Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: shyboy on 09 February 2018, 10:41:51
-
On 1/10/2015 I bought a 'special offer' Ultimate Speed car battery charger from Lidl which did a great job charging various types of battery until it stopped working a few days ago. The cost was only £13.99 so my initial thought was to dump it and forget it.
However, the warranty period was 3 years from date of purchase so I went through the process for making a claim and what a pleasant surprise it was.
I rang the 0871 service number in the product manual and after giving full details from the receipt, and name and address etc. was given a freephone no. to ring to have the call transferred to the German manufacturer. Less than 5 minutes later the issue was settled without any fuss by their agreeing to send out a brand new replacement item, on condition that I retained the faulty original for 6 months, so that it might be reclaimed by the manufacturer if they want to investigate the possibility of a defective batch.
If the replacement arrives in 4 or 5 days as promised, I call that excellent customer service, and it reinforces my high opinion of Lidl as a company to buy from with confidence.
-
We have the same experience here in Spain. :y No quibble guarantee. We buy quite a lot of electrical stuff from them.
makes a change form some other shops here. Buy a toaster and it develops a fault after a few weeks and you have the problem of taking it up direct with the manufacturer which i think is all wrong.
-
I think statutory rights in this country make the retailer responsible in the first instance, but many companies seem to make the warranty claim business as difficult as possible for the customer, presumably in the hope that they will just give up.
-
I think statutory rights in this country make the retailer responsible in the first instance, but many companies seem to make the warranty claim business as difficult as possible for the customer, presumably in the hope that they will just give up.
The Consumer Rights Act of 2015 has made the process much clearer with the retailers responsibility clarified.
It is a great improvement on the Sale Of Goods Act 1979 that I used to have to live with and enforce.
As for great customer service, the best retailers in our land are the ones who give great customer care, such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Argos, etc, and they are the ones who will survive. The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones (I could name them, but for legal reasons I won't, and you know who they are as they frequently are in the auto game) who will eventually expire. ;)
-
Happy to report a similar experience with Advanced Batteries a few years back: despite a low price, their Warranty service was excellent. My battery developed a dead cell nearly 4 years in to the warranty, so I reported this, with my voltage figures to support, and they immediately dispatched a new replacement and sent another courier to collect the faulty one. :y :y
Ron.
-
It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. :y :y :y The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction. :y :y :y
I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.
-
It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. :y :y :y The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction. :y :y :y
I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.
Only a small percentage of a retailers stock is ever on Sale or Return. It is mostly firm sale, but of course if goods are faulty then they can be returned for full credit. Even then though there are variations of that with some agreements with manufacturers allowing an extra percentage discount to allow for any faulty goods received back from consumers.
Major retailers will also only deal with the most reputable of manufacturers or suppliers that are offering quality goods where the chances of high product failure are very small. Of course even those manufacturers and suppliers can produce / handle faulty batches where failure rates are high, and then they will step in to assist the retailer, honouring their agreements with them, whilst protecting their good name, hence the product recall system. ;)
No retailer can survive on a 0.5% bottom line profit (I think that is what you are quoting Rod) without endangering their future existence. However, what is happening is Aldi is "buying sales" whilst investing in store and CDC development. That is a very expensive exercise and is using the profits of today to build their future, which has resulted in a 17% fall in profits in 2016. In the meantime they are reducing their margins to the bone, and therefore must be controlling their costs to a level to match. This is why Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced plans to greatly reduce their management and staff costs to help them fight Aldi, and Lidl, with lower prices. That is the only way they can go. But, the consumer should be aware of two major effects of this:
1. Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2. Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
;)
-
The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones who will eventually expire. ;)
Sadly I think your faith in the general public is somewhat misplaced here. There is a great swathe of the populous for whom price is the only metric which is of interest.
The best example of this mentality is Ryanair. An awful vile little company who make a perennial game of d!cking their customers around and providing the most woeful experience possible, not to mention doing their level best to dodge their legal responsibilities (specifically EU Regulation 261/2004 on delayed flights - for which they seldom if ever pay out without a fight), and yet they flourish. ::)
-
It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. :y :y :y The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction. :y :y :y
I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.
Only a small percentage of a retailers stock is ever on Sale or Return. It is mostly firm sale, but of course if goods are faulty then they can be returned for full credit. Even then though there are variations of that with some agreements with manufacturers allowing an extra percentage discount to allow for any faulty goods received back from consumers.
Major retailers will also only deal with the most reputable of manufacturers or suppliers that are offering quality goods where the chances of high product failure are very small. Of course even those manufacturers and suppliers can produce / handle faulty batches where failure rates are high, and then they will step in to assist the retailer, honouring their agreements with them, whilst protecting their good name, hence the product recall system. ;)
No retailer can survive on a 0.5% bottom line profit (I think that is what you are quoting Rod) without endangering their future existence. However, what is happening is Aldi is "buying sales" whilst investing in store and CDC development. That is a very expensive exercise and is using the profits of today to build their future, which has resulted in a 17% fall in profits in 2016. In the meantime they are reducing their margins to the bone, and therefore must be controlling their costs to a level to match. This is why Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced plans to greatly reduce their management and staff costs to help them fight Aldi, and Lidl, with lower prices. That is the only way they can go. But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1. Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2. Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures. But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1. Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2. Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures.
;)
[/i][/b][/color][/b][/i]
-
It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. :y :y :y The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction. :y :y :y
I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.
Only a small percentage of a retailers stock is ever on Sale or Return. It is mostly firm sale, but of course if goods are faulty then they can be returned for full credit. Even then though there are variations of that with some agreements with manufacturers allowing an extra percentage discount to allow for any faulty goods received back from consumers.
Major retailers will also only deal with the most reputable of manufacturers or suppliers that are offering quality goods where the chances of high product failure are very small. Of course even those manufacturers and suppliers can produce / handle faulty batches where failure rates are high, and then they will step in to assist the retailer, honouring their agreements with them, whilst protecting their good name, hence the product recall system. ;)
No retailer can survive on a 0.5% bottom line profit (I think that is what you are quoting Rod) without endangering their future existence. However, what is happening is Aldi is "buying sales" whilst investing in store and CDC development. That is a very expensive exercise and is using the profits of today to build their future, which has resulted in a 17% fall in profits in 2016. In the meantime they are reducing their margins to the bone, and therefore must be controlling their costs to a level to match. This is why Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced plans to greatly reduce their management and staff costs to help them fight Aldi, and Lidl, with lower prices. That is the only way they can go. But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1. Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2. Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures. But, the consumer should be aware of three major effects of this:
1. Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2. Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels of profit for the shareholders, and to purely meet the costs that will be always there.
3. The choice of supermarkets, and therefore healthy competition, will be greatly reduced, again pushing prices back up regardless of contemporary inflationary pressures.
;)
[/i][/b][/color][/b][/i]
-
I had the opposite with a pressure washer on which the nozzle housing split in two less than a year after buying it. I was asked for the receipt, I had mislaid it so I offered proof of purchase on the card statement. I then had to fill out a form, provide proof, stand on one leg with my finger in my ear, etc, etc, basically everything they could do to make the process as difficult as possible. I ended up buying a generic nozzle to replace it and finding an adaptor as it was a slightly different thread as it was much easier.
-
On the question of warranty.....I do not understand how this works :-[
I had a battery with 2 months left on a three year warranty and it failed (dead cell). I was given a new battery with no quibble, but told that the warranty only lasted 2 months (until the expiry of the original battery).
What would have happened if the new battery packed up in three months. Is the (what I thought as law of this land, 12 months warranty) not applicable.
-
On the question of warranty.....I do not understand how this works :-[
I had a battery with 2 months left on a three year warranty and it failed (dead cell). I was given a new battery with no quibble, but told that the warranty only lasted 2 months (until the expiry of the original battery).
What would have happened if the new battery packed up in three months. Is the (what I thought as law of this land, 12 months warranty) not applicable.
In its most simple terms .. you did not "buy" or "purchase" the second battery, it was a replacement for the original, so the original warranty stands.
Sale of Goods Act, and its replacement, the Consumer Rights Act, both refer to "date of purchase" as the start of any warranty .. if you didn't "purchase" you have very few rights .. :)
Lots of info here .. in simple-speak ... but the reference point is always "purchase"
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/how-citizens-advice-works/citizens-advice-consumer-work/the-consumer-rights-act-2015/
-
On the question of warranty.....I do not understand how this works :-[
I had a battery with 2 months left on a three year warranty and it failed (dead cell). I was given a new battery with no quibble, but told that the warranty only lasted 2 months (until the expiry of the original battery).
What would have happened if the new battery packed up in three months. Is the (what I thought as law of this land, 12 months warranty) not applicable.
No, the replacement assumes the time left on the original warranty as you have not been sold it, but given a "free" product to cover the loss you suffered under the terms of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, or in your example The Sales of Goods Act 1979. ;)
-
Thanks you two....perfect answers to my question :y :y
I fully understand now. :)
-
The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones who will eventually expire. ;)
Sadly I think your faith in the general public is somewhat misplaced here. There is a great swathe of the populous for whom price is the only metric which is of interest.
The best example of this mentality is Ryanair. An awful vile little company who make a perennial game of d!cking their customers around and providing the most woeful experience possible, not to mention doing their level best to dodge their legal responsibilities (specifically EU Regulation 261/2004 on delayed flights - for which they seldom if ever pay out without a fight), and yet they flourish. ::)
. Flown with Ryanair once only because a pal had booked all flights , would never under any circumstances use them again dreadful from start to finish.
-
Thanks you two....perfect answers to my question :y :y
I fully understand now. :)
Pleased to be of (Customer) service terbert! :D:y :y
-
The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones who will eventually expire. ;)
Sadly I think your faith in the general public is somewhat misplaced here. There is a great swathe of the populous for whom price is the only metric which is of interest.
The best example of this mentality is Ryanair. An awful vile little company who make a perennial game of d!cking their customers around and providing the most woeful experience possible, not to mention doing their level best to dodge their legal responsibilities (specifically EU Regulation 261/2004 on delayed flights - for which they seldom if ever pay out without a fight), and yet they flourish. ::)
. Flown with Ryanair once only because a pal had booked all flights , would never under any circumstances use them again dreadful from start to finish.
They are heading on the road to ruin.
I once told MFI staff (remember them) that they would be losing their jobs if they carried on with their extremely poor levels of customer service after I, and a quite a few other customers were complaining at the same time in one of their stores. They laughed in my face, but eventually they went bust and I laughed!! ;D ;D ;) Ryanair is one of those flawed companies going towards the chop ;)
-
The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones who will eventually expire. ;)
Sadly I think your faith in the general public is somewhat misplaced here. There is a great swathe of the populous for whom price is the only metric which is of interest.
The best example of this mentality is Ryanair. An awful vile little company who make a perennial game of d!cking their customers around and providing the most woeful experience possible, not to mention doing their level best to dodge their legal responsibilities (specifically EU Regulation 261/2004 on delayed flights - for which they seldom if ever pay out without a fight), and yet they flourish. ::)
. Flown with Ryanair once only because a pal had booked all flights , would never under any circumstances use them again dreadful from start to finish.
I,ve been very lucky then.
-
I wouldn't fly with Ryanair. Ever. Even if it meant escaping certain universal oblivion.
I cannot think of a single reason why anyone else should either.
They are the 18 year old sales representative of the aviation world that's just been given a brand new Cavalier Turbo... By that I mean that they buy brand new aircraft and replace them when they fail but barely check the tyres and oil in the meantime. Their flight deck attitude is, quite frankly, horrific.
By the way, did I mention not flying with them...
-
I think statutory rights in this country make the retailer responsible in the first instance, but many companies seem to make the warranty claim business as difficult as possible for the customer, presumably in the hope that they will just give up.
The Consumer Rights Act of 2015 has made the process much clearer with the retailers responsibility clarified.
It is a great improvement on the Sale Of Goods Act 1979 that I used to have to live with and enforce.
As for great customer service, the best retailers in our land are the ones who give great customer care, such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Argos, etc, and they are the ones who will survive. The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones (I could name them, but for legal reasons I won't, and you know who they are as they frequently are in the auto game) who will eventually expire. ;)
Used to use John Lewis for this reason, but a couple of years ago, after purchasing a washing machine - which didn't turn up for 6 weeks ! we had the most appalling customer service I have ever experienced. Lie after lie after lie. >:(
To their credit though, once we got to talk to a senior manager, he was shocked and appalled at his own staff and refunded £150 for our trouble.
-
I think statutory rights in this country make the retailer responsible in the first instance, but many companies seem to make the warranty claim business as difficult as possible for the customer, presumably in the hope that they will just give up.
The Consumer Rights Act of 2015 has made the process much clearer with the retailers responsibility clarified.
It is a great improvement on the Sale Of Goods Act 1979 that I used to have to live with and enforce.
As for great customer service, the best retailers in our land are the ones who give great customer care, such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Argos, etc, and they are the ones who will survive. The ones who mis-lead and try and fob their customers off are the ones (I could name them, but for legal reasons I won't, and you know who they are as they frequently are in the auto game) who will eventually expire. ;)
Used to use John Lewis for this reason, but a couple of years ago, after purchasing a washing machine - which didn't turn up for 6 weeks ! we had the most appalling customer service I have ever experienced. Lie after lie after lie. >:(
To their credit though, once we got to talk to a senior manager, he was shocked and appalled at his own staff and refunded £150 for our trouble.
That does not surprise me as they, the "partners", will do everything in their power to uphold their company's good name, which they have a vested interest in.
They once had to deliver a Parker Knoll dinning room table to us three times until we, and they, were totally satisfied it was without fault. They even had a French polisher on hand with the third delivery in case any scratches were (again) evident. They are superb, and on a professional level I rate them as the best department store chain out there. :y :y
-
Can't agree more about Lidl. Never had any problems with their customer service. always been fast and polite at sorting any problems.
-
It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. :y :y :y The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction. :y :y :y
I find both Aldi and Lidl excellent and the incumbent big 6 supermarkets have still much to learn from both of them in terms of shopping experience. They also operate on much lower profit margins. The last time I looked at the Aldi UK annual accounts they made 2% profit compared to around 10% for the incumbents. Aldi will consider the UK one of their higher profit countries where in some markets they only make 0.5% overall profit.
Only a small percentage of a retailers stock is ever on Sale or Return. It is mostly firm sale, but of course if goods are faulty then they can be returned for full credit. Even then though there are variations of that with some agreements with manufacturers allowing an extra percentage discount to allow for any faulty goods received back from consumers.
Major retailers will also only deal with the most reputable of manufacturers or suppliers that are offering quality goods where the chances of high product failure are very small. Of course even those manufacturers and suppliers can produce / handle faulty batches where failure rates are high, and then they will step in to assist the retailer, honouring their agreements with them, whilst protecting their good name, hence the product recall system. ;)
No retailer can survive on a 0.5% bottom line profit (I think that is what you are quoting Rod) without endangering their future existence. However, what is happening is Aldi is "buying sales" whilst investing in store and CDC development. That is a very expensive exercise and is using the profits of today to build their future, which has resulted in a 17% fall in profits in 2016. In the meantime they are reducing their margins to the bone, and therefore must be controlling their costs to a level to match. This is why Tesco and Sainsbury's have announced plans to greatly reduce their management and staff costs to help them fight Aldi, and Lidl, with lower prices. That is the only way they can go. But, the consumer should be aware of two major effects of this:
1. Staff will be in fewer numbers and will not be able to give the level of service you currently enjoy
2. Retail prices will eventually rise significantly once this retail price war is over as to stay in business the survivors MUST again return to acceptable levels for the shareholders and purely meet the costs that will be always there.
;)
I have extensively dealt with many UK multiples with a previous business and that was almost ALL on a sale or return basis. Now this might be sector based but was certainly not the impression the buyers gave. The multiples I've sold goods through were only minor ones that you probably never have heard of like Tesco, Sainsbury's, WH Smiths, Menzies, Curries and Dixons plus quite a few others. I have also dealt with many European multiples with the large ones were all on a sale or return basis. In the UK and Europe, prominent positioning, in-store advertising, window displays, special brochures like for Christmas all cost extra. Positioning was normally on a basis of additional discounts where all others you paid advertising fees. Retail discounts tend to be sector based depending upon the profit margins available after manufacturing costs. The US which I have also dealt with is completely different where you buy shelf space using what they call MDF's (market development funds) with pricing according to position with 'end caps' which have the highest sales costing the most. However, the retail margins are much lower where the MDF's basically cover the retailers running costs and the small margins are their profits. Credit terms in UK and Europe were normally on a minimum of at least net monthly but net two or three monthly were not unusual. In the US credit terms of up to 180 days or more are normal. Credit terms for toys in the US are on a net annual basis with settlement once a year in July! A good sector to avoid unless you have very deep pockets!
If you knew anything about European supermarkets you WOULD know net profits are all typically in the region of 0.5% to 2% (This is NOT gross profits where all business typically run in the 30-40% region or more, those that don't generally go bust pretty quickly). Yes, on these margins costs have to be very tightly controlled, hence the extensive use of sale and return, so they are not left holding loss making stock. These low margins have lead to a few retailers going bust, but massive consolidation has meant only a few very large continental supermarkets now exist with turnovers in the €60-100bn region. Aldi and Lidl were both around €70bn when I last checked a year or so a go. Many of the European retailers are privately family owed including Aldi and Lidl, so they have not got hungry public investors to keep happy at the 8-10% profit range of the 6 UK incumbents.
-
It is in the interests of the retailer to provide good customer service when all goods are on sale or return. :y :y :y The major multiples also include warranty performance terms in supply contracts as this also reflects on their reputation and customer satisfaction. :y :y :y
I have extensively dealt with many UK multiples with a previous business and that was almost ALL on a sale or return basis. Now this might be sector based but was certainly not the impression the buyers gave. The multiples I've sold goods through were only minor ones that you probably never have heard of like Tesco, Sainsbury's, WH Smiths, Menzies, Curries and Dixons plus quite a few others.
If you knew anything about European supermarkets you WOULD know net profits are all typically in the region of 0.5% to 2% (This is NOT gross profits where all business typically run in the 30-40% region or more, those that don't generally go bust pretty quickly). Yes, on these margins costs have to be very tightly controlled, hence the extensive use of sale and return, so they are not left holding loss making stock. These low margins have lead to a few retailers going bust, but massive consolidation has meant only a few very large continental supermarkets now exist with turnovers in the €60-100bn region. Aldi and Lidl were both around €70bn when I last checked a year or so a go. Many of the European retailers are privately family owed including Aldi and Lidl, so they have not got hungry public investors to keep happy at the 8-10% profit range of the 6 UK incumbents.
So you are now a retailing expert Rod? As somebody once said on here, you really do talk a load of crap at times!
I DO HAVE 40 years retail experience, 20 of those at senior business manager level. I have had full P&L responsibility over a multi-million pound, 186 store retail business. I can tell you that "Sale or Return" is on the minority of product ranges that UK manufacturers of the products we, and Tesco, Sainsbury, W.H.Smith, sell. (Yes I do know those retailers very well on a professional level, and I do not appreciate the snide remark!!). I worked in liaison with our national Sales and Marketing Department, and knew the terms of our supplies, which were typical for our sector of the retail market that most of the names you kindly mention are in. In fact as a general rule of thumb, any product with limited shelf life is on Firm Sale, although with us major retailers we could usually get assistance from the manufactures to clear any life expired product, or, most likely, any soon to be such affected lines. I would love to know how you believe the likes of the supermarkets get "sale or return" on perishable foods!
In the news and magazine sector most stock is on sale or return, ande in fact it is those products that represented the highest level of gross profit generation. But that is the nature of that part of the trade. In terms of product placement we were paid tens of thousands of pounds of extra discount when promoting a manufacturers line, whilst also receiving regular sums for product placement on a regular basis. This is the norm, as is the covering of the costs for all POS material. Standard stuff.
It is also standard stuff for retailers to clear slow moving product, usually be seeking help from the manufacturer, but the manufacturer will not be interested in taking the goods back.
In regards to profit margins, do you really thing I believed 0.5% profit referred to gross margins? I would refer you to my former post covering the aspect of margins and what effect it all has on the retailer and the consumer. For your info Aldi have recorded three successive years of declining profits to December 2016, with in 2016 profits falling 17%, albeit on sales growth of 13.5%. Regardless of what you think Rod, and even allowing for the large investment being made by that company in stores and CDC's, no company can survive long term on such low profit margins, with as I calculate, just 0.24% bottom line margin. Retail is ALL about making profit!
Now Rod, go back to what you are good at, Political assessment and summary! ;)
-
If you have trouble reading that Rods you can borrow my glasses. ;D
-
If you have trouble reading that Rods you can borrow my glasses. ;D
I apologize in advance, no disrespect to anyone involved.....
but this reply really did make me laugh. Not expected after I had waded through the previous posts !!! ;D ;D ;D
-
MFI
Which is a shame, as now the only option for "go out, buy it, and bring it home in the boot" flatpack type stuff are the god awful Ikea. A far inferior product, and even worse customer service. But they do do awfully nice meatballs, and cheap hotdogs... ...and it pisses the staff off when I nip through the shortcuts in the store to get to my hotdogs, rather than follow their silly arrows ;D
-
Somebody needs to read the guidance request at the top of the home page...
This has all the hallmarks of (another ) departure ;D
-
Having never been to IKEA (am I lucky?), I don't understand this "you can't go where you want to" thing; do the staff frogmarch you around to where they want you to go?
Also, I hear of people saying they spend ages in the store, far longer than they want to - do they hold you prisoner? :o
Ron.
-
Somebody needs to read the guidance request at the top of the home page...
This has all the hallmarks of (another ) departure ;D
The forum and its topics are organic and subject to deviation, just like face-to-face conversations! 8)
Ron.
-
Back on topic.
I too had a pleasant experience with lidl.
A three in one strimmer,hedge trimmer and pole saw packed up after two years little use.
I contacted lidl customer care forwarded a copy of the receipt and a day later was called by a very well spoken German lady . She asked if I knew what the problem was and I told her there was no spark suggesting that the ignition module was faulty . I also said that the last time I had used it it had been rather tempremental whilst running and unusually difficult to start.
She asked if I was competant enough to replace some components and then agreed to send a new ignition pack and carb. 3 days later they arrived with a very nice letter hoping that these solved the problem but if not to contact her direct and she would arrange to have it collected .
Twenty minutes later engine was singing ......
Cant fault that . :y
-
If you have trouble reading that Rods you can borrow my glasses. ;D
I apologize in advance, no disrespect to anyone involved.....
but this reply really did make me laugh. Not expected after I had waded through the previous posts !!! ;D ;D ;D
Yes, sorry about the large print, but the warning that I had exceeded 600 characters came up and I tried to modify the quote I was referring to. Well, it all went horribly wrong after that with me losing my temper as I typed my lengthy reply for the second time as an auto delete was actioned !!!!! >:( :(
The fact it is in bold has nothing to do with the intended tone of my post. I just dislike people being contrascending with me when I am just trying to use my considerable knowledge in an area that paid me a very good salary due to my senior retail business manager abilities. I can be very wrong with other subjects, but retail, no!
I would also add for Rod's benefit that in my position within a national retail company I had to justify our stock holdings and be fully accountable for any write offs or downs (stock price reduction) sustained that ultimately reduced our profits on the P&L. If a line didn't sell well, or was fast heading towards it's sell by date, I was accountable for write downs. On the majority of our stock no Sale or Return was available, and that is why retail companies in the UK at least have to mount "clearances" , "sale's", or eventually put stock into the waste skip. If full SOR was availble the profits for us retailers would be higher, but manufacturers would have to sustain ruinious write off's themselves, and cover all the costs of returned goods. No, the usual practice is for manufacturers to initially give enhanced discounts to the national retailer to allow for any "wastage" on their products to ensure you as the retailer still acted favourably towards them with future stock purchases. In the electronic product market that I have also considerable experience in, that was also the case, with it all being on firm sale. But as the gross margins on our printers from all the major manufacturers could frequently be as low as 5% to be competitive in a very cut throat market, we had little room to manoeuvre . Overall though we made the high margins on printer cartridges and toners, so that assisted greatly in the efforts to produce maximum profit levels. Once more very few products in our ranges were bought in on SOR agreements. It was Firm Sale all the way on the vast majority of our product ranges, which included furniture.
The write down of product is assessed in line with the initial margin enjoyed, and the clearance price falls in line with that. However, it is always the policy to ensure the first cut was the best and only cut in price to gain speedy sale through. The supermarkets now tend to send their restricted sell by or best before dated packaged product to food banks now. If SOR applied to all those goods as Rod states, then that stock would just go back to the manufacture for full credit, and thus the retailer would retain full margins; if only that was the case, retailers like me would be enjoying far higher bonuses!! ;D
-
Having never been to IKEA (am I lucky?), I don't understand this "you can't go where you want to" thing; do the staff frogmarch you around to where they want you to go?
Also, I hear of people saying they spend ages in the store, far longer than they want to - do they hold you prisoner? :o
Ron.
No Ron, when I had the experience of these stores it was a case of going in a queue with your trolley in one direction only. It seemed you could not escape the heavy flow of customers (which, I must admit, must reflect their popularity) and could not easily go back to where you came in. It was just a slow slog all the way around a huge store, becoming more and more dissatisfied with all the crap you saw
Now that experience I must admit was last felt many moons ago, but I noted from the documentary shown the other day on TV that the customers were still being herded in the same way. Never again!! ::) ;)
-
I thought this thread was about Lidl customer care ... :-\
-
In reply to Bigron.....Yes, I get the feeling I am being held prisoner in Ikea. Only having been there twice, once on the North Circular and the other last year at Southampton. Swmbo dragged me into the Southampton one and an hour and a half later I managed to escape. There are no shortcuts, Elevators/stairs to not continue all the way down...you have to follow those bloody arrows. When there in November, I refused point blank to enter the store again !!!!!
Right, here is another anomaly.....If you buy something at Lidl or anywhere else...two for the price of one, etc. are they assumed to be half price, so both have a warranty.
What if buy one get one free. I assume the first is on warranty, the second not. !!!!! :o
-
I thought this thread was about Lidl customer care ... :-\
Sorry about that, but as usual on the OOF threads deviate. I mentioned Aldi in the context of them and Lidl having a similar business model and objectives, so they were a great comparison to how the big traditional supermarkets are performing, along with their standards of customer care. Ryanair was also mentioned by others as a parallel between low margin Lidl and Aldi and those who work on reduced margins in the airline industry, with costs being kept to the bare minimum. ;)
-
In reply to Bigron.....Yes, I get the feeling I am being held prisoner in Ikea. Only having been there twice, once on the North Circular and the other last year at Southampton. Swmbo dragged me into the Southampton one and an hour and a half later I managed to escape. There are no shortcuts, Elevators/stairs to not continue all the way down...you have to follow those bloody arrows. When there in November, I refused point blank to enter the store again !!!!!
Right, here is another anomaly.....If you buy something at Lidl or anywhere else...two for the price of one, etc. are they assumed to be half price, so both have a warranty.
What if buy one get one free. I assume the first is on warranty, the second not. !!!!! :o
No. You are in a contract to buy two items, and are therefore considered under trading laws to be covered by the same warranty as it would be for one. If one or both fail within the warranty or guarantee period you are covered. You are also protected by the general terms of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 that the product must be fit for purpose and perform to a reasonable level that you as a consumer should justifiably expect.
That is it in simple terms without reciting the whole Act :D :D;)
-
In reply to Bigron.....Yes, I get the feeling I am being held prisoner in Ikea. Only having been there twice, once on the North Circular and the other last year at Southampton. Swmbo dragged me into the Southampton one and an hour and a half later I managed to escape. There are no shortcuts, Elevators/stairs to not continue all the way down...you have to follow those bloody arrows. When there in November, I refused point blank to enter the store again !!!!!
Right, here is another anomaly.....If you buy something at Lidl or anywhere else...two for the price of one, etc. are they assumed to be half price, so both have a warranty.
What if buy one get one free. I assume the first is on warranty, the second not. !!!!! :o
There are short cuts all over the Southampton one ???
Restaurant is just to the left of the entrance, other end of the restaurant is adjacent to the lift/ stairwell down to the next floor... Etc
The biggest bug bear is the forty minutes it seems to take to get parked :-X
-
I thought this thread was about Lidl customer care ... :-\
Yes, but Lidl/Aldi have had more than enough free publicity to do the thread justice, and I for one appreciate the deviation, just as I would in any normal conversation - it can always be pulled back on topic, as you have done.
Another deviation, this time a question for Lizzie:-
Lidl and Aldi have weekly Specials of limited availability. Why, and what happens to the unsold items?
Ron.
-
the unsold items go in a bargain bin
so are marked down more...
-
There are no shortcuts, Elevators/stairs to not continue all the way down...you have to follow those bloody arrows
As the MK one is walking distance from where I work, I occasionally go for a lunchtime snack, so soon get to know the shortcuts. But the staff have a hissy fit. Mongs.
Aldi/Lidl
My experience of Aldi and Lidl when items have gone faulty has not been fantastic, but also not poor either. Invariably it just ends up as a refund, which isn't always ideal.
I had one of those cheap Aldi compressors, and also some accessories. The compressor gave up the ghost within a year, but they wouldn't help with repair, just "return to store for refund". Which I duly got, but that left me with a bunch of accessories that were effectively no use to me, and obviously they wouldn't take those back as they weren't faulty.
-
I thought this thread was about Lidl customer care ... :-\
Yes, but Lidl/Aldi have had more than enough free publicity to do the thread justice, and I for one appreciate the deviation, just as I would in any normal conversation - it can always be pulled back on topic, as you have done.
Another deviation, this time a question for Lizzie:-
Lidl and Aldi have weekly Specials of limited availability. Why, and what happens to the unsold items?
Ron.
I have not worked for either of Aldi or Lidl, but my company and the likes of Sainsbury's put the promotional stock back into the usual ranges. However, special products such as those not normally in the company range, if it cannot go back into 'stock' will usually be collected back to the company's Central Distribution Centre and sold off to a jobber, who specialises in buying up unwanted or surplus stock. On some ocassions, as Rod touched on, the special stock is on a SOR agreement, so goes back to the manufacturer / supplier or an agent representing them who clears the stock to the market stall or 'seconds' type traders at very low cost prices.
In general though Ron you absorb the stock into your business for normal sell through if in your standard range. ;)
-
Yes, I see: but there remains a question in my mind over the concept of "specials". Why are they needed at all (marketing ploy?), and if they sell well, e.g. tools/motoring bits etc., why not carry them as normal range?
Recently, I missed out on the windscreen wiper offer - they had run out - and when I asked, was told that they had no plans for future stock. Commercial lunacy to refuse to stock something that flies out of the store?
Ron.
-
Specials do have second or even third runs in my experience but the problem is that you can't find out when this might happen. I presume they occur when the manufacturers offer a good deal to Lidl/Aldi to display their products on a short term deal, making it attractive for them to use them as a 'loss leader'. There can't be any incentive to Lidl to commit to re-stocking dates. The 'Ultimate Speed' brand name appears on quite a lot of electrical goods in Lidl, so it must be an ongoing relationship between the companies. The charger I bought has re-appeared once to my knowledge since I bought my original in 2015, albeit at a higher price.
To return to my original point, I can only re-iterate that my experience of Lidl's customer service is great. Perhaps if it had been a more expensive, bulkier item, a refund rather than replacement might have been a more attractive option for them or the manufacturer, and they may have wanted the item returned.
In any event, I'm a happy bunny.
-
Yes, I see: but there remains a question in my mind over the concept of "specials". Why are they needed at all (marketing ploy?), and if they sell well, e.g. tools/motoring bits etc., why not carry them as normal range?
Recently, I missed out on the windscreen wiper offer - they had run out - and when I asked, was told that they had no plans for future stock. Commercial lunacy to refuse to stock something that flies out of the store?
Ron.
The basic theory is that when you offer these special lines it will not only encourage your regular customers to buy more, but will bring in additional footfall to boost sales above what you would normally expect to see. The whole main aim of retail is to gain a healthy percentage growth on last years sales, and increase your profits accordingly.
The way to do that is first of all be competitive with your pricing policy to fight the competition; then retain the customers you already have byway of excellent Customer Care; sell them what you did last year, but very importantly sell them more on top (promotions are one of the tools to do this); promote special lines that you do not normally stock, like tools, to bring in the extra footfall with high levels of promotional activity - posters and other sales aids (POS), TV / radio adverts etc, and keep repeating this with an annual promotions programme that is mainly planed 12 months in advance, with the buyers of the company taking full opportunity with the main seasonal events involving your main suppliers, getting extra discounts and bulk buying dividends out of them which are worth millions of pounds to your company's bottom line.
This should greatly assist in your company's aim to meet sales and profit targets. These are assessed taking 'like by like, year on year' sales figures. In other words comparing your sales performance using the same number of stores trading as for the comparison year. Lidl and Aldi will often give sales growth figures that do not take into account store additions.
So, a long winded explanation for you Ron, but that is why promotions and / or specials are so important to the retail trade. :y
-
Got that, Lizzie - not rocket science, is it? But I still do not see why when the Specials sell really well, to the point of being all gone after a day of being on offer, that they don't re-stock/continue the line?
Last year I wanted some ginger ale, but all they had was LOADS of lemonade. When I asked when they would next have any ginger ale, I was told that "we keep on being asked that, but upstairs won't let us have any until we shift all of this (lemonade) stock that nobody wants"!
Crazy?
Ron.
-
Got that, Lizzie - not rocket science, is it? But I still do not see why when the Specials sell really well, to the point of being all gone after a day of being on offer, that they don't re-stock/continue the line?
Last year I wanted some ginger ale, but all they had was LOADS of lemonade. When I asked when they would next have any ginger ale, I was told that "we keep on being asked that, but upstairs won't let us have any until we shift all of this (lemonade) stock that nobody wants"!
Crazy?
Ron.
No Ron., we always trained our retail teams that retailing was simple, but so easy to get very wrong! It is highly involved though in managing many factors at once, from property, to HR, training, through to H&S, commercial and criminal law, regulations of all types, then stock and margins, quite apart from customer care. Easy really!! ;D ;D
No, specials are lines that manufacturers or various suppliers offer due to over production, a one off order with limited production, discontinued lines, clearance, special imports, etc. These are offered to retailers at very low cost prices as a 'one off', not to be repeated line, that cannot be repeated. That is beneficial to the retailer, as the interest in these "specials" are limited, as always another retailer is offering a better quality brand, at a very advantageous prices, like Halfords meeting head on the Aldi and Lidl offers of tools, compressors, etc.
So in essence Specials are just one off offers that cannot be repeated. But promotions are usually of standard or linked range regular product being sold at prices that say to customers "buy me!!", which we as retailers can and do make hay with, although on this stock margins are usually at reduced levels, but the quantity of the sales should make up for that, with happy customers to boot! ;D ;D :y
-
Got that, Lizzie - not rocket science, is it? But I still do not see why when the Specials sell really well, to the point of being all gone after a day of being on offer, that they don't re-stock/continue the line?
Last year I wanted some ginger ale, but all they had was LOADS of lemonade. When I asked when they would next have any ginger ale, I was told that "we keep on being asked that, but upstairs won't let us have any until we shift all of this (lemonade) stock that nobody wants"!
Crazy?
Ron.
No Ron., we always trained our retail teams that retailing was simple, but so easy to get very wrong! It is highly involved though in managing many factors at once, from property, to HR, training, through to H&S, commercial and criminal law, regulations of all types, then stock and margins, quite apart from customer care. Easy really!! ;D ;D
No, specials are lines that manufacturers or various suppliers offer due to over production, a one off order with limited production, discontinued lines, clearance, special imports, etc. These are offered to retailers at very low cost prices as a 'one off', not to be repeated line, that cannot be repeated. That is beneficial to the retailer, as the interest in these "specials" are limited, as always another retailer is offering a better quality brand, at a very advantageous prices, like Halfords meeting head on the Aldi and Lidl offers of tools, compressors, etc.
So in essence Specials are just one off offers that cannot be repeated. But promotions are usually of standard or linked range regular product being sold at prices that say to customers "buy me!!", which we as retailers can and do make hay with, although on this stock margins are usually at reduced levels, but the quantity of the sales should make up for that, with happy customers to boot! ;D ;D :y
How does that equate to those wipers that I missed out on, or the ginger ale? The former was separate from their normal range, true, but surely not over-production by the manufacturer or distressed purchase, whereas the latter was normal range an in heavy demand, but Lidl management refused to allow stock holding.
Ok, it isn't easy, but incomprehensible?
Ron.
-
Got that, Lizzie - not rocket science, is it? But I still do not see why when the Specials sell really well, to the point of being all gone after a day of being on offer, that they don't re-stock/continue the line?
Last year I wanted some ginger ale, but all they had was LOADS of lemonade. When I asked when they would next have any ginger ale, I was told that "we keep on being asked that, but upstairs won't let us have any until we shift all of this (lemonade) stock that nobody wants"!
Crazy?
Ron.
No Ron., we always trained our retail teams that retailing was simple, but so easy to get very wrong! It is highly involved though in managing many factors at once, from property, to HR, training, through to H&S, commercial and criminal law, regulations of all types, then stock and margins, quite apart from customer care. Easy really!! ;D ;D
No, specials are lines that manufacturers or various suppliers offer due to over production, a one off order with limited production, discontinued lines, clearance, special imports, etc. These are offered to retailers at very low cost prices as a 'one off', not to be repeated line, that cannot be repeated. That is beneficial to the retailer, as the interest in these "specials" are limited, as always another retailer is offering a better quality brand, at a very advantageous prices, like Halfords meeting head on the Aldi and Lidl offers of tools, compressors, etc.
So in essence Specials are just one off offers that cannot be repeated. But promotions are usually of standard or linked range regular product being sold at prices that say to customers "buy me!!", which we as retailers can and do make hay with, although on this stock margins are usually at reduced levels, but the quantity of the sales should make up for that, with happy customers to boot! ;D ;D :y
...............plus the most important of all Financial Management, that I should never forget as that ruled everything else; no profit, no business, well at least not long term!!
-
Got that, Lizzie - not rocket science, is it? But I still do not see why when the Specials sell really well, to the point of being all gone after a day of being on offer, that they don't re-stock/continue the line?
Last year I wanted some ginger ale, but all they had was LOADS of lemonade. When I asked when they would next have any ginger ale, I was told that "we keep on being asked that, but upstairs won't let us have any until we shift all of this (lemonade) stock that nobody wants"!
Crazy?
Ron.
No Ron., we always trained our retail teams that retailing was simple, but so easy to get very wrong! It is highly involved though in managing many factors at once, from property, to HR, training, through to H&S, commercial and criminal law, regulations of all types, then stock and margins, quite apart from customer care. Easy really!! ;D ;D
No, specials are lines that manufacturers or various suppliers offer due to over production, a one off order with limited production, discontinued lines, clearance, special imports, etc. These are offered to retailers at very low cost prices as a 'one off', not to be repeated line, that cannot be repeated. That is beneficial to the retailer, as the interest in these "specials" are limited, as always another retailer is offering a better quality brand, at a very advantageous prices, like Halfords meeting head on the Aldi and Lidl offers of tools, compressors, etc.
So in essence Specials are just one off offers that cannot be repeated. But promotions are usually of standard or linked range regular product being sold at prices that say to customers "buy me!!", which we as retailers can and do make hay with, although on this stock margins are usually at reduced levels, but the quantity of the sales should make up for that, with happy customers to boot! ;D ;D :y
How does that equate to those wipers that I missed out on, or the ginger ale? The former was separate from their normal range, true, but surely not over-production by the manufacturer or distressed purchase, whereas the latter was normal range an in heavy demand, but Lidl management refused to allow stock holding.
Ok, it isn't easy, but incomprehensible?
Ron.
No. I obviously cannot speak for Lidl management, but decisions to stock a line or not is often down to a perceived conflict of range and a margin on that product that they do not think is acceptable. Any retailer has only so much display space, and therefore must use every inch for the most desired and profitable lines. The manufacturers will effectively "buy" space in the retailers stores, and it is the best offer that wins through. The buyers will assess the worth of a line and the space required, versus the potential sales and the level of profit to be achieved. Wipers in a main line supermarket is not classed as core range, and therefore cannot be allowed to take up highly valued space, apart from being within a Special line category, that is a very quick sell through and does the business as I previously stated.
Your ginger beer is possibly actually a 'slow' selling line within that manufacturers range, and unless they were to offer a far greater margin to Lidl, they will not stock it taking up premium space. ;)
-
The floorwalker I spoke to said he was forever being asked for the ginger beer, because alongside the huge pallet of lemonade was an empty pallet with a label proclaiming "Ginger beer". They were both from the same manufacturer, and Lidl were clearly wasting retail space.
Ron.
-
I remember when "ginger beer" meant something other than a drink :D
-
Yes, and so did "Iron hoof"! ;D
Ron.
-
The floorwalker I spoke to said he was forever being asked for the ginger beer, because alongside the huge pallet of lemonade was an empty pallet with a label proclaiming "Ginger beer". They were both from the same manufacturer, and Lidl were clearly wasting retail space.
Ron.
I'm confused Ron. If Lidl do not stock that line why do they have a pallet on the shop floor?
I would ask the management why ;)
-
You misunderstood me, or I didn't make myself clear. They do stock ginger beer as a regular item, but had run out due to its popularity. The lemonade stack actually covered two standard pallets in footprint and about eight feet tall. There was a similar-sized empty space next to it where the the ginger beer should have been, as the large label stated. Same price, same manufacturer.
Ron.
-
You misunderstood me, or I didn't make myself clear. They do stock ginger beer as a regular item, but had run out due to its popularity. The lemonade stack actually covered two standard pallets in footprint and about eight feet tall. There was a similar-sized empty space next to it where the the ginger beer should have been, as the large label stated. Same price, same manufacturer.
Ron.
Ah, right Ron. That is then due to poor stock replenishment that any retailer can suffer from due to unexpected demand or a problem with the supply chain. It could be pure poor management, but when you are maintaining the bare minimum of staffing levels as you are running on very low margins, that is also what customers can expect. ;)
-
Fickin disgraceful, I'd raise it with your MP, Ron.
-
Fickin disgraceful, I'd raise it with your MP, Ron.
;D ;D ;D whilst you are at it Ron get Parliament to restore Retail Price Maintenance. That will mean we get rid of all the promotional prices, and you the consumer will know what retail price you should be paying for what! ;D ;D >:( ;)
-
STEMO, as Minister of Transport in TB's government, I will pass it down the line to the appropriate department.
And yes, I know I'm making a meal of this issue, but what else can a bored bloke do on a boring Sunday afternoon?
Ron.
-
Fickin disgraceful, I'd raise it with your MP, Ron.
;D ;D ;D whilst you are at it Ron get Parliament to restore Retail Price Maintenance. That will mean we get rid of all the promotional prices, and you the consumer will know what retail price you should be paying for what! ;D ;D >:( ;)
Yes, top whack prices and no chance of a discount/bargain!
Ron.
-
Fickin disgraceful, I'd raise it with your MP, Ron.
;D ;D ;D whilst you are at it Ron get Parliament to restore Retail Price Maintenance. That will mean we get rid of all the promotional prices, and you the consumer will know what retail price you should be paying for what! ;D ;D >:( ;)
Yes, top whack prices and no chance of a discount/bargain!
Ron.
That's right, and the retailers enjoy great profits whilst the customer would get great (old fashioned) type Customer Service :D :D :D :y :y
PS Only (partially) joking! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)
-
My memory must be fading, because I cannot recall much decent service in the days of RPM, justa take-it-or-leave-it attitude because you couldn't buy cheaper anywhere else.
Competition works, lack 0f same does not - look at nationalised industries? And where can you shop for an alternative government and/or police force that respects you and does what you want?
Competition works.....
Ron.
-
My memory must be fading, because I cannot recall much decent service in the days of RPM, justa take-it-or-leave-it attitude because you couldn't buy cheaper anywhere else.
Competition works, lack 0f same does not - look at nationalised industries? And where can you shop for an alternative government and/or police force that respects you and does what you want?
Competition works.....
Ron.
I was partially joking about returning to the days of RPM. But the answer to what was or would be best is very interesting albeit now irrelevant.
In the days I first fell in love with shops and shopping it was close to 60 years ago. What I remember was set shops in set trades selling a set range of product. Apart from departmental shops that were fascinitating in their own right, the rest were small shops. They had staff galore who would know their customers and give them excellent advise on the "best" or "right" buys at that time. Prices were standard as they kept to the RPM Act. But competition was only token compared to now. It was really a case of using the shops local to you, and in the days before mass car use, that was vital. A trip into town by bus was a special trip, when mum could buy those particular items from Woolworths, Marks & Spencer, Boots and Fenwick's, and if she wanted a book it was into W.H.Smith. Everyone seemed to know where they stood shopping; no mad hunt to find the cheapest outside of "Sale" time, or vast travel to the latest product advertised on the then new commercial ITV channel.
I came into retail 52 years ago as a junior member of staff, with the managerial career starting 3 years later. I witnessed the last years of the "old" shops, with high staff numbers and the best personal service we could give to our customers, although we definitely had our weak links who needed to be retrained or sacked. Then the end of RPM saw the beginning of the end for the old ways. We started to fight it out with competitors using price promotions, POS, and a far more aggressive approach. Then we had to reduce our staff numbers to protect profits, and that resulted in stores going "self service" for most product. Over the years as stores got far larger, superstores became the norm, it was down to my colleagues and I to cut our multi-million pound staffing budgets; 5% cuts became the regular amount every year, and once around 10%. In the meantime I witnessed it being far more difficult on a declining scale to give the first class Customer Care we all wanted. Managers of our stores were pushing up sales nicely, with healthy profits, so that was all good. But I mourned the loss of that personal, individual, service I enjoyed as a youngster.
So much is vastly better in retailing than 60 years ago; the range, the price, and the large store environment. But go into a Sainsbury's now, or even better B & Q, and you will have to hunt for available staff at busy times during regular busy periods. Try asking about a product and the details of it, or even where it is in the vast store. Yes, you can enjoy the walk around the store and finding your product from a vast range, then loading your trolley at your pace. All good, but the you enter the checkout area and your custom is not valued. You are just a number, with even myself having to train the retailers staff on good customer care, or even just general checkout routine. At Christmas I had to advise 3 members of staff in Sainsbury's on how to process my advanced ordered Christmas meat selection, with me having to write to the store's General Store Manager about the failings, which with due credit to them they came back to me and accepted my recommendations, recognising they "had issues" with staff training and temporary staff.
The pressure on stores now and the staff teams to meet the competition head on, with prices to match, whilst cutting costs to as low as possible is having an effect, and will see more retail chains go under as the online business cuts in, and profits fall to untenable levels.
So, in summary, yes I miss the old days as a customer and retailer, but there are so many positives with the new ways. It is just a real concern of where it will end up. All online, with no Customer contact? Greatly reduced product ranges? Even worse, with the competition fading due to business failure, prices going back up to viable levels so that the retailer can survive? I probably will not be around for the final outcome! ;)
-
I think most smaller retailers accept that traditional retail is dying for most, unless you're a convenience store. People are too lazy to go out shopping now, so get the shit delivered now instead.
Hence, every high street is nothing more that coffee houses, charity shops and estate agents.
The bigger companies are also feeling the same pinch, but have the resources to set up a proper online business, and more importantly, the resources to market that site.
To prove how lazy the british public have become, look at how many can't even be arsed to shop around online, and just only ever go to ebay, assuming that's cheapest...
-
I think most smaller retailers accept that traditional retail is dying for most, unless you're a convenience store. People are too lazy to go out shopping now, so get the shit delivered now instead.
Hence, every high street is nothing more that coffee houses, charity shops and estate agents.
The bigger companies are also feeling the same pinch, but have the resources to set up a proper online business, and more importantly, the resources to market that site.
To prove how lazy the british public have become, look at how many can't even be arsed to shop around online, and just only ever go to ebay, assuming that's cheapest...
All very true TB. However, their is it seems an elephant in the room for the major supermarkets and online shopping. They have reported they are not making enough, if any, real profit on these transactions. Once the high costs of staff used for selecting the goods from the shelves, then the transportation outlay, are taken into account it, they say, requires far higher delivery charges than as of now.
They have, in a way, returned to the old days of using high staff numbers to support the sales and delivering the goods, after decades of getting the customer to do all that for free. They are trying to grab the online business from their competitors, and it has become what we used to call "loss leaders" to tempt customers to them whilst seeing their profits decline in the process.
It cannot be sustained, and the costs in one way or another will have to be met by the customer. ;)
-
Good explanation Lizzie and not altogether surprising, but even if RPM were to return, the old ways certainly woulkd not - the world has changed too much and attitudes along with it.
Supermarkets pander to the lowest common denominator now and price is king, never mind the quality.
A case in point is bread; even with in-store "bakeries" (what a misnomer!) all they produce is tastless pap with poor texture. Where can you find a real baker nowadays - they simply cannot compete on price, and the working day is far too long for any but the old school bakers to tolerate.
TB, the high streets that you describe are "Identikit" streets, no one looking much different from another. Can you remember when you went somewhere new, and the shopping centre looked entirely different from that of your home one, with delightful discoveries around each corner?
Ron.
-
What you are describing Lizzie is shpping in most of Spain. No point in shopping around as the price will be the same. You go into the shop amd ask for something and the assistant goes off and gets it.
Things are changing. A few internet based companies undercutting the high street. One or two of the big supermarkets now offer 10% off price of a tank of fuel when you spend 60 or more. Thin end of the wedge.
-
Good explanation Lizzie and not altogether surprising, but even if RPM were to return, the old ways certainly woulkd not - the world has changed too much and attitudes along with it.
Supermarkets pander to the lowest common denominator now and price is king, never mind the quality.
A case in point is bread; even with in-store "bakeries" (what a misnomer!) all they produce is tastless pap with poor texture. Where can you find a real baker nowadays - they simply cannot compete on price, and the working day is far too long for any but the old school bakers to tolerate.
TB, the high streets that you describe are "Identikit" streets, no one looking much different from another. Can you remember when you went somewhere new, and the shopping centre looked entirely different from that of your home one, with delightful discoveries around each corner?
Ron.
All very true Ron, and I am certainly in agreement that what was yesterday has gone and there is no large public demand for it to return :y
-
What you are describing Lizzie is shpping in most of Spain. No point in shopping around as the price will be the same. You go into the shop amd ask for something and the assistant goes off and gets it.
Things are changing. A few internet based companies undercutting the high street. One or two of the big supermarkets now offer 10% off price of a tank of fuel when you spend 60 or more. Thin end of the wedge.
Yes, I found that the case in the past. In addition, and I think it was in Spain not Portugal, we're not all the petrol filling stations government owned, and you paid the same price per litre where ever you went? ??? ???
-
In the near future, order picking will be carried out by robots and delivery will be made by drones. The costs will drop very significantly for online retailers then.
-
What you are describing Lizzie is shpping in most of Spain. No point in shopping around as the price will be the same. You go into the shop amd ask for something and the assistant goes off and gets it.
Things are changing. A few internet based companies undercutting the high street. One or two of the big supermarkets now offer 10% off price of a tank of fuel when you spend 60 or more. Thin end of the wedge.
Yes, I found that the case in the past. In addition, and I think it was in Spain not Portugal, we're not all the petrol filling stations government owned, and you paid the same price per litre where ever you went? ??? ???
Fuel. That used to be the case. It was really quite pleasant not having to seek out a cheap petrol station. Fuel must have been government controlled but not owned. Now it varies widely just as in the UK.
-
In the near future, order picking will be carried out by robots and delivery will be made by drones. The costs will drop very significantly for online retailers then.
I don't doubt that. What then happens to the out of town shopping centres? Why would you buy from Currys/pc world when the same thing on line is 10 or 20% cheaper and delivered to your door. Will they just become windows and food and drink halls for families on a day out?
-
Yes Mr. Varche, it has already happened in an area that I am interesred in - photography. There used to be good and knowledgeable camera retailers in almost every town, who gave really goos service and advice, but with the advent of online sources, the unscrupulous purchaser would do his research in those shops, handling a number of cameras, and then go online to the box-shifters for the cheapest price, bringing about the denise of the specialist shops.
Ron.
-
...
To prove how lazy the british public have become, look at how many can't even be arsed to shop around online, and just only ever go to ebay, assuming that's cheapest...
What worries me is the ones who, driven by hunger or the craving for fags to get off their @rse and attend their local "One Stop", do so without bothering to change out of their pyjamas. :(
Add them to the cull list, would you? :y
-
In the near future, order picking will be carried out by robots and delivery will be made by drones. The costs will drop very significantly for online retailers then.
But "wastage" will go up as drones crash or are hijacked by the criminals after hacking their electronic systems, with also customers denying they have received the drop in their garden. In addition, how big will these drones be to deliver a month's worth of shopping or the latest 90" television? Cannot get my head around that.
As for the CDC's, they are great for distributing bulk items by lorry after being picked electronically. Amazon do their warehouse bit very well. But their goods are far from being so fiddly and different like Sainsbury's or Tesco, and having a warehouse fitted out to hold the ranges the big supermarkets have is a real hurdle for retailers wanting to go the "robot" root. It is why the current supermarket online business, with at least the main supermarkets, is picked by staff from the stock laid out in their main line stores, then shippers out by vans with drivers.
Indeed, I have made enquiries with Sainsbury's on a professional level about all the Pickens you now see going around the local store. They confirmed that they have seen a dramatic rise in the online business and keep on employing extra staff to meet the demand. To me that means extra costs, on lower margins; not a good long term recipe for any retail business. How that operation can be taken over by robots and drones (all extra costs, with "wastage" as I stated) I cannot see. ;)
On taking
-
In the near future, order picking will be carried out by robots and delivery will be made by drones. The costs will drop very significantly for online retailers then.
So, given that I'm in a drone no-fly zone, will I have to collect my goods from a few miles away?
I think the drone thing is a red herring.
I know in MK, there are trials of lunches being delivered by autonomous crates...
-
Why would you buy from Currys/pc world when the same thing on line is 10 or 20% cheaper and delivered to your door.
Have you not tried to buy anything from these mongs recently? Effectively, you go in, and order the fridge you want to be delivered to your door using their expensive delivery options.
I usually start out by asking what fridge/whatever they actually have in stock to take away today in my car, usually to be told "everything is in stock", then have to get annoyed when I go to purchase this only to be told I have to pay delivery, and it will be next week, because they don't actually have any. Which usually results in being manhandled out of the store for being unkind to the morons that work there.
-
Why would you buy from Currys/pc world when the same thing on line is 10 or 20% cheaper and delivered to your door.
Have you not tried to buy anything from these mongs recently? Effectively, you go in, and order the fridge you want to be delivered to your door using their expensive delivery options.
I usually start out by asking what fridge/whatever they actually have in stock to take away today in my car, usually to be told "everything is in stock", then have to get annoyed when I go to purchase this only to be told I have to pay delivery, and it will be next week, because they don't actually have any. Which usually results in being manhandled out of the store for being unkind to the morons that work there.
Last thing I bought from Currys, was a dishwasher, 12 months ago.....I asked for discount and got it....cheaper than online too...
They had it in stock as well and I even helped the kiddie load into the back of my estate :y
-
Why would you buy from Currys/pc world when the same thing on line is 10 or 20% cheaper and delivered to your door.
Have you not tried to buy anything from these mongs recently? Effectively, you go in, and order the fridge you want to be delivered to your door using their expensive delivery options.
I usually start out by asking what fridge/whatever they actually have in stock to take away today in my car, usually to be told "everything is in stock", then have to get annoyed when I go to purchase this only to be told I have to pay delivery, and it will be next week, because they don't actually have any. Which usually results in being manhandled out of the store for being unkind to the morons that work there.
Last thing I bought from Currys, was a dishwasher, 12 months ago.....I asked for discount and got it....cheaper than online too...
They had it in stock as well and I even helped the kiddie load into the back of my estate :y
Must just be the Banbury one then. But as we all know, people from Banburyshire are special, and usually have the same mother and sister.
-
;D ;D
-
...
To prove how lazy the british public have become, look at how many can't even be arsed to shop around online, and just only ever go to ebay, assuming that's cheapest...
What worries me is the ones who, driven by hunger or the craving for fags to get off their @rse and attend their local "One Stop", do so without bothering to change out of their pyjamas. :(
Add them to the cull list, would you? :y
SWMBOs niece was banned from using her local Tesco store for exactly that. ;D