy some people hold for their home town.

Oh btw about that white flag...... did the Darwen shopkeepers assoc award it to you first?

Pound to a penny says you will struggle to find a family that spends more in the Darwen district of the borough than ours. This argument is as relevant as me asking you if you buy all your suits in Pleasington ... the fact is our mutual center of gravity is BB1 ... and we both pay a proportion of our council taxes for the up-keep and development of our center.

Finally ... a thought to leave you with ..... There are two words that sit next to each other in The Concise Oxford English Dictionary .... one we could do with less of when describing our town ..... 'patronize' .....and the other we could offer more of to the struggling businesses that our fellow citizens are trying to keep going in our town .... 'patronage'

[thenodrog]

The bit I'm struggling with is imagining him catching one of those dinky-little buses from the park-and-ride with the "great-unwashed".

Correct. I've been sussed! Got to admit my wife and daughter love the park and ride and that I've never actually been on it. Saves me driving to Preston though for a shopping trip. Oh and this is the rub.......... when I do there's shed loads of parking spaces!

[Presty On Tour]

WTF, free AK 47 when you buy a truck?

[Rovermatt]

Kansas City

WTF, free AK 47 when you buy a truck?

Orders from on high, from Boss Limbaugh himself: stimulate the auto industry and defend yourself against the angry black militant communist Obama!

[JAL]

Does anybody out there no if there is such a thing as a chav-wannabee? ... if not I'd like to like to stake a claim of finding the first one.

[Ewood Spark]

OMG just spotted it ...... 'know not no' .... I hereby hand in my 'Spelling Police' badge and promise not to post after vino .... the shame