What's in store for Bolton now?

But can the town really afford to lose another chunk of its retail history?

And can we, as customers, afford to have service, choice and availability further eroded?

The loss of both stores follows closely on the closure of family florists' Ward's in Howell Croft opposite the Central Police Station.

And it now leaves only a handful of independent family stores in the town centre, notably Whittakers' shoe shop on Deansgate, and Oxendale's locksmiths and Joseph Bailey's chinaware shops, both in Knowsley Street.

These shops have a history in Bolton. Let's face it, along with Whitakers' store in Deansgate (now out of family hands) and Whitehead's, Bolton Market and the Market Hall, they ARE the retail history of Bolton.

As the chainstores take over, what we gain in more jobs and national accessibility of the big, multinational names, we lose in ways we have quietly come to accept.

Certainly, choice has effectively gone.

If we don't like the selection of clothes in one major retail store, of course we can try another. But just how different is it?

If Martians landed in our town centre, it could easily be a case of "If this is Thursday it must be Bolton." Our stores and even our shopping malls now have the uniform look of high streets up and down the country, from Lothian to Lakeside.

To find something out of the ordinary, we have to go into St Georges Craft Centre or St Andrew's Court, or scour the Market Hall for a small retailer who dares to be different. Or, heavens, discover a gem of a shop out of the town centre.

We have already lost the independent grocer's which will weigh out half a pound of butter or a quarter of coffee (or its metric equivalent).

Someone who offers to order an item for you, at no extra charge, or will ring you to let you know when it's in stock is another rarity.

Now, we are in danger of losing specialists, like the ladies in Whitehead's who measure women for bras so accurately. Try asking a staff member in most chainstores about whether they think you're a B or C cup and you might as well be speaking in Esperanto.

I firmly believe, though, that these losses are our own fault.

In our search for a bargain, we've allowed quality to largely fly out of the window.

But, what is more important, shaving a few pennies off an item or having the freedom of choice and, ultimately, getting what better suits your needs?

We don't put a proper value on good service, either. We don't even really believe that working in a store is a good career move.

When was the last time someone was asked what they wanted to do after school, college or university, and they said they wanted to become manager of a menswear department or in charge of the food section of a giant store?

It is OUR fault that the dignity, respect and knowledge required to do a good job serving the public is no longer linked to the retail trade.

Look at the way we treat people who serve us in stores. A "please" or "thank-you" is, apparently, not required. Some people don't even come off their mobile phones long enough to acknowledge that they have been served.

And that's another thing.

It only seems last week that you went into stores and the atmosphere was quiet. You moved around the different areas and staff spoke in hushed tones, to each other and to customers.

Now, customers hold shouted conversations on their phones to family members at home, and staff think nothing of shouting to each other across the floor.

I know that this sounds old-fashioned. But I'm not elderly and I'm still earning. I shop in Bolton, in other towns and at out-of-town shopping complexes like Middlebrook and the Trafford Centre, and I have daughters who also shop here and elsewhere.

The big difference between the way I shop and how my children shop is, sadly, that I KNOW that there was a gentler and better way once. They don't.

Solutions? It's difficult to say because the big name stores provide temporary -- and often permanent -- boosts to the local economy. They're generally good employers and engender hundreds of jobs for local people.

But the Town Centre Company MUST look at keeping and improving the individual retail flavour that belongs only to Bolton. And I say this not only as a shopper but, I suspect, on behalf of many people who live in Bolton and visitors who come to our town because they like it.

We have a unique product here. It is worth saving -- not only for current shoppers but to ensure that there will be a thriving central retail life in the future.

And that those Martians will know straight away exactly which town they are in. That this IS the Bolton Shopping Experience.

What do YOU think? Write to: SHOPPING IN BOLTON, The Editor, Bolton Evening News, Churchgate, Bolton BL1 1DE. Monday in your BEN -- the Great Town Centre Debate

Caption 1: Whitehead's store -- set to close

Caption 2: ABOVE: Whitakers' store in Deansgate -- no longer in family hands

TOP RIGHT: St George's Craft Centre -- a rare area of independent choice

RIGHT: Bolton's Newport Street, pictured in 1950, bristling with independent stores Bolton Market Hall -- a piece of the town's history

Caption 4: St George's Craft Centre -- a rare area of independent choice

Caption 5: Bolton's Newport Street, pictured in 1950, bristling with independent stores