{"id":1148,"date":"2025-06-13T12:45:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T12:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/?p=1148"},"modified":"2025-06-17T00:20:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T00:20:25","slug":"poundland-is-a-lifeline-well-miss-it-if-it-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vecimasupport.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/13\/poundland-is-a-lifeline-well-miss-it-if-it-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"Poundland is a lifeline \u2013 we\u2019ll miss it if it dies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"A\t<\/div>
The sign was like a turqoise oasis to me (Picture:PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I saw the news about Poundland<\/a> closing hundreds of stores and potentially shedding thousands of jobs following a sale, my mind created a slide deck of historical high street<\/a> grief.<\/p>\n

Woolworths<\/a>, BHS, C&A, Jane Norman, Blockbuster. Institutions I never thought would go, until they did. And now, although Poundland has been \u2018saved\u2019<\/a>, the chain remains in crisis, and I for one feel sadness and panic. <\/p>\n

Not just because I go there fortnightly to feed my tealight obsession and fulfil my Biscoff biscuit habit without breaking the bank, but because it\u2019s been with me through every era of my life. It\u2019s more than a shop. It\u2019s a part of my story. <\/p>\n

I first found this quids-in heaven as a poor, caffeine-addicted media studies student at the University of East Anglia in the late 90s<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There it stood, strategically based opposite the bus stop. A welcoming turquoise oasis with student-friendly prices, a place where a pound went far enough to stop you starving. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
No matter what’s going on in my life, I still return (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Coffee, toothpaste, soups, soaps, shampoo, shower gel, medicine, even makeup that might make you look slightly orange, all for that one pound coin. <\/p>\n

It truly did feel like it had everything, and remember this was long before Aldi<\/a>\u2019s infamous middle aisle. <\/p>\n

Student finances didn’t stretch far, even back then, and Poundland became part of my survival system. I still associate the whiff of Dove shower gel with that time in my life. <\/p>\n

Reactions to Poundland\u2019s sale are a mix of humour and economic doomscrolling. Of course it was purchased for a pound<\/a>.  <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Amanda\t<\/div>
As I’ve grown up, Poundland has remained a constant (Picture: Pierre Lemond)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The social media spiral of laughter has turned into late-stage capitalism rage. One minute it\u2019s ‘best headline of the year’ bants. The next, meltdown about venture capitalists and our obliterated high streets.  <\/p>\n

In a way, that reflects my relationship with the brand. I used to laugh at Poundland and then rely on it. It was a joke then a lifesaver. <\/p>\n

In my early career, I had the odd period of joblessness, like basically every other media graduate. When I was unemployed, dragging myself to the Jobcentre at 9 am on a Monday, the local Poundland was, once again, opposite. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Woolworths\t<\/div>
I was reminded of high street casualties like Woolworths (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then, it wasn\u2019t merely a cheerful student staple, but a genuine lifeline. <\/p>\n

Single, skint, and scared of my overstretched mortgage payments, I found myself back in those aisles with more desperation than joy. <\/p>\n

This time, searching for a 2-in-1 shampoo and a sense of purpose. I’d walk out of one soul-destroying queue at the Jobcentre and into another, but at least the second had KitKats and Toilet Duck.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019d have change from a fiver. Poundland. Constant. Familiar. Cheap.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to now, while I\u2019m doing financially better, I\u2019m still going. Every couple of weeks, I pop into one of my local Poundlands. It\u2019s a little ritual. <\/p>\n

This time for wood polish and bin bags instead of pot noodles and lip gloss. I pick up gardening bits, essentials, books, the occasional out of season tat (everyone loves Christmas lights in June). <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Poundland\t<\/div>
It might not still charge \u00a31 for every item, but it is still cheap (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And even before yesterday\u2019s news, there was a snobbishness around Poundland, even from those who want us all to shop more mindfully. The same people who crow about ‘buying less and better’ are, in my experience, often the first to sneer at those who can\u2019t. <\/p>\n

They mock budget shops while preaching sustainability, forgetting that a cheap washing powder might be the difference between dignity and desperation for someone who can\u2019t afford to find the best organic sustainable option. <\/p>\n

Sure, it’s not exclusively the land of \u00a31 anymore. But that\u2019s about inflation, not betrayal. It\u2019s still a cheap and accessible high street shop. Still serving people who need it most. This isn\u2019t about cheap Fairy Liquid. It\u2019s about people. Real people. <\/p>\n

Those jobs are under threat. Communities that can\u2019t afford to lose any more from the high street without turning into ghost towns.<\/p>\n

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How do you feel about Poundland’s role in the community?<\/h3>\n