From Valerie C

Thursday, 7 May 2015

And while we're at it, people do know that One Stop is Tesco don't they?

From John Greenwood

Friday, 8 May 2015

God forbid the people of Hebden have a choice of opticians and as for the one stop being Tesco what is the world coming to, surely we are all doomed.

I for one will no longer go in there and support the jobs of the local people who work there I will now (like a large number of people in Hebden) order my shopping online from Sainsburys, Asda or Morrisons to be brought to my door in yet another van.

From Anne Ward

Friday, 8 May 2015

My employers issue vouchers for a well know high street opticians, and on the last three occasions my prescriptions have been incorrect. After struggling with double vision in one eye for six months, I visited Dr. Mark Hurst on West End, who tested my eyesight and confirmed the deficit between my vision and my prescription.

As with many high street chains, quality is sacrificed for quantity, and so it was a pleasure to be examined by an individual and a team who provided genuine customer care. It felt much less like being on a production line and much more like I was being taken care of.

I received my spectacles within a week, they were fitted with care and I will never visit a chain optician branch again. I would urge local people to shop locally, and in doing so receive excellent quality service and care, given by companies who thrive on reputation, rather than monopolisation.

From Mike T

Saturday, 9 May 2015

I am afraid Mr G has got his facts wrong! The new opticians is not a national chain! It is an existing business "Valli Opticians" from the Mytholmroyd / Hebdon area. Simply revamping and improving their retail presence. I am a very happy customer of Valli's and would recommend them!

From Sheila F

Saturday, 9 May 2015

This is scare mongering, there is no national opticians chain moving into the old Vine. It is Valli Opticians from Grange Dene in Mytholmroyd. We have used them for many years and the service is excellent. There is no pressure to buy, unlike where we went previously. They are a local business that provides great service, lovely glasses at reasonable prices and their contact lenses are the same price as the internet. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

From Moin Valli

Saturday, 9 May 2015

In response to the comment about work proceeding apace on the conversion of the former Vine restaurant into a branch of a well-known national chain of opticians, I wish to put the record straight. Far from being a national chain, we at Valli Opticians are relocating and are opening a new flag ship store in the premises. We are a locally based Independent Opticians and with branches currently in Hebden Bridge (Albert Street) and Mytholmroyd (Grange Dene Medical Centre) we have been caring for local residents eyes since 2009. We at Valli Opticians are dedicated to providing professional eye care locally, and are certainly not part of a national chain. Valli Opticians began in 2005 and we have just celebrated our tenth anniversary. We look forward to welcoming clients new and old when we open in a few weeks time.

From Andy G

Sunday, 10 May 2015

I am very happy and relieved to hear that my informant on this issue was incorrect and I am also happy to apologise to Mr Valli and his clients for any inconvenience or distress caused. My informant was an employee of the aforementioned national chain of opticians and whether or not they had been misinformed or were simply mischief-making I am not certain, but I have put them right on the matter and will certainly be more circumspect in believing them in the future.

From Alex Rudkin

Thursday, 14 May 2015

If people are so concerned about chain stores they need to boycott them. I have only ventured into Tesco's a few times in the last 3 year to buy economy cat litter. I refuse to spend money on anything else there. Many others have done the same and now Tesco's are closing stores.

Unfortunately in Mytholmroyd everyone seems to go to Sainsburys to buy Greeting cards, Newspapers and Sweets. Then they will moan when the Newsagents, Yorkshire Sweet Company and MY Gallery and gift shop closes down.

From James Baker

Friday, 15 May 2015

"If people are so concerned about chain stores they need to boycott them."

Correct because these shops only exist because they provide a service that people want to use. If you don't like a shop then don't shop there. Meanwhile accept that other people do quite like shopping at them.

"Unfortunately in Mytholmroyd everyone seems to go to Sainsburys to buy Greeting cards, Newspapers and Sweets. Then they will moan when the Newsagents, Yorkshire Sweet Company and MY Gallery and gift shop closes down."

Sainsbury's in Mytholmroyd is good though so I personally feel fortunate it exists and that I can shop there at convenient times and you can get a range of things you need all under one roof.

From Dave G

Saturday, 16 May 2015

Sadly long established independent shops have all too often failed to change with their customers needs.

As Hebden Bridge / Mytholmroyd have become commuter towns the local shops sticking to hours of business more suited to when the area was a manufacturing area with few people who worked outside of the immediate area have ended up struggling or going out of business.

These are being replaced by some new small local based niche businesses that also perhaps have online trade, but the bigger successful national companies are able to exploit the situation and make profit by being set up to better sweat their assets by opening longer due to their ability to purchase goods to sell cheaper, and to train and employ trusted staff to look after the shop as well as by employing up to date till technology for ordering, control and accounting and the economies of scale of their back of house activities, such as advertising, wages and personnel management. In short big capitalist enterprise will provide goods and services at more competitive prices than a small independent can possibly do.

The alternative to this is going forward to Socialism, not turning the clock back to a past non existant golden age, where stuff costs more but everyones lovely, most of us do not enjoy the luxury of being able to pay more for the stuff we buy, and will seek out the best deal to our pockets.

Good luck to the small traders, Nationalise the big ones!