On Mar 19, 9:49*pm, wrote:
Have they fixed the heating problem yet? Last time I had a look around
the shops there they had no heating at all - the only place where it
seemed *to work was in the Eurostar ticket office. Some shops had
signs blaming a general problem across the station.

I have to say I'm very disappointed that the shops, restaurants and
market are taking so long to complete. I was also very disappointed
with the lack of facilities once you've gone through security in the
Eurostar terminal itself. I seem to remember there was one tiny cafe
and one tiny WH Smith (with an enormous queue).

Still a gorgeous station though and fantastic to have such quick
trains to Europe.

When I was being shown around the site a few years ago, with a party
of interested locals, the guides were clearly disappointed that the
only reaction they were getting to their descriptions of grand retail
facilities was a muted "so I won't be able to afford to live around
here any more".

It's typical of a development which is designed to exclude, rather
than provide for the needs of, the local community.

They need grocery shops, post offices, libraries etc etc etc, not
overpriced sandwich bars and tie shops.

Travellers, in the meantime, need quick and easy interchanges to help
them get to where they are really going, and places to sit while they
are waiting. Reports suggest that they haven't exactly got these
things.

On 19 Mar, 18:30, David Cantrell wrote:
On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 07:12:36AM -0700, Mr Thant wrote:
On 18 Mar, 12:42, Sky Rider wrote:
* More than four-fifths of the Arcade units are now operational
Although some of the more boutiquey shops look yet to get their first
customer.

Gosh, I wonder why. *Perhaps it's because people go to railway stations
to catch trains, not to go shopping.


For anyone whos interested, I did this survey of the number of
customers in each shop at St Pancras at 6pm today


Upstairs

The Baby Betjamin 28
Champagne Bar 177
WH Smiths 11
Camden Food Company 24
West Cornwall Pasty Co 2
AMT 14

Downstairs

Benugo 52
Chopd 29
Fossil 0
Neuhaus 8
Neis Yard Remedies 2
Rituals 2
Marks and Spencer 59
Hotels 0
Currency Exchange 4
WH Smith 14
Paperchase 12
Body Shop 5
Accesorise 8
Costa 51
Crepe Affaire 12
Le Pain Quotidien 111
Paul 11
Pink 0
LK Bennet 6
Foyles 26
Hamleys 7
Isle Flowers 1
Wilton and Noble 3
Peyton and Byrne 19

I make that 254 customers upstairs and 434 downstairs. I have no idea
how that compares for a building that size. Seemed like a lot in the
food and drink places, not many in the clothes shops. Wilton and Noble
had 6 staff to serve its 3 customers. M+S was mobbed - queue snaking
around the store.

Rob

In message
, at
15:23:36 on Thu, 20 Mar 2008, Rob remarked:
M+S was mobbed - queue snaking around the store.

It's the only shop where you can buy a range of things for a "packed
lunch" on the train (and is a replacement for the ever popular
"Whistlestop" - it's a shame there isn't a real "Whistlestop" any more,
one upstairs by the EMT platforms would be a good idea).

And of course it's also the only place to buy something to take home to
cook. Some of the other shops have limited selections of items.
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message
, at
15:23:36 on Thu, 20 Mar 2008, Rob remarked:
M+S was mobbed - queue snaking around the store.

It's the only shop where you can buy a range of things for a "packed
lunch" on the train (and is a replacement for the ever popular
"Whistlestop" - it's a shame there isn't a real "Whistlestop" any more,
one upstairs by the EMT platforms would be a good idea).

It's also one of the few that doesn't "charge three time as much for ready
food" because it's on a railway station.

tim

"Mr Thant" wrote in message
...

(and how long was the big Marks and Spencer open for? It opened after
the station and closed again at least a month ago, so it can't have
more than a few weeks. Deserted too)


Anyone know why they closed it? An insufficiency of customers?

Will it be coming back?

On 21 Mar, 11:45, "news outlook" wrote:
Anyone know why they closed it? * An insufficiency of customers?

There were more staff than customers the few times I went in, and it
was a big shop filled with mostly very perishable stock, so must have
cost a fortune to keep open.

Will it be coming back?

It was the only shop in that part of the station open to customers,
and a long way from anywhere passengers would be wandering past. This
will change with the opening of the Kent platforms and the tunnel to
the Northern Ticket Hall. I'd expect it to reopen when the other shops
at that end of the station do, though they don't seem in any hurry.

U

--
http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/
A blog about transport projects in London

On 18 Mar, 14:12, Mr Thant
wrote:
On 18 Mar, 12:42, Sky Rider wrote:

* More than four-fifths of the Arcade units are now operational

Although some of the more boutiquey shops look yet to get their first
customer. There's a posh shirt shop on the west side where the staff
looked suicidal last time I passed. The food shops are doing well.

(and how long was the big Marks and Spencer open for? It opened after
the station and closed again at least a month ago, so it can't have
more than a few weeks. Deserted too)

U

--http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/
A blog about transport projects in London

I looked in at a posh chocolate shop in the arcade this week. Knocking
out half Easter eggs filled with little, silver-paper-wrapped "filled"
eggs, in a posh plastic bag. Advertised weight was 500g, yours for
only £35.

Yep, £70/kilo.

I looked, but I don't remember seeing anything for less than about £15
- and that was a small box of chocs.

Think I'll stick to Cadburys with the odd visit to Thorntons.

Rob.

It's also one of the few that doesn't "charge three time as much for ready
food" because it's on a railway station.

Though, presumably, that's only because they charge three times as much
everywhere else anyway!

LEWIS

On Mar 21, 1:15 pm, "Lew 1" wrote:
It's also one of the few that doesn't "charge three time as much for ready
food" because it's on a railway station.

Though, presumably, that's only because they charge three times as much
everywhere else anyway!


Agreed. I occasionally wander into the WhistleStop at King's Cross
(platform 8), grimace at the prices (especially for beer and wine),
and wander down the platform to visit M&S Simply Food instead.

PaulO

On Mar 21, 12:09 pm, Mr Thant
wrote:
On 21 Mar, 11:45, "news outlook" wrote:

Anyone know why they closed it? An insufficiency of customers?

There were more staff than customers the few times I went in, and it
was a big shop filled with mostly very perishable stock, so must have
cost a fortune to keep open.

Will it be coming back?

It was the only shop in that part of the station open to customers,
and a long way from anywhere passengers would be wandering past. This
will change with the opening of the Kent platforms and the tunnel to
the Northern Ticket Hall. I'd expect it to reopen when the other shops
at that end of the station do, though they don't seem in any hurry.


M&S made a valiant effort to attract people to visit it, with staff
hanging around the station handing out vouchers for free pastries.
Presumably it wasn't enough. (The only reason I went there was to
avoid the queues in the much-busier M&S Simply Food in the "arcade").

PaulO