If it’s missing – what is it?

Since moving to Orange earlier this year, I’ve repeatedly heard it said that the shopping is better in Bathurst and Dubbo. Now I don’t have a lot of familiarity with the retail in Bathurst, but I am a regular visitor to Dubbo and it surprises me to hear it’s held up as some sort of shopping Mecca. Sure, they have different stores that aren’t in Orange, but then I know plenty of Dubbo locals and people further west who look enviously at Orange for its KMart store and dining options.

This week, after learning that a Harris Scarfe department store would no longer be part of the redevelopment of the former Myer site the ensuing online talk was all doom and gloom about Orange going backwards even further, with some people even talking about how they would now be making more online purchases and more shopping trips to Newcastle, Sydney or even Melbourne!

So what is it people buy online or out of town that you can’t get in Orange? I don’t doubt there are things you can’t get here, but what are they? I’m genuinely curious.

What is it that is worth the price of filling up your car and making a special trip hundreds of kilometres away to buy?

If it is the case that people are shopping out of town en masse, because they can’t get certain items, then surely isn’t that an opportunity for a retailer to step up and cater to that demand?

A few years back a number of Far West towns got together to conduct a joint business survey to identify missing services and trades. The thinking was that by showing a demand, it just might entice those trades or services to set up business in the region (auto electricians are as rare as hen’s teeth out that way!). Perhaps if retailers could see a large unmet consumer demand they might have the confidence to invest in Orange to meet it.

So let us know, what exactly is missing in Orange retail?