I’ve just heard on the news that Marks and Spencer are having to downsize, as they say, a large number of their workforce.

Sadly, hardly a day goes by without a high street big name biting the dust.

In the wake of what seems like the end of the world, the retail sector of our economy has been decimated.

Jobs have been lost everywhere, from businesses large and small. But the effect on the retailing sector is devastating.

Jobs that are being lost in the latest round of cutbacks will never be replaced, and I feel so sorry for everyone who is involved.

If you are a regular reader of Pullyman you may know that I spent most of my working days in retail. I started my career in Strand Street in 1962 and surrendered in 1995.

At the time of my changeover to something different, I was employed by the British Beef Company in Douglas abattoir.

My job was to calculate the value of the raw materials and prepare the information for the man who signed the cheques to pay the farmers for their animals.

I had first met my new boss, George Ridgway, when Brown Eyes decided that I was the one for her. We were shopping for a engagement ring and had gone into Ridgway’s the Jewellers in Strand Street on a mission.

We were ready to take the next step on our journey together through life.

Little did I know I was destined to spend the best part of the next 40 years inside that very building.

Living in a small world, as we do, you’ll not be surprised to know that Brown Eyes’ sister had worked in Ridgway’s for some time.

Then one fine day, straight out of the blue, I got a message to call in to see George Ridgway.

One short interview later I was offered a job, one that was a job that was to change my life forever.

It was a big move, but working in a posh watchmakers and jewellers shop had a lot more appeal than dodging pools of blood and dead animals as I went about my duties in an abattoir.

It was a joy. George and his wife Roma were a pleasure to work with and I had found my niche in life. I enjoyed being a salesman.

In 1962 shopping was a busy word. If you were in business in Douglas, especially in Strand Street, you would never have imagined anything different.

But all things change .

When I first went to work, retailing was very predictable.

The Isle of Man was the ideal place to come for your summer holiday.

The boats ran from Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England and if you were on holiday in the Isle of Man, you could waltz away to the top dance bands, or be entertained by international variety acts.

Everyone was busy. The boarding houses, the hotels, and the cafes were heaving. And we also had the steam trains, the horse trams and the electric trams.

What could go wrong?

The future was guaranteed, or so we thought. Then someone built Benidorm and invented wide-bodied jets.

The blows came thick and fast. The town planners convinced everyone that the way forward was to build huge new shopping centres.

The supermarkets competed with each other to see who would have the biggest super-store that sold exactly the same goods as everyone else.

Shopkeepers have fought many battles and faced tough opposition, including sky-high rents and higher rates, mail-order catalogues, and internet bargains.

Then, when you would have thought that you had seen it all and collected all the T-shirts, along comes coronavirus.

Whatever next? I suppose you could say that things really have gone viral.

Do you think it’s worth opening a shop to sell face masks?

A decade ago Pullyman - aka Michael Cowin - was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, a condition that affects people in different ways. Michael discovered writing and Island Life is featuring some of his musings. Sometimes topical, sometimes nostalgic, read about life as seen through the eyes of Pullyman