Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Woe for Woolies

Why is there no Woolworths in Oxford? Legend has it there used to be one where the Clarendon Centre now is, but the fact of the matter is, the city is now sadly lacking.

Why the fuss? Surely there are sweet shops which have a better range than Woolies...toy shops with better quality, handcrafted toys, stationery shops with more than just gel pens and sellotape, CD shops with proper music, clothes shops with even cheaper clothes, and magazine shops with foreign, artsy, obscure magazines to go with the mainstream.

Yes, yes, yes and yes. And there are even shops that attempt a combination, and perhaps even do a better job of it than Woolworths. There's not much that you can't get in Boswells or some of the bigger supermarkets.

But despite this, I still mourn its absence. In the town where I grew up it was the staple general store, great for whatever you needed. I have fond memories of buying a giant bean bag there, some cheap CDs that had lost their covers, and of course, the pick'n'mix goodies. I can't quite seem to break free from that mindset that Woolies will solve all shopping woes. I didn't even go in that often; I just knew it was there and that comforted me.

On second thoughts, perhaps I should find a shop selling lives and go out and get one...

No comments: