Quote Originally Posted by McClef View Post
It is possible to have overkill to have too many establishments of a particular type in one area and good planning departments should take this into account. This was a food outlet, you cannot eat tartan tat of which there is already a glut.

Tourists are not being offered a choice when the name varies but it's the same stuff with the same owners and healthy competition is an illusion. As to their workers, many of them are not locals but from other parts of the European Community who are poorly trained and educated in the merchandise and under orders to sell. They don't care if someone tries on one of the off the peg kilts and wears it the wrong way round, I have seen this happen on several occasions in the shop and even up at the Castle following a sale.

The Royal Mile needs a balance of attractions, not a rapidly growing sameness. Disney, at least, offers variety.
I've been looking at both sides of the argument in this thread and there's merit in both views.

McClef's comment however I think strikes a chord with me. What's happening here is an erosion of genuine choice and competition and the illusion of variety being set up in its place.

There is also a risk that the owners of this mini-empire gain influence, whether real, perceived or implied with the planning authorities. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is happening, I'm merely saying it's something to think about.

Having said that, I was in Edinburgh at the weekend and walked up the Mile. I didn't find any of the shops offensive to look at, at least externally, though there weren't many I'd actually cross the threshold of. The only shop that did offend my eye, and more especially my ear, was "The Pride of Scotland.com" on St. Andrew Street. I don't know who owns it.