Sue

David Lynch. R.I.P. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/16/david-lynch-twin-peaks-and-muholland-drive-director-dies-aged-78?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

I agree re rents, but I don't think you can compare Croydon and Bromley with East Dulwich. Different kettles of fish. They both had, or possibly still have, big what used to be called "shopping centres" rather than just high streets. I think the one in Croydon is being "regenerated" or whatever the word is, isn't it? Also shopping habits are changing. Where once you would go to a physical shop to buy things, now many things are bought online, where apart from the convenience there is more choice, and you can easily compare prices and see reviews. Re Lidl in Dulwich, I knew a very well off person with a house on the Thames in London plus various other places including a flat in Venice (!), who shopped in Lidl because she said their parmesan was excellent 😀 My grandmother used to be very sniffy about M&S (in the days before it became known by its initials) 😀 I think it would be great to have a Lidl nearer than Camberwell or Peckham, but I can't see it happening, sadly. I'd also like to see a Waitrose, preferably replacing Sainsbury's, but that isn't going to happen either, also sadly.

Nor would I have done, but it came up when I googled John Lewis reviews. Do you not trust TrustPilot reviews? Even allowing for the fact that many people only post reviews when they have had poor service, 27% one star reviews is indicative of something wrong, I would say. That's 27% of 76,392 reviews. That's an awful lot of people who don't think the service they got from John Lewis was even worth two stars, let alone more. Screenshot attached.

Yes I agree much of what they sell is unhealthy rubbish, but they do have some good things, some of which are not sold by Health Matters (so far as I know) eg sprouted rye bread. Once it's open I slice and freeze it. Though whether they sell that in their shops or just online, I don't know.

I can't remember exactly when it was, but some years back a shop opened up virtually opposite Health Matters which was selling more or less the same kind of thing (what were they thinking?!) It didn't last long, I assume because most if not all people continued to use Health Matters. Hopefully Health Matters and H&B are sufficiently different that Health Matters won't be impacted too much. Also, I doubt that assistants in H&B will have the same kind of expert knowledge about what they are selling as the people in Health Matters do - and for some kinds of products (eg vitamins, supplements, essential oils) it's important to be able to be sure that what you are being told is reliable.

I will go to both Health Matters and H&B! I already buy a lot online from H&B in their sales, - when they have excellent bargains for things like 3 for 2 large bags of nuts (which I freeze), and so it's one high street store I'm pleased to see on Lordship Lane (apart from their weird array of sports stuff and "snacks" with sugar in). I can't say the same for Oliver Bonas, but then I doubt I am their target market 😂

The thread was started because of uncollected trees being a potential obstruction on pavements. They could be a problem for people in wheelchairs, with prams or with mobility issues.

I just thought that as your query was specific to the road, more people who live in the road might see it on a group specific to the road than on here, as the road group has over a hundred members, but no problem!

This is a section of the forum about local issues. If you want to post about "more important things" which are not solely related to local issues, there is a lounge section for that purpose. 🙄

I was going by the screen shot posted above by Cancerian.

So if they are doing this for everyone, what's the point of asking people to book a collection, which is just making more work for the people answering the phones and arranging the collection?! Or do you already have a garden waste bin, as per the guidelines above?

Mine was emptied (unless I had forgotten to put anything in it!) However my old food bin, which I had to replace because the bin men flung it over my wall and broke off the lid, which then blew away somewhere in the wind, is also still there. Every time I try to get rid of it by putting it in the green bin, it is never emptied from the green bin. I'm not sure if this is because it gets stuck (it only just fits in the green bin) but short of taking it to the tip myself I can't see how else to dispose of it. Btw there is an Ulverscroft Road WhatsApp group where you might get more response than on here re whether other people's food bins were emptied. If you aren't already on it, message me and I can add you.

The poor customer service is very unlikely to be due to staff cuts. My poor experiences go back decades, and my understanding was that JL had actually made great efforts to attempt to improve their customer service. I have no idea why a department store should be on TripAdvisor, but when I googled it came up with reviews like the attached screenshots from several years ago. I have had poor service both prior to buying things (hence my purchase from AO instead of JL, despite doing massive research beforehand) , during buying things (sent from JL in Oxford Street to a Waitrose in Canary Wharf to collect a laptop which was supposed to be collected from JL in Oxford Street, which was very inconvenient) and after buying things ( including problems with said laptop, which JL initially washed their hands of because I had "bought it in Waitrose"). I could go on. And on. And on. At great length 🤬🤣 Even greater length than usual 🤣 And this one:

I could write a book on the problems I've had with John Lewis over the years! I keep saying I will never use them again, but unfortunately sometimes circumstances dictate that I do. I did once get some monetary compensation, but it in no way made up for all the preceding hassle and inconvenience. Good luck with the mattress! Hope you find what you want and it all goes smoothly!

Hopefully their customer service has improved then, as I've had several bad experiences over the years (despite their good reputation!) including fairly recently with a fridge freezer, which after two visits in person to Oxford Street I ended up buying from AO. Their TrustPilot ratings are interesting (I just looked them up). I know many people tend to only post when they've received poor service, but even so .... 27% one star ratings is not good.

Many people have artificial trees, some people have real trees in pots which they keep from year to year, and some people don't have a tree at all, so the fact that there are fewer trees on the streets than houses doesn't necessarily mean that "the majority of people dispose of theirs responsibly"! Does the council not publicise their requirements anywhere other than on their website? I never have a cut tree, but if I did have, I would assume that the council collected them, particularly seeing other trees on the pavement. So I don't think it's necessarily the case that people are being selfish or unneighbourly, though as with anything, some might be. They just may not know that if they don't have a brown garden waste bin, they have to contact the council to arrange collection.

I didn't mean you were joking. I mean whoever told your wife that may have been joking! Possibly with a straight face. It would be highly unlikely that just one building in the whole area would run out of gas, surely? Unless they have a system like caravans and someone forgot to change the bottles 😀

I don't have any mattress suggestions, but you could try a mattress topper on top of the mattress? Also ask in a reputable place that sells mattresses?

What is also happening - I don't know about Sainsbury's as I no longer shop there, but certainly in other supermarkets and with some manufacturers - is that products remain the same price but the quality or quantity is reduced. Just one example: I buy Waitrose Essential tissues, only because they have plain boxes with no branding once they are in use, and I like the colours (blue for the large ones and mauve for the smaller ones). The tissues in the mauve box have recently become so thin that they disintegrate virtually immediately you use them. Same with Cushelle quilted toilet rolls. Well, they don't disintegrate, which would be revolting, but they have also got so thin that it's hardly worth buying the quilted ones. And as for PG Tips ...... 🤬

I remember all those glowing recommendations, but I haven't seen any mention of them anywhere lately. Are they still going?

Very interesting point, Ianr!

Not in mine either if I knew they were there 🤣

As you haven't quoted my post, it is rather hard to respond, as I can't see what I said without having to keep changing page. Perhaps you could edit your post to quote mine? Thanks x I'm pretty sure I didn't contravene any forum rules, btw. But if I did, I'm sure I will get my hand slapped by admin, in which case I will of course apologise 😀

How can a supermarket "run out of gas"? Was that a joke? The Metro article is referring to the central gas supply, surely? Which hasn't actually run out yet. I said "local" press. And the reason would be that the bad publicity might push Sainsbury's head office to improve what sound like presently appalling conditions for their DKH staff to work in. Yes of course there are terrible things happening all over the world. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to change things which we might be able to have an immediate impact on locally.