The real problem with our high streets

Yes and all these factors condense into one judgment where the punter sums up value for money. On the one hand you have the 'what I want' which is the value. That might be getting some exercise in going out, seeing interesting stuff rather than getting bored, find some good stuff to buy to improve your life and so on. Then one weighs all this up with the costs. You problems start by searching for one of those dingy eyesore multilevel car parks and then pay through the nose for it. Now just stopping here and looking at how that works out. You never see a shop charge customers an entrance fee, even though every proprietor is paying money to accommodate that shopper. The council may own the car park, but the council is already being paid business rates, so the car park should be part of the value the shops get for the money they pay. It's just psychology. You want as many people in that area as possible so you maximise sales and then you have the cash to pay your rates. In fact an often used marketing trick employs the reverse. They offer discounts on your first purchase so you get rewarded for taking the risk of trying their product. It's yet another example of thick Brits, but this time they are the council. The issue is simple to understand from a business perspective. They have priced themselves out of the market.