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Horrendous Concern For The High Street – Half Of Children Have Never Used A Buggy Whip

This truly is dire and a sign of our times, research has found that fully half of all children have not only not used a buggy whip they’ve not been into a buggy whip shop on the High Street.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] The future of Britain’s high street is looking bleak after it was revealed that a third of primary schoolchildren had never been to a butcher’s or greengrocer’s shop, a survey found. According to a poll by Nationwide Building Society of 2,000 children aged five to 11, a quarter said they did not know what a high street was. Of those surveyed, 32 per cent said they had not visited a butcher while 23 per cent had never been to a greengrocer. Asked whether they had ever visited a launderette, more than half said no, [/perfectpullquote]

Alternatively we could note simply that technologies change and move on. For example, with washing machines made progressively cheaper there’s ever less reason for people to haul their washing out to a launderette, is there? With supermarket meat counters getting ever better what need a butcher?

No, not what upper middle class desire, that there still be my man down there who does stuff. Such luxury goods continue to exist. But when the mass of meat is bought elsewhere why bother with having the individual shops?

We should also congratulate the Telegraph for this headline:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Up to half of children have never been to a butcher or greengrocer[/perfectpullquote]

We’ve 32 % not been to a butcher, 23% not to a greengrocer. The Tel has added those together to give us our half – but we can’t add them together when its “or”. Because we just don’t know. Maybe all those who’ve not been to a grocer are already in those who’ve not been to a butcher?

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Jonathan Harston
Jonathan Harston
5 years ago

At the age of five I don’t think I had any idea WTH a butcher, greengrocer, or high street was.

Reader
Reader
5 years ago

When I was five the butcher drove round the neighbourhood in a van.

Boganboy
Boganboy
5 years ago

I just paid for the repair of my car by writing a cheque. I’d bet that most kids today will never know what that is, and have no reason to know either.

timworstall
timworstall
5 years ago
Reply to  Boganboy

Cars are nicely more reliable these days, true

Boganboy
Boganboy
5 years ago
Reply to  timworstall

Of course, since the batteries of electric cars have such a short lifespan, this may not be true in future.

TD
TD
5 years ago

Hmmm. I have used a buggy whip. Actually, it was more of a long leather pole. Nothing snaky or whippy about it, but you used it to lightly tap the horse on the top of his butt and said sktch, sktch couple times, and off we went. No need to actually whip the critter. No question though, handling a horse and buggy is a lost art. It was fun, but I preferred to ride.

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