Five reasons why I hate Bicester Village
You know, this place really infuriates me. I don't really have any huge reason to hate it, and I haven't always, I just do now. I am well aware of the traffic problems and have read all the comments with regard to Boxing Day on the facebook page. This isn't personally a problem for me these days as I rarely set foot outside my house on Boxing Day but I do have some past experience of it and I can see why it continues to provide anger for other Bicester residents. Over the last few years a simmering resentment against the place has built up in me, and going by what I read I am certainly not alone.
Blimey, if you thought I disliked Tesco, well they aren't even in the same league as this lot. They stand like a bright shining beacon of retail delight next to BV - now that is saying something!
So why don't I like it? Well I have thought about it, and come up with a list of reasons, in no particular order, but here we go. I'll start with the traffic.
1) The traffic issues around BV are causing huge issues for local residents. The problem is three-fold as I see it. Firstly the road system is totally inadequate to cope, particularly at weekends and on bank holidays. Secondly, it seems that there is a certain type of arrogance in the many of those that come that seem to think that it's alright to block the yellow criss cross no entry areas on the roundabout, to park wherever they like when the car park is full in residential areas, even in disabled spaces, and to blatantly show a complete disregard for the town and its residents, presumably they consider us all to be "plebs" to use a topical word. Thirdly it seems nothing is done to enforce traffic/ parking regulations. Well they freely let anyone they like park down the street I live in on the double yellow lines 24/7 so I am unsurprised.
2) I hate the fact that it has put "Bicester" on the map, or rather it's put "Bicester Village" on the map. Hotel literature in London recommends it as a place to go (whilst conveniently airbrushing the presence of the attached town out of existence). I also hate the fact that whenever I go on holiday and people ask me where I live and I say Bicester, they say "Oh, right, yes Bicester Village, I know it, we went there once, wow, you are so lucky to live there". Errrm...no I'm not.
3) Most of what they sell is crap. "Oooohh...but you can get a bargain". Yes I suppose you can if buying something for £60 that costs £120 in London is a bargain (even if it only cost a tenner to make). That's for people who like "designer labels". Personally I have always hated that side of our culture and quite honestly have no time for people who are so shallow and clearly have such low self-esteem issues that they feel they have to have the latest £200 handbag or brand of boots/ clothing etc in order to feel good about themselves. I don't have friends with those values - I have acquaintances - but not friends. It's not my way of living and never will be.
4) I hate the fact that what started out as a reasonable place to shop i.e. a range of designer outlets, but also some good discount chains selling affordable brands appears to have gone down the road of getting rid of the more affordable "high street" names in favour of more "chic". The final straw for me was the day that VANS went - for me it was the one place worth going there for. Great products, great prices, and I also had mates that worked there, it was friendly. Only Clarks remains of any shop I would be interested in going to and I resent going there since they decided to close down the Sheep Street store, particularly as I received such dire customer service the day I did attempt to go in there with the kids. Anyway the place appears to continue to grow as it desires whereas every other attempted project around Bicester takes years or decades to get off the ground. Depends who's pulling the strings I suppose.
5) The fact that all these millions of people seem to have nothing better to do with their Boxing Day than to descend on the place. OK, perhaps that is more indicative of a dislike of how people want to spend their time, but seriously, haven't people got anything better to do? Is it really that important that so many people want to give up a cosy family day? I just can't see the mentality. I do wonder how those people feel. Are they first timers? Do they come away with a sense of satisfaction and day well spent? I just don't get it. Probably never will - guess I am just fundamentally at odds with these types of people.
So Bicester Blogger has spoken again...and probably gained a few more supporters and also lost a couple of people as well, oh well, I don't care, at least we all know where we stand.
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.
Jason xx
Blimey, if you thought I disliked Tesco, well they aren't even in the same league as this lot. They stand like a bright shining beacon of retail delight next to BV - now that is saying something!
So why don't I like it? Well I have thought about it, and come up with a list of reasons, in no particular order, but here we go. I'll start with the traffic.
1) The traffic issues around BV are causing huge issues for local residents. The problem is three-fold as I see it. Firstly the road system is totally inadequate to cope, particularly at weekends and on bank holidays. Secondly, it seems that there is a certain type of arrogance in the many of those that come that seem to think that it's alright to block the yellow criss cross no entry areas on the roundabout, to park wherever they like when the car park is full in residential areas, even in disabled spaces, and to blatantly show a complete disregard for the town and its residents, presumably they consider us all to be "plebs" to use a topical word. Thirdly it seems nothing is done to enforce traffic/ parking regulations. Well they freely let anyone they like park down the street I live in on the double yellow lines 24/7 so I am unsurprised.
 |
| Baa! Baa! Baa! Are we nearly there yet? |
2) I hate the fact that it has put "Bicester" on the map, or rather it's put "Bicester Village" on the map. Hotel literature in London recommends it as a place to go (whilst conveniently airbrushing the presence of the attached town out of existence). I also hate the fact that whenever I go on holiday and people ask me where I live and I say Bicester, they say "Oh, right, yes Bicester Village, I know it, we went there once, wow, you are so lucky to live there". Errrm...no I'm not.
 |
| Oh David, can we take the chopper? I'm too posh to queue you know. |
3) Most of what they sell is crap. "Oooohh...but you can get a bargain". Yes I suppose you can if buying something for £60 that costs £120 in London is a bargain (even if it only cost a tenner to make). That's for people who like "designer labels". Personally I have always hated that side of our culture and quite honestly have no time for people who are so shallow and clearly have such low self-esteem issues that they feel they have to have the latest £200 handbag or brand of boots/ clothing etc in order to feel good about themselves. I don't have friends with those values - I have acquaintances - but not friends. It's not my way of living and never will be.
 |
| Ooh darling, it was an absolute bargain, only £220, would have cost me £300 at least down Carnaby Street. Had to use Crispin's AMEX but he won't mind. |
4) I hate the fact that what started out as a reasonable place to shop i.e. a range of designer outlets, but also some good discount chains selling affordable brands appears to have gone down the road of getting rid of the more affordable "high street" names in favour of more "chic". The final straw for me was the day that VANS went - for me it was the one place worth going there for. Great products, great prices, and I also had mates that worked there, it was friendly. Only Clarks remains of any shop I would be interested in going to and I resent going there since they decided to close down the Sheep Street store, particularly as I received such dire customer service the day I did attempt to go in there with the kids. Anyway the place appears to continue to grow as it desires whereas every other attempted project around Bicester takes years or decades to get off the ground. Depends who's pulling the strings I suppose.
5) The fact that all these millions of people seem to have nothing better to do with their Boxing Day than to descend on the place. OK, perhaps that is more indicative of a dislike of how people want to spend their time, but seriously, haven't people got anything better to do? Is it really that important that so many people want to give up a cosy family day? I just can't see the mentality. I do wonder how those people feel. Are they first timers? Do they come away with a sense of satisfaction and day well spent? I just don't get it. Probably never will - guess I am just fundamentally at odds with these types of people.
So Bicester Blogger has spoken again...and probably gained a few more supporters and also lost a couple of people as well, oh well, I don't care, at least we all know where we stand.
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.
Jason xx
Well said Jason, just one point you missed out on the traffic front - South Bicester is a "No Go" area at weekends and Bank Holidays unless you want to spend upto 30 minutes stuck in traffic as I have done in the past! NEVER AGAIN!
ReplyDeletelet's face it, whether a woman is a huge fashion-lover or an obsessed mom with nothing else to talk about but her ordinary children (since that is all she ever does in live anyway, give birth and eat)..she still does not a make for an interesting friend
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge issue with Bicester Village and its standing in a town with extremely limited infrastructure for sure but, the whole place has grown with little thought and next to no consideration for residents. There are industrial parks in the middle of town for christ sake, next to schools and houses, its absurd.
ReplyDeleteLook at the state of the roads after all the construction vehicles smashed the surfaces in the Market Square. Does anyone ever think to ask the developers to make good the damage? Has Sainsbury's committed to Bicester or is Mr Rose just here for wealth Extraction like BV?
Seemingly, anyone who has anything to do with planning the layout of Bicester, is a moron of the highest order and whats worse, we have allowed ourselves to be governed by these morons nationwide.
Most of the changes across the town of Bicester are extremely ill considered (eg the 3 in to 2 and new filter lanes on the Esso Roundabout) and we can count Bicester Village among the top of the list of ideas that have hugely debilitating consequences for the towns residents, most of which you've covered above.
If people in Bicester want a change, they need to stop voting in people like Tony Baldry and the care less, profit only Conservatives. Do a quick Google search of Tony and see what kind of man has been in power here since 1983. We all know Labour are a waste of time and so we need to think away from the same red or blue. Perhaps we need to form an alternate party, a people party, we can call it the human party. From here we can start to consider changes that will improve the lives of Bicester residents en mass, and not just a tiny handful.. I guess people need to ask themselves what type of town they want to live in?
On a side note, many of the people out on Boxing Day at places like Bicester Village are not Christians and they couldn't care less about our holidays and why should they? Its not the people that shop at Bicester Village that are the problem, its the placement of the outlet and its lack of compassion for local residents, driven by a long standing agenda of wealth extraction which is far exceeds the perimeter of BV alone.
I like your seeming lack of consumerism Jason :-) And i wish you and all residents of Bicester a very Merry New Year, free from the Tyranny of Versace or some other 1980's douchebag designer. Lets hope 2014 gives us a voice and we use it to grant our own freedom.