H SAMUEL - A YARDSTICK OF RECESSION?

H. Samuel Jewellers Clock
Originally uploaded by kenjonbro

You all know I worked in H Samuel over Xmas as a student back at the end of the 80s. I used to come off lunch throughout December to find the punters knee-deep at the counter hitting eachother over the head with their shopping bags in a dispute over the last decent watch in the window.
I was shopping in Silverburn yesterday when I saw an H Samuel in the distance. I thought that would be an interesting yardstick for gauging the recession. I walked over. There were maybe 3 shop assistants on duty, as opposed to the 20 of us there had been in the Sauchiehall street branch all those years ago. There were approximately 3 members of the public in the shop - one talking to an assistant, the other two mulling about, no urgency, no brawling, nothing.