In the uk virtually all thrift stores are run by a well known charity and thus the locals call them charity shops.

Progress will unavoidably kill more and more physical shops, but this has huge cons: cities are emptier and more dangerous.

In the average European mediterranean city, shops provide safety, lights.

When shops started closing at a faster rate a decade ago, decay started ramping up in what was once vibing city centers.

Any random downtown in Italy bar the most touristic places that have people all year suffers of this, even major centers (100k+ citizens).

Glasgow at one point had eight American Candy Stores that were always empty but been operational for years. Not even good American Candy.

To be specific, Amazon (its business model) killed small* goods shops in city centers.

The only businesses still open are services (food/restaurants, health, etc). Because those need you to actually bring your own body near the bodies of others.

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*: and big, see the Galerie Lafayette/BHV struggles in Paris, they sell items that can largely be delivered in 2 days buying directly from the brand or from Amazon

And the ones left aren’t paying taxes, or wages.

The manufacturing employees, such as there are, drive everywhere, often live far from town, shop onlin or at out-of-town megastores.

Good manufacturing jobs were gutted and sent overseas with no thought or care what the impact on communities would be. In some places families are now on the third generation on benefits because there simply aren't any jobs and the ones that are available require skills that people don't have because they aren't taught them in school due to the obsession with the Victorian education model and the shortage of skilled teachers and training opportunities for young people.

At this point nothing except for a total economic rebuild will save the UK high street and there is zero political will to do that because the current broken system makes certain people money.