I went shopping today, in order to do my bit to counteract the global crisis and help the ailing retail business. It was really hard! Even though most shops have a mid-season sale on, it was difficult to part with much money. It seems most shops have adopted the same tactics; mid-season sale and cheap advertising to attract customers, and keeping stocks low to avoid not selling out.

That is the problem. They were all sold out! First shop I went into didn’t have the first three items I really wanted. Not even in a size that doesn’t fit me. Just sold out, all over. The next shop had a measly three different coats for me to put on, 2 in a size 16 and one in an 8. Next up was a shop that hadn’t fallen for the peer pressure and put on a sale, so I got myself some boots. I ventured into two more shops in search for a coat, but history repeated itself.

The retail industry must shoot themselves in the foot by this tactic, because not everyone is hit by the credit crunch. A lot of people have money to spend, but if there is nothing to spend it on, shops will suffer. By their own making. There is no question that this will be a hard Christmas for the High Street, but they might actually make it harder than it have to be.