In another recent post there have been plaudits for certain retailers. In the past few days I have been in more shops than the previous 6 months, and noticed a huge variance in customer service.
Speaking as someone who owned several customer focused, smaller retail shops at one time, I really get annoyed by scruffy, untidy retail spaces. I appreciate that the, often younger, staff get paid very little, but standing around, skulking in corners chatting, whilst stock is on the floor with customers stepping over, or walking around it, makes me see red. Even my 16 and 17yo past time school kids were sat down, given an induction, and an A4 sheet of their job description and what was expected of them. If no customers to help or serve, they were expected to fill stock and tidy up, merchandise or clean, of their own volition. Not doing so the first few days would mean a friendly word in their ear. Third chances were not given...poor shop floor management, and I do like to see a manager actually on the shop floor during busy trading periods leading by example.
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I used to line up the items on the shelves if I needed to look busy. Still do it now in supermarkets, pulling stock forward on the shelf. Girlfriend thinks I'm nuts but old habits die hard.
Last edited by: MJW1994 on Sun 29 Dec 13 at 23:20
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>> I used to line up the items on the shelves if I needed to look
>> busy. Still do it now in supermarkets, pulling stock forward on the shelf. Girlfriend thinks
>> I'm nuts but old habits die hard.
>>
Reminds me of a visit from a friend a couple of years back. She is very much into the value end of supermarket shopping. Not skint, just very tight, she's the sort who if you eat out in a group and just agree to split the bill she will quibble if she thinks hers was less than the agreed split. Anyway, Mrs B was out with her and popped into Waitrose for a few bits. She was completely fascinated with how everything was straight and lined up on shelves
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The other day in Asda I pulled the unsalted butter forward and passed the empty box to a supervisor who was in the aisle. I am very odd at times.
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I am very odd at times.
Yes I understand you think Renaults are reliable ;-)
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she's
>> the sort who if you eat out in a group and just agree to split
>> the bill she will quibble if she thinks hers was less than the agreed split.
Oh dear god not another one. I have to suffer these types too often. Embarrasing at best. I don't even know why, we don't claim back we get cash in hand.
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Problem is so many retailers have cut back their staff numbers that now seeing a manager on the shop floor doing a 4 foot by 4 foot walk is very rare. Because they are running about like blue bottomed flies covering all the other jobs.
However if you want to feel better, get down to your local Aldi or Lidl, no slackers there !
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When I worked for a leading manufacturer, I remember going past a shop with the marketing director. He was unable to resist going in, and rotating all the bottles of our product so they faced the front.
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>> Problem is so many retailers have cut back their staff numbers that now seeing a
>> manager on the shop floor doing a 4 foot by 4 foot walk is very
>> rare. Because they are running about like blue bottomed flies covering all the other jobs.
>> However if you want to feel better, get down to your local Aldi or Lidl,
>> no slackers there !
>>
Aldi is a great example of a skilled well paid highly motivated workforce...
Last edited by: madf on Mon 30 Dec 13 at 09:33
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Well the management is well paid. Graduates on their training scheme get paid £40K. They expect a lot from them though.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Mon 30 Dec 13 at 09:40
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I really must look to see where the nearest Aldi store is. There certainly isn't one within the distance we would normally travel for our weekly shop.
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You must live in a nice part of the world then.
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I live near one, and live in a nice part of the world. You can have both.
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Every part of the world has its pockets of depravation, and if its big enough an Aldi will spring up.
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>> pockets of depravation,
>>
I didn't know Aldi were that bad.
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I guess that's why they're so popular. ;-)
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>>Every part of the world...
I thought you were popping in for some beans.
Last edited by: Clk Sec on Mon 30 Dec 13 at 10:25
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Yeah, I'll have to take a couple of pit bulls to fit in I guess. Where do i get a shell suit? I can't find them in JLP
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They do provide a handy guide as to where not to look when house-hunting though. Sort of opposite to the Waitrose effect. There's one a opened quarter of a mile from me opposite the Cash Converters and the new betting shop . Hope to move in the Spring!
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>> They do provide a handy guide as to where not to look when house-hunting though.
>> Sort of opposite to the Waitrose effect.
>>
No :-) added !
My nearest ALDi is in Walton on Thames. From the store if you walk past Waitrose you arrive at a very very large Aston Martin dealers :-)
The next stores are miles away so my "local" store is out of place.
There are very few in the whole of London. Looks like ten inside the M25
signed Confused of Esher.
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>> >> They do provide a handy guide as to where not to look when house-hunting
>> though.
>> >> Sort of opposite to the Waitrose effect.
>> >>
>> No :-) added !
>>
>> My nearest ALDi is in Walton on Thames. From the store if you walk past
>> Waitrose you arrive at a very very large Aston Martin dealers :-)
Dear confused of Esher. If you walk the other way you come to Walton on Thames's pocket of depravation. tinyurl.com/ocghw3c
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 30 Dec 13 at 12:47
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"Sort of opposite to the Waitrose effect."
Here, in beautiful Bury St Edmunds, we have an established Waitrose - and a recently-opened Aldi. When I went into Aldi before Christmas, the Waitrose crowd were in there buying Stollen etc whereas it appeared that the Asda folk were far too snooty to patronise Aldi.
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"and a recently-opened Aldi"
That's Bury off the list then. A Weatherspoons and an ALDI It'll soon be like Thetford. :-)
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I would quite gladly not live in area were people think it is a bad thing to have a local Aldi! There isn't actually an Aldi in my area but there are two very close in neighbouring suburbs.
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>> I would quite gladly not live in area were people think it is a bad
>> thing to have a local Aldi! There isn't actually an Aldi in my area but
>> there are two very close in neighbouring suburbs.
>>
Same here, had enough of that crap when I lived in Amazingstoke; the type that would have a shiny new company BMW on the drive but sod all in the fridge ;-)
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And then they use their capital one cards to buy cocktails in a cocktail bar.
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>> That's Bury off the list then.
Well, nowhere is perfect. But Bury has that wonderful sugar beet aroma.
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That's true. Sort of mingles with the the smell from the Greene King brewery. Does have the best restaurant in East Anglia though.
www.maisonbleue.co.uk/
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"That's Bury off the list then. A Weatherspoons and an ALDI It'll soon be like Thetford. :-)"
Aw, come off it, CGN!!! Can you imagine……..can you, for one moment, imagine Waitrose setting up shop in Thetford??? No, I thought not!!! :-)
Anyway, Bury's got the Apex, the Abbey Gardens, and a much better football team.
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Anyway, Bury's got the Apex, the Abbey Gardens, and a much better football team.
Not to mention Poundland, a dozen charity shops and the A14 running through the middle of the town. *
I can remember Thetford in the 1960s before it became an "overspill" town for London and the LCC, as then was, built thousands of council houses there. Was a nice little sleepy market town in those days.
*Actually quite like Bury and my wife wants us to move there.
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"Poundland"
What's 'Poundland'?
"*Actually quite like Bury and my wife wants us to move there."
Everybody who sees Bury wants to move here! I came from the grimy Midlands in 1975, and nothing would drag me back there. Prior to the start of the Bryan Ferry gig at Cambridge last month, Mrs H and I were ear-wigging on a conversation between 3 or 4 women sitting behind us …….. they all wanted to move to Bury as well ;-)
IMHO, you are absolutely correct in your assessment of Maison Bleue; as I write, Mrs H is trying to decide whether it's MB or Theobalds at Ixworth for her belated 60th birthday meal.
Actually, though, Norwich is very nice ……………. yes, I could settle for Norwich ……….. as my second choice.
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"What's 'Poundland'?"
That tatty discount store in Cornhill.
Seriously Bury is one of the nicest towns in England. Has managed to escape most of the calamities that have destroyed our town centres over the years although Henry III didn't do the Abbey any favours
Even the new shopping centre complements the town rather than destroying it and it has managed to remain a real town with its own reason for existence rather than becoming a dormitory for London commuters as have so many Southern towns.
The Old Cannon does a nice Pub lunch too.
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"The Old Cannon does a nice Pub lunch too"
Sadly, although I like their home-brewed 'Best', it disagrees with my physiology and gives me a headache after more than one pint. I have to stick to Adnam's - which is no great burden.
There are no sound-deadening soft furnishings in the Old Cannon, so many complain about the noise levels. I was in there one evening at the same time as the overspill from the Bury Beer Festival being held in the (pre-Wetherspoons) Corn Exchange. The Cannon was packed to the rafters and the racket from attempted conversations was absolutely deafening.
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>> What's 'Poundland'?
Nickerland.
Poundbox. Quidfolder. Buckclip. Flusswallet. Rialroll. Shekelschlep. Pocket.
Terribly sorry. I don't know what came over me.
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Nearest Waitrose to us is a 60 mile round trip (just checked) we (swmbi) usually go to Tesco & AZDA.
Tried Morrisons on Saturday (swmbi didn't reckon em) going to try Sainsbury's this Sat.
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>> Nearest Waitrose to us is a 60 mile round trip (just checked) we (swmbi) usually
>> go to Tesco & AZDA.
>>
>> Tried Morrisons on Saturday (swmbi didn't reckon em) going to try Sainsbury's this Sat.
Careful Fido, every supermarket has sections that are better/worse than t'others.
You could end up getting meat and fish in Morrison's fruit and veg in Sainsbury and still shopping arounf fo more odds/sods.
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>>You could end up getting meat and fish in Morrison's fruit and veg in Sainsbury and still shopping arounf fo more odds/sods.
That's right Brompto, I don't 'do' shopping but, swmbi shops in Tesco AND ASDA, which has always seemed stoopid to me, but I can quite understand the modus operandi of it.
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>> Nearest Waitrose to us is a 60 mile round trip (just checked)
Is that the one at Saltash?...SWMBO managed to get them to deliver to us, even though we're out of their area.
The drivers have a 36 mile round trip..can't see how it's economic for them to do it.
The store's a bit small though, so they don't have the full range of goods, which is a shame, we were spoilt in London...so it's Tesco for the mundane deliveries.
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We get our meat from a local "factory" shop - it is far better value for money than supermarkets. Food miles are a lot lot less of course. We (reluctantly in my case) use Asda with a dash of Lidl.
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>>Is that the one at Saltash?...
That's the one, the only one in Cornwall, they are supposed to be opening one in Truro one day I believe.
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>> I live near one, and live in a nice part of the world. You can
>> have both.
I've said this before but there is considerable variation between individual Aldi stores.
There are three within a 20 min drive from here. Two, Daventry & Towcester, are close to town centre. Daventry is very mixed with some quite smart areas, a large estate of New Towns type overspill and outlying villages where anything detached is half a million+. Both Aldi stores are well managed, always tidy and with specials quickly cycled. Both are also close to a Waitrose and we're certainly not the only shoppers who use both.
The third is at St James in Northampton. Surrounding area was once factory workers homes but now a mix of eastern European and other immigrants and a high level of multi occupation. On junction of two main roads so it also get's passing trade from homebound commuters. No other supermarket nearby except the co-located Iceland. Individually the staff are very good helpful, cheerful etc. But the place is often a mess with stuff in aisles and remains of 'specials' from weeks ago still on display. Basically it looks under managed. I suspect it's not a prestigious posting and doesn't get the long term attention the other two stores get.
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>> You must live in a nice part of the world then.
>>
I think that Lidl / Aldi have saturated all the less desirable areas and are now going more mainstream. We got a Lidl last year and its been built at the end of Waitroses carpark. I understand that in its first few weeks it had quite an impact on sales, but the regulars soon returned (me included) so no real threat to them.
I think the days of them only opening by council estates are long over
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>> I think the days of them only opening by council estates are long over
Aldi are mainstream round here now. Lidl still some way behind; only store is a hike across town I'd need to want something a lot to undertake.
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I understand they are quite mainstream in europe. I've been across europe quite a few times never really noticed them. No matter, both of them have nice lagers a winner for me.
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>> I understand they are quite mainstream in europe. I've been across europe quite a few
>> times never really noticed them. No matter, both of them have nice lagers a winner
>> for me.
There are actually two Aldi brands.
The brothers who founded the outfit had a disagreement but amicably split the organisation between northern and southern Lande of what was then West Germany.
Internationally they agreed to divi up individual countries to one or other. UK is Aldi Sud but France is Aldi Nord, different logos etc. In the Black Forest we noticed same branding as UK but with a discreet 'sud' in the logo.
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yeah I read that they had split up. Just commenting that there market place here is different to that in mainland europe, as I understand it.
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"I think the days of them only opening by council estates are long over"
The 'Waitrose' classes have discovered the merits of Aldi's 'Oliver Cromwell' gin?
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>> This will find one.
>>
Round trip around 13 miles. A bit far really, when others are on the doorstep.
Thanks, Sooty123.
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Worth a nosey if you pass by. About the same for us, but that's the nearest supermarket.
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I've just taken my wife to Aldi and Morrisons. Sainsburys is another mile or so further away and apparently we "couldn't be bothered going there as we only needed a few bits".
Aldi was quite diverting. Lots of odd things in there which I hadn't previously known existed. Some of their stock was unusual too.
Morrisons was less exciting although I re-discovered Shiphams Sardine and Tomato paste. Quite forgotten about that despite it being a staple ingredient of my diet in my single days. You can vary it of course by using alternative breads or crackers to spread it on.
Toast works well for a breakfast version, a baguette if lunching on it or brown whole grain if it is to form the basis of an evening meal.
Anyway, not only was it available, they were also on offer at Two for £1.00.
Fair cheered me up that.
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Shipham's fish and meat pastes were a staple of Sunday tea in the 1950s . There was a huge variety of flavours from chicken and ham to sardine and tomato and bloater. Accompanied by winkles and a pot of tea. If you were lucky there might be Victoria sponge and jelly.
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Wasn't it spelt Shippam's? Perhaps it's a false memory.
Either way, I ought to get a special prize from Pat for ignoring her Yuletide ban on, er, clerkish precisions...
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Shippam's it was. Seem to remember the jar lids secured wiht a metal band.
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Actually, I've just discovered that I lied, (inadvertantly in fairness) they aren't Shiphams at all, they're Princes. Slightly disappointing that. However, I'm still reasonably excited.
I had an Aunt who lived in Sheffield who we used to visit occasionally. My abiding childhood memory of her is being taken to Sheffield market and being bought a portion of winkles or cockles in a tub and being allowed to eat them with a cocktail stick while she did her other shopping. One of them, I really can't remember which always had bits of grit in it.
I used to feed those to the caged puppies for sale on the market when she wasn't looking. They didn't seem to mind the grit.
I must have been noticed doing that though because one time we were there my father bought me a Jack Russell pup from the market. I'm sure it was the one I'd been feeding my unwanted shellfish to earlier that day.
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Indeed you are right about the spelling AC. What's more I'm mildly comforted to learn that Shippams are now owned by Princes so perhaps all will be well after all.
Incidentally, Princes in turn is now owned by Mitsubishi apparently.
There's something I didn't know. Blimey.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_Group
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>> Incidentally, Princes in turn is now owned by Mitsubishi apparently.
And it's why some brands are not in Tesco at the moment. Some brand items are there but others have been 'dropped'. So you can't get Branston bakes beans in Tesco at the moment for example.
www.thegrocer.co.uk/companies/supermarkets/tesco/tesco-delists-70-princes-products-in-mystery-dispute/350435.article
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>> So you can't get Branston baked beans in Tesco at the moment
Which are my favourite baked beans.
Just prior to their unannounced disappearance they were being sold for ½ price (£1.24 a pack of four) at Tesco. Then all of a sudden stopped being sold at all. A few weeks later I spied out the corner of my eye six packs of Branston BBs on the very top shelf where Tesco normally put the overstock items. The barcode didn't work on my Tesco App so I took one of the packs to the checkout to find out the price. 62p was the answer. Needless to say I took all their remaining stock at that price.
I've since found out the local Family Bargains store (part of the 99p chain) sells a 3 pack of Branston BBs for 90p; and I think LIDL had a pack of 4 on offer for a £1 at the weekend.
All is not lost. If Tesco don't stock them anymore, plenty of other places do, and cheaper.
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I think the gritty ones are cockles. Come without shells in a little cup.
How did the Jack Russell react when you got him home and there weren't any cockles for him? Did he ever trust you again?
:o}
(Nice dad you had Humph).
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He was indeed a nice dad. Never could resist buying dogs though. There were always dogs.
The JR never mentioned cockles again. I think he was just being polite in taking them initially. He seemed much more interested in ham bones. Who could blame him really.
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Graduates on the AREA MANAGER training scheme get that.... there won't be many positions for that then will there. And they will get their pound of flesh - they work the staff hard.
If you're a store manager (graduate or not) you won't get that much.
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>> If you're a store manager (graduate or not) you won't get that much.
Store manager money looks OK though:
www.careers.aldirecruitment.co.uk/store-opportunities/store-manager.asp
£34-£52k.
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They recruited around around 40 in 2013. With a target of over 1,000 shops and an area manager covering 3 to 4 shops that makes around 250 positions
I would say they would have quite good prospects
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Poor retail practice - MJW1994
