Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[Lost property]

I always thought Lidl were better for actual German products e.g. Wurst and Frikadellen - Aldi have very much Anglicised their range.

They are and always have been really. They also now sell a range of crumbles, plum comes to mind, formerly sold by Aldi who have certainly slowly but surely changed their range. I like Lidl's products and prices. As an aside, if you want real German food, try German Deli on line.

However, if there was one food retailer I would like to see cease trading, look no further than M & S....overpriced for years and those sanctimonious smarmy adverts would be gone forever.

 

[DelayRepay]

However, if there was one food retailer I would like to see cease trading, look no further than M & S....overpriced for years and those sanctimonious smarmy adverts would be gone forever.

I disagree. If you can avoid vomiting at the name, their Remarksable Value range is reasonably priced. I was surprised when I called in to buy a few bits for my tea recently.

 

[BJames]

I disagree. If you can avoid vomiting at the name, their Remarksable Value range is reasonably priced. I was surprised when I called in to buy a few bits for my tea recently.

Agreed and I am partial to a treat every now and then from there. I do agree that the food is generally on the pricier side, but it is still incredibly popular and busy whenever I've been in, regardless of which town I'm in. I don't think M&S is one I can see going anytime soon.

 

[DelayRepay]

Agreed and I am partial to a treat every now and then from there. I do agree that the food is generally on the pricier side, but it is still incredibly popular and busy whenever I've been in, regardless of which town I'm in. I don't think M&S is one I can see going anytime soon.

They're not going anywhere, but they are shifting away from the larger department store format to smaller Simply Food stores. I guess like everywhere they're doing more business online now and people can collect their orders from the Simply Food outlets.

 

[SuspectUsual]

There is a bit of a lorry driver shortage (in most of Europe too, so it's not *just* Brexit, though that isn't helping). But there's a fairly standard answer to that - if you want to get people to work for you instead of someone else, pay more and offer better conditions and they will

Trouble is if every firm offers more money you just get spiralling wage inflation. I the case of Lidl that would mean their cheapness is hit. Most customers don't have morals.

The conditions part is just as important as the wages bit. Lidl expect their drivers to do the unloading as well as the driving, whereas some of their competitors’ drivers get to sit in the cab and mess around on their phones. Talking to people I know who have some experience of how Lidl operate, their never ending quest for “efficiency” manifests itself in more short term changes to shift patterns, which is something drivers tend to really dislike

But apropos Lidl, I’ve come to realise that it’s only the bakery bit * where they’re better than Aldi. Now we have a local Aldi I realise their range is far bigger and the quality seems at least as good as Lidl if not better.


* and the frozen beef bourgignon pies. They’re exceptional

 

[Cowley]

I’m wondering if with the amount of drifting the thread is doing now whether we’ve started to run out of businesses that are closing down (which would seem surprising in the current climate)?

 

[Blindtraveler]

This has to win an award for the most polite reminder to stay on topic ever.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Wilko is struggling a bit at the moment. As I understand it a credit facility was withdrawn. As a result, Wilko has told/agreed with their landlords that instead of paying their rent on a Quarterly basis for the end of this year, they will now pay it monthly. Suppliers have also refused to provide stock unless they are paid up front - which is a bit of a vicious circle. If I had to guess, I think there's potential that the company could end up in some form of administration and then be snapped up without their debt and continue (though maybe with a smaller store estate).

Interesting, because as of their 2021 report they had a new worth of £89 million, which is rather healthier than most companies. They must have had some sudden shock to their system somewhere since then?

Waitrose in Croydon has shut down now. To be honest i am surprised that Waitrose even opened up in Croydon in the first place. It is the last place i would expect a Waitrose store. It is the complete opposite of their usual locations of nice wealthy Surrey and Sussex commuter towns. Unsurprisingly they do not seem to have done well in Croydon and have now shut down.

Was that the one about a minute's walk down the hill from East Croydon station?

If so... that used to be a Safeway and before that a Gateway so I think they probably got it by default during some bulk deal involving stores passing from one ownership to another rather than choosing to open up there specifically.

 

[tbtc]

I go for the "middle of Lidl"

That’s something that’s been ruined by (insert whatever excuse you want to use for the trade problems/ delays, whether that’s staff shortages/ repercussions from the Suez Canal being closed a while back/ Brexit/ migrant populations returning “home” etc)

Once upon a time you could go to Lidl (or Aldi) on a Thursday morning and try to get first dibs on the special offers, but they are so regularly delayed that they either turn up unannounced weeks later or the middle aisle stays half empty

Not a big problem when it’s just about minor treats for yourself but I know a lot of people who (like me) relied on them as a source of cheap polo shirts/ trousers etc for school - given the huge mark up that could be paid for them at some other shops - it’s expensive at the start of the new academic year when you suddenly need multiples of each , because your child struggled to fit into their clothes in springtime and have had a growth spurt since then - but you can’t send them to school in something that wouldn’t meet the uniform code

 

[busestrains]

Interesting, because as of their 2021 report they had a new worth of £89 million, which is rather healthier than most companies. They must have had some sudden shock to their system somewhere since then?


Was that the one about a minute's walk down the hill from East Croydon station?

If so... that used to be a Safeway and before that a Gateway so I think they probably got it by default during some bulk deal involving stores passing from one ownership to another rather than choosing to open up there specifically.

Yes that is the one. It was just a one minute walk down from East Croydon station. Very convenient for visiting if you were changing trains and had a while. I went to it quite a few times when i had a while waiting around for connecting trains that had been delayed and cancelled.

Thinking about it quite a lot of Waitrose branches were previously other chains. A lot of Safeway and Somerfield and Morrisons stores around South East England were bought by Waitrose in the 2000s. So a lot seemed to be taken over by Waitrose a while back. You are probably right about them just acquiring it through a bulk deal rather than choosing to have a Croydon branch.

 

[SuspectUsual]

A lot of Safeway and Somerfield and Morrisons stores around South East England were bought by Waitrose in the 2000s

Not sure of the specifics in that area but the Morrisons / Safeway “merger” (aka Morrisons takeover) was in 2004 and as a result they had to divest themselves of some stores on the instructions of the competition authority people, so that might explain it. It’s certainly why there’s now a Waitrose in Otley

 

[Peter Sarf]

Croydon is a funny place. Essentially it has a mix of rich and poor. For poor people, Croydon town centre is their town centre. For rich people, it's central London - they just don't shop in Croydon itself bar a visit to Waitrose.

The effect of this is that Croydon town centre is a run-down dump, as not much money is coming into it.

The Westfield idea may have changed that, but I'm not sure how else you would.

See below.

I think there's something similar with alot of outer London larger towns, the Ilfords, Barkings, Romfords, Woolwiches

Why would you go to your local run down town centre when you can be at Stratford, Canary Wharf, Oxford Street in 10-20 minutes

Living in Croydon I see it as two halves. The Northern half (beyond West Croydon) has a demographic that is less wealthy. The Southern half is reasonably middle class. The town centre has slipped into being the shopping centre for the Northern half. This in my opinion was accelerated by the various stalled developments leading to the loss of a good range of shops (no hardware store). The border is slipping slowly South and will take over my house soon I fear (a humble two up two down aka an "artisans dwelling" !). This makes for some good stores being out of place (Waitrose and M&S).

Waitrose in Croydon has shut down now. To be honest i am surprised that Waitrose even opened up in Croydon in the first place. It is the last place i would expect a Waitrose store. It is the complete opposite of their usual locations of nice wealthy Surrey and Sussex commuter towns. Unsurprisingly they do not seem to have done well in Croydon and have now shut down.

See below.

There are some massive, expensive houses in Croydon. It surprises me that there *isn't* one.

You can't tell me, for example, that this street:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

isn't one where one shops at Waitrose. Those houses are probably worth well over a million.

Edit: Aha, there's one where one can drive one's Range Rover to in Sanderstead, just south of Croydon. Or maybe one of the Jags instead. Probably easier to park and nicer than the scabby town centre. Moving out of town centres to larger out of town sites is in Waitrose's model, they did it in Milton Keynes too.

The Waitrose near East Croydon staiton would have picked up trade from commuters heading home Westwards from East Croydon station (like myself) and probably many detouring back East. It was a Safeway and was, along with others, bought by Co-op. But the competition police saw it as too many Co-ops (tell me where ?) so the Co-op passed it on to Waitrose (another co-operative by nature company). So it could next become a Co-op, but I think the Sainburys either side (one by East Croydon station) have watered down the footfall.

They are and always have been really. They also now sell a range of crumbles, plum comes to mind, formerly sold by Aldi who have certainly slowly but surely changed their range. I like Lidl's products and prices. As an aside, if you want real German food, try German Deli on line.

However, if there was one food retailer I would like to see cease trading, look no further than M & S....overpriced for years and those sanctimonious smarmy adverts would be gone forever.

All I know is the pair have both recently opened new branches on the Purley Way - Croydons growing car culture shopping area. Aldo always seems to have a lot fewer customers. I am struggling to find the difference that could explain it.

Agreed and I am partial to a treat every now and then from there. I do agree that the food is generally on the pricier side, but it is still incredibly popular and busy whenever I've been in, regardless of which town I'm in. I don't think M&S is one I can see going anytime soon.

M&S hits a market that want good food. But I have noticed they are not drastically expensive - they don't sell the cheapest quality. I think they do not have much competition.

They're not going anywhere, but they are shifting away from the larger department store format to smaller Simply Food stores. I guess like everywhere they're doing more business online now and people can collect their orders from the Simply Food outlets.

M&S were a clothes shop and I think food helped pull in more custom and looks where its heading !. They of course do furniture etc. I think M&S are the last of their kind because I can only think of House of Fraser as an alternative and the one in Croydon is deadly quiet customer wise.

The conditions part is just as important as the wages bit. Lidl expect their drivers to do the unloading as well as the driving, whereas some of their competitors’ drivers get to sit in the cab and mess around on their phones. Talking to people I know who have some experience of how Lidl operate, their never ending quest for “efficiency” manifests itself in more short term changes to shift patterns, which is something drivers tend to really dislike

But apropos Lidl, I’ve come to realise that it’s only the bakery bit * where they’re better than Aldi. Now we have a local Aldi I realise their range is far bigger and the quality seems at least as good as Lidl if not better.


* and the frozen beef bourgignon pies. They’re exceptional

In Croydon it was only Lidl until recently and as I say above one of each have opened near to each other but Aldi seems quieter than Lidl.

Interesting, because as of their 2021 report they had a new worth of £89 million, which is rather healthier than most companies. They must have had some sudden shock to their system somewhere since then?


Was that the one about a minute's walk down the hill from East Croydon station?

If so... that used to be a Safeway and before that a Gateway so I think they probably got it by default during some bulk deal involving stores passing from one ownership to another rather than choosing to open up there specifically.

I do hope Wilko survive, Irony is Croydon does not have one. Infact we only have Poundstretcher. Wilko have a broader range than Poundstretcher, B&M and another whose name escapes me.

I have heard Poundstretcher are struggling btw.

Not sure of the specifics in that area but the Morrisons / Safeway “merger” (aka Morrisons takeover) was in 2004 and as a result they had to divest themselves of some stores on the instructions of the competition authority people, so that might explain it. It’s certainly why there’s now a Waitrose in Otley

Co-op bought many Safeway branches (probably the smaller ones ?) and had to pass the one by East Croydon on (to Waitrose).

 

[Steddenm]

Poundstretcher recently did a 50% off sale on everything as long as you spent £5 in store... the only problem is, they doubled the prices on the day of the sale making the prices as they were before. They then decided to end the sale and say that they've always got low prices, by returning prices to what they were pre-sale.

Poundstretcher's sister brand, Bargain Buys also took part in the "sale".

See:
AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price.

Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for her weekly shop after being enticed by the promo sale signs on the window

I went to Poundstretcher for half price sale but was fuming when I got inside

AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price. Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for he…

www.thescottishsun.co.uk

 

[Peter Sarf]

Poundstretcher recently did a 50% off sale on everything as long as you spent £5 in store... the only problem is, they doubled the prices on the day of the sale making the prices as they were before. They then decided to end the sale and say that they've always got low prices, by returning prices to what they were pre-sale.

Poundstretcher's sister brand, Bargain Buys also took part in the "sale".

See:
AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price.

Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for her weekly shop after being enticed by the promo sale signs on the window

I went to Poundstretcher for half price sale but was fuming when I got inside

AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price. Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for he…

www.thescottishsun.co.uk

Gosh. I had wondered that. Eyed up some garden stuff a while ago and felt it was not cheap even though half price. Now i am convinced it was a con. Pundstretcher must be getting desperate.

 

[david1212]

Has anybody else noticed a lack of stock in their local Wilko? Ours has had "we are experiencing supply issues" signs on lots of sparsely loaded shelves for ages now. It is looking somewhat remenicent of Woolies towards the end and we know what happened to them.

Wilko is struggling a bit at the moment. As I understand it a credit facility was withdrawn. As a result, Wilko has told/agreed with their landlords that instead of paying their rent on a Quarterly basis for the end of this year, they will now pay it monthly. Suppliers have also refused to provide stock unless they are paid up front - which is a bit of a vicious circle. If I had to guess, I think there's potential that the company could end up in some form of administration and then be snapped up without their debt and continue (though maybe with a smaller store estate).

That's a shame. You'd think a budget housewares store would do well at the moment, but maybe Poundland undercuts them too much. Would be a shame to see them go the way of Woolworths, which give or take kids' clothing they basically are.

......
I used to use Wilko a lot, as did my mum. They were great for things like cleaning products, pet food etc because they were cheaper than the supermarkets. Now there are more stores like B&M, Home Bargains and Poundland playing in that space. The problem with a smaller estate is Wilko isn't the kind of store you'd make a special journey to, and they don't sell the kind of stuff that people would order online in significant quantities because the delivery charges would make it uneconomical.

Here's a bit more information: https://www.companyrescue.co.uk/gui...turing-advisors-teneo-cva-a-possibility-4823/

I had not really thought about the gaps on shelves not least with them moving the shop around for Christmas.

Coventry City centre closed the upstairs a while ago. I did read that Bournemouth had closed, which was a big store. Blackpool is planned for a new store as previous demolished for the tramway to the North Station and associated works.

B&M / Home Bargains indeed cover much of what Wilko sell except DIY hardware, paint, filler etc. if you have one nearby. For me two Wilko one less than 3 miles away and another about 4. Nearest B&M is about 10 and Home Bargains perhaps 14. Vaguely in between these two is a 'The Range' with another B&M nearby.

I do hope they survive.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I have heard Poundstretcher are struggling btw.

There was a C4 documentary “Saving Piundstretcher” about five years ago. Didn’t present the owners in a good light at all

 

[Lost property]

Well my comment about M & S, was, slightly, but only slightly, tongue in cheek because I wouldn't lose any sleep in their food sector experienced a significant drop in revenue and profits.

I'm informed both Aldi and Lidl are going to open stores in Rugeley, true there's already an Aldi there, both within close proximity to Tesco, who, strangely, have been lodging objections galore....ironic really when their arrival helped decimate the town centre outlets.

However, there's another food outlet across the UK which may well see closures....the fish and chip shop. In one sense, this has already started with more than one near me reducing their opening times..a burger outlet has already closed nearby, not that this particular outlet will be any great loss with the dubious quality of the menu.

 

[Typhoon]

B&M / Home Bargains indeed cover much of what Wilko sell except DIY hardware, paint, filler etc. if you have one nearby. For me two Wilko one less than 3 miles away and another about 4. Nearest B&M is about 10 and Home Bargains perhaps 14. Vaguely in between these two is a 'The Range' with another B&M nearby.

I do hope they survive.

So do I! Most of my nearest Wilko stores are in town centres which means I can shop there when passing through but this may be the cause of their problem. Post-covid, in many town centres the footfall is still some way short of pre-pandemic levels. Landlords don't seem to be picking up on that. I, too, hope they survive - as, undoubtedly, do my feathered friends who consume their bird food prodigiously.

The nearest B&M to me does sell hardware, not an extensive amount but enough so that if I am shopping nearby and need something, I will look there, certainly ahead of B&Q which appears to be going down the pan.

 

[Kite159]

Poundstretcher recently did a 50% off sale on everything as long as you spent £5 in store... the only problem is, they doubled the prices on the day of the sale making the prices as they were before. They then decided to end the sale and say that they've always got low prices, by returning prices to what they were pre-sale.

Poundstretcher's sister brand, Bargain Buys also took part in the "sale".

See:
AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price.

Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for her weekly shop after being enticed by the promo sale signs on the window

I went to Poundstretcher for half price sale but was fuming when I got inside

AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price. Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for he…

www.thescottishsun.co.uk

Is that even legal?

Reminds me of one clothing shop a few years ago which always had a "up to 75%" sale on, but got caught out as they had never listed the products for the full price.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Pre Metro Operations Ltd, if the Stourbridge shuttle is to be replaced (see the dedicated thread on it). Though I suppose it could remain and take on the new unit, the company is a Parry creation and the owners of e.g. the Revolution VLR may prefer to create their own company to operate it instead.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Is that even legal?

No, it's not. By law a sale has to be measured against a normal price which applied for a certain length of time prior to the sale.

I'll hazard a guess that the abrupt end to that "sale that wasn't" had more to do with the directors getting an urgent and strong warning from their legal bods than anything else.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is that even legal?

Reminds me of one clothing shop a few years ago which always had a "up to 75%" sale on, but got caught out as they had never listed the products for the full price.

I seem to recall, as long as that's published somewhere, the "full price" can be charged in any store of the chain, it doesn't have to be all of them. I seem to recall at least one chain having an unattractively located store somewhere for this exact purpose, though I can't recall which chain or where. Perhaps DFS does, which has a permanent sale - did anyone ever pay full price for a DFS sofa?

Edit: Allegedly, from another forum, DFS used to have five relatively obscure stores that would do this, but now they distribute the full price products around their stores, so any given store only carries a few, which people generally won't buy, but if they do it's a bit of extra money. After 6 months they can be discounted.

 

[Busaholic]

No, it's not. By law a sale has to be measured against a normal price which applied for a certain length of time prior to the sale.

I'll hazard a guess that the abrupt end to that "sale that wasn't" had more to do with the directors getting an urgent and strong warning from their legal bods than anything else.

A little more complex than that - a notice in the Penzance store saying that the higher price applied in their Scunthorpe store for a given week prior to the Penzance store apparently suffices, legally! It would take a certain doggedness plus a receipt from the Scunthorpe store from the period in question to 'disprove' that statement.

 

[Thirteen]

Have to admit when I saw RIP Wilko on Twitter, I thought it'd gone under. Turns out it was about Wilko Johnson.

 

[Typhoon]

Poundstretcher recently did a 50% off sale on everything as long as you spent £5 in store... the only problem is, they doubled the prices on the day of the sale making the prices as they were before. They then decided to end the sale and say that they've always got low prices, by returning prices to what they were pre-sale.

Poundstretcher's sister brand, Bargain Buys also took part in the "sale".

See:
AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price.

Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for her weekly shop after being enticed by the promo sale signs on the window

I went to Poundstretcher for half price sale but was fuming when I got inside

AN EDINBURGH shopper was left shocked after she went to Poundstretcher for their half price sale, only to discover the items had gone up in price. Lisa Elder, 38, popped into her local store for he…

www.thescottishsun.co.uk

I'm not convinced it was that simple. I very occasionally shop in Poundstretcher (mainly because the nearest one to me closed) and you have to be selective. I did go to that sale, bought a couple of items with a Recommended Retail Price (RRP) marked on (amongst others). I can well believe they sell stuff at the RRP which was the till price, but I would be surprised if they sold anything at half marked RRP under normal sales conditions. I've certainly never bought them that cheaply. I got the impression that some of the stuff they seemed to be pushing would be classed as 'difficult to sell'. They do seem to have an odd pricing policy. While a shop like Home Bargains is probably 10%-25% cheaper than, say, Sainsburys on stuff they sell in common, the Poundstretcher price may be higher, similar, a little less or a lot less compared to Sainsburys. They are a shop I go in to see what they've got cheap that I might want, not to buy particular items. I suspect there might have been some items where they did jack up the price heavily, and they might have thought that by only offering the deal if you spent a fiver got round it but, after seeing the TV programmes, that was down to incompetence.

 

[E27007]

We have 30 days to Christmas, the shopping scene is cold, I do not hear the sound of overworked shop tills.
January / February is when the banks review the accounts and the landlords are due their rent.
The true picture of the retail economy will be revealed after Christmas, in the meantime it is carry on and hope for the best.

 

[Kite159]

I seem to recall, as long as that's published somewhere, the "full price" can be charged in any store of the chain, it doesn't have to be all of them. I seem to recall at least one chain having an unattractively located store somewhere for this exact purpose, though I can't recall which chain or where. Perhaps DFS does, which has a permanent sale - did anyone ever pay full price for a DFS sofa?

Edit: Allegedly, from another forum, DFS used to have five relatively obscure stores that would do this, but now they distribute the full price products around their stores, so any given store only carries a few, which people generally won't buy, but if they do it's a bit of extra money. After 6 months they can be discounted.

Or Sports Direct with a store attached to the main warehouse in Shirebrook which sold products for full price.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Or Sports Direct with a store attached to the main warehouse in Shirebrook which sold products for full price.

Now you mention it I think that's the one I was thinking of. It's still there but I don't know if they still do it that way.

 

[Iskra]

However, there's another food outlet across the UK which may well see closures....the fish and chip shop. In one sense, this has already started with more than one near me reducing their opening times..a burger outlet has already closed nearby, not that this particular outlet will be any great loss with the dubious quality of the menu.

I disagree, good ones have a queue out of the door constantly around here. If a chippy is quiet it’s probably because it’s substandard, and therefore in my opinion is no loss to the world. I would also say that owners of fish and chip shops seem to be much more selective about their opening hours, compared to many competing take away options, so they often don’t help themselves in that respect.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Well my comment about M & S, was, slightly, but only slightly, tongue in cheek because I wouldn't lose any sleep in their food sector experienced a significant drop in revenue and profits.

I'm informed both Aldi and Lidl are going to open stores in Rugeley, true there's already an Aldi there, both within close proximity to Tesco, who, strangely, have been lodging objections galore....ironic really when their arrival helped decimate the town centre outlets.

However, there's another food outlet across the UK which may well see closures....the fish and chip shop. In one sense, this has already started with more than one near me reducing their opening times..a burger outlet has already closed nearby, not that this particular outlet will be any great loss with the dubious quality of the menu.

If M&S lose out on food sales than that is a prop gone for their traditonal (clothing etc) stores. I would say that then essentially ends the era of the department store.

I think a lot of restaurants have closed their front of house and just do deliveries. To this end I have seen staff sitting at the restaurant tables preparing food. There is a hell of a lot more deliveries going on round Croydon since Covid and it does not seem to have declined with the financial squeeze - yet.

We have 30 days to Christmas, the shopping scene is cold, I do not hear the sound of overworked shop tills.
January / February is when the banks review the accounts and the landlords are due their rent.
The true picture of the retail economy will be revealed after Christmas, in the meantime it is carry on and hope for the best.

I do feel it is a bit lame this year. And it is true restaurants and shops come to a reckoning just after their busiest period - Christmass.

I disagree, good ones have a queue out of the door constantly around here. If a chippy is quiet it’s probably because it’s substandard, and therefore in my opinion is no loss to the world. I would also say that owners of fish and chip shops seem to be much more selective about their opening hours, compared to many competing take away options, so they often don’t help themselves in that respect.

I have seen some fish and chip shops with very specific hours. I think it costs a lot of money to keep the oil hot for just a few irregular off peak orders. Whereas people like to turn up for just ready fish and chips rather than waiting for them to be cooked.