Having endured yet another painful and fruitless trip to Westwood Cross in search of nothing more complex than a bag I see a whole other reason why little shops should, must and will survive.

Faced with a bewildering array of things that I do not want and cannot use it is becoming increasingly hard to find what I am looking for. The bigger shops might "offer more" but in doing so they offer less. Less speed, less focus and less ease of searching.

The total irrelevance of the shopping experience is, for me, exemplified by Debenhams, Westwood Cross. The first floor appears to be dedicated to ladies clothes, underwear and other accessories while the first thing that hits you as you go to clime the stairs is "back to school" which is for sale goodness only knows where.

The do very little by way of men's clothing that fits the large and tall man (nothing to be exact), many "generic" clothes carry sports brands that I refuse to display on the general principle that should I ware an advert I want to get paid for it not the other way around.

Even the sales assistant was unclear on where "bags" might be found. "Do you know where some-section-or-other is? Near there".

"Thanks for nothing," I think.

I located no less than three places in the upper maze where bags are displayed. The third, while at first most promising, contained mostly unsuitable designs and types but even those that might have been "okay" had a big fat Nike tick on which is a huge turn off for me.

At that point I gave up, got lost and wondered the maze seeking the exit.

I did look into Burtons and was able to exist before I had realy entered - they were small enough for me to see that they did not try to also carry man bags.

There is a lesson to be learned here - the bigger the shop, the more irrelevant stuff I must walk past to find the one item I need.

What would solve my need most acutely would be a shop that sells only bags. Sports bags, modern laptop bags, back packs and, say, handbags. In short a shop servicing just the one niche.

In being focused they are able to rob Debenhams and it's ilk dry of customers with a bag need. Anyone who might enter the shop will become acutely aware of any bag need in their life. The shop would prosper (also it'd get a review from me for free).

This is also why smaller shops are able to compete with supermarkets. Less choice is sometimes a good thing. Infact studies have shown that the more choice a person has the less happy they are with their final selection. We have crossed from inflexibility via freedom through choice into a wilderness where no need can be met properly.

In today's uncertain climate the shop that embraces this and keeps things simple and focused will be able to prosper even in our decaying high street. I long for the time when this starts to happen if only so I can stop giving myself a migraine at Westwood Cross shopping centre without having anything to show for my visit.