You drive the 20 miles to Didcot to get a few hours free parking rather than pay £1 for all day Sunday in Newbury?

That's quite an assumption you've made there.

I live approximately 8 miles from Didcot (9 from Newbury). I don't mind going an extra mile or two, so sometimes I go to Wantage or Abingdon, or even Wallingford if the fancy takes me.

Newbury needs to remember that its catchment area extends well beyond the town itself, and those of us out in the sticks have a choice. Those who live in the Lambourn area, for instance, can head to Swindon, Marlborough, Hungerford or of course Wantage.

Marvellous shopping opportunities in Didcot!!

I wonder if WBC have calculated the potential loss from the Town Centre to places such as Didcot, Wantage, and the out of town retail parks? Would be interesting to understand the comparison between income from parking and potential lost income to trade.

With the exception of Downlander, I doubt that people are flocking in their thousands to Didcot for their retail needs.

No but they have been flocking to the shops and free parking at the Retail Park.

Might not be the best selection of shops but the free parking helps save some money compared to newbury town. Hate teh out of town shopping places but parking is free too.

I knew someone would sneer.

The reality is that most shopping is mundane stuff. Granted, you wouldn't go to Didcot to buy a new hat for a wedding or (insert luxury item here), but smaller towns like Didcot or Wantage can adequately meet everyday requirements.

So why do people flock to such places as The Oracle if their mundane needs can be met elsewhere?
I can imagine two ladies discussing their trip out shopping.................I know, lets go to Didcot!!
(Actually there is quite a good motorcycle shop there though!! )

I wouldn't go to somewhere like the Oracle for routine shopping, and I doubt anyone else does. Going to the Oracle is entertainment for people who enjoy going round shops looking at stuff and trying things on. I don't happen to be one of them. I am not a "recreational shopper". Shopping to me is usually a chore.

I've just looked at my current mundane shopping list and all of it can be met by a visit to Sainsburys or Tesco, Wilkinsons or Robert Dyas, Boots or Superdrug, all of which can be found in Didcot. Now if I want to buy something more occasional like a new winter coat, I'll obviously go elsewhere. You are right about the motorcycle shop though.

should not you be on a didcot forum rather than this one?

You are facing the same old blinkered bias . My other half and I go to Didcot more than anywhere else for a couple of hours on a Saturday. Sainsbury is always full of customers, and the other shops are quite diverse.

For one suggestion that Didcot has it's virtues for shoppers?

Blinkered is a very apposite word, given the racing connotations.

In fact I shopped in Abingdon today. Needed to stock up on dog food - the kind we favour is stocked by Pets at Home (Newbury & Abingdon) but is 50p a pack cheaper at Seeneys, the independent pet store in Abingdon. Got everything else I needed at Waitrose, Superdrug and that big shop that sells all sorts. Parking costs nil.

One of the stores that does attract us to Newbury is about to close, and that is Fabricland - a victim of rising rents. This is a grievous loss to Newbury, as it is the only place to buy fabric and material of all sorts*. Their website is frighteningly awful, but if you can get past the flashy neon horror of it you can't help but like them. First port of call for seasonal & DIY fancy dress type stuff.
*There's another fabric shop way up near the college, but not in the retail park. And that's it afaik.

Newbury should be falling over backwards to keep Fabricland.

Although having a good selection of useful goods at a reasonable price which you cannot buy elsewhere, I have always found the customer service in Fabricland appalling.

Which can applied to a lot of local retail outlets.

Exactly.
Which I suspect is a contributing factor as to why many fail.

I'm not a buyer of fabrics and buttons as a rule but I did need some wadding a week or so ago and called in at the fabric shop by the college opposite the car wash. Free parking and plenty of it and walking into the large shop, it was like the old style bazaar. Masses of stock, loads of every type of material and sewing stuff you could imagine and the bloke behind the counter was so helpful, it was a geat experience, almost as good as a visit to a tool shop.
I would recommend a visit to anyone with a fetish for fabric and the like.

I would imaging that this shop is the reason Fabricland in Bart street is closing.....

Traffic was queing back to London Road to get into PW car park today.