Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[Kingspanner]

Sainsbury’s were keen on getting Argos, Habitat etc into their stores as they had far too much shop floor built during the super shed supermarket expansion period.
Like big town centre department stores are desperately trying to offload whole floors.

Didn't I read somewhere that Sainsbury's bought Argos for its logistics? Same day delivery, that sort of thing.

 

[bussnapperwm]

One thing that Sainsbury's did well with the Argos merger is I can order something (like my Christmas/birthday presents) from Argos and be able to just pick it up on the way home from my local little sainsbury's, and at the same time pick a few bits up (such as a loaf and milk, or whatever I fancy for tea) in between changing buses.

Saves me having to nip to the big Argos up the road in the shopping centre, run from one end to the other just to miss the bus leaving the bus station and a hour wait!

 

[richw]

I have to agree. It's an perfect example of adapting to survive. Our Sainsbury was always a bit on the quiet side compared to other local supermarkets, but since Argos has moved it, it's been noticeably busier as people now have a reason to go there, and, as planned, buy other things at the same time as picking up their Argos order.

Same with WHS - people whinge about their High St stores, but they had the foresight to see the benefits of incorporating the Post Office counter when "proper" post offices in the town centre close, so that, again, drives people into their stores, who may well buy other things.

Another slightly different example is in-store cafes. We like the Morrisons cafe but hate the Tesco's feeble attempt and aren't keen on Asda either, so when we're on the road or holidaying in the UK, we actively seek out Morrisons to have our lunch or evening meal, and thus buy groceries, newspaper, drinks or whatever afterwards, so that's business gained by Morrison and lost by Tesco/Asda, simply due to "side-line" offerings.

I think it's got to be the way forward - stores need to have multiple sales channels to attract customers.

I regularly eat in the Morrisons cafe if I’m passing near mealtimes. Dislike any other supermarkets offerings and would actively avoid. I find Morrisons cafe good value and acceptable quality.

 

[SteveP29]

Clearly, plenty of people disagree with you. They are always busy. And supemarkets don't seem interested in catering as it isn't their core business and has small margins after all costs are taken into account because it's quite labour heavy compared to traditional retail.

Surely if you want a cheap breakfast these days you just go to a greasy spoon or wetherspoons?

Clearly, many people have more money than sense.

And, err, have you tried finding a greasy spoon these days?

 

[Iskra]

Clearly, many people have more money than sense.

And, err, have you tried finding a greasy spoon these days?

No, they just choose to spend their disposable income in a different way to you. It could be far worse; gambling, alcohol, cigs...

There's one 200m from my house. When I needed one in Leeds recently, we googled it and found one about a 10min walk away. They aren't as common as they used to be, but they still exist.

 

[cactustwirly]

Half the larger Tesco's I go into that are big enough for a cafe have a bl**dy Costa, I don't want arty farty coffee and overpriced slice of cake if I'm wanting something to eat when at the supermarket, I want sausage, egg and chips (like I used to have every saturday morning when I was a kid at Savecentre in Washington, their cafe seating area was half as big as some supermarkets)

Well I do, not the overpriced slice of cake, but the so called "arty farty" coffee, I'd take any day over some greasy spoon type of affair.
Anyway I go to a supermarket to shop, not to dine, there's nothing stopping you buying the raw ingredients and cooking to your heart's content at home.

Anyway it's been a long time since I've seen a cafe in a store tbh.

 

[underbank]

Morrisons may not make much (if any) profit on their cafe, but it drives customers into their stores. They're usually pretty full at lunchtimes. That's a lot of people, many of whom will also do some shopping at the same time. The cafes are cheap and cheerful - clearly want the public want. When we holiday in the UK (holiday cottages etc), we'd usually go into Morrisons for our evening meal on the arrival day and get our trolley of shopping for the week afterwards which would usually be £50 or so. That's the entire philosophy of Morrison's cafes - a "loss leader" to get people to choose them for their shopping rather than their competition.

 

[ComUtoR]

It is well know that the high street is failing and quite dramatically. Traditional retail is dead and buried but has been moving on for many years. When I worked in retail we suffered because we were taking huge hits from destination shopping. There is a well known shopping center not far from me. The impact it had was predictable and I fully understand why destination shopping is the way forward for the 'high street' Retail adapts but those who haven't or have been slow to react to the changing habits of shoppers have suffered.

They must adapt and compete with online shopping. I remember taking a pair of headphones back to Game one year because they delivered the wrong item. I was specifically told to take it back to the store but the store refused to change it because the website was a different part of their business. I have had numerous issues with store who have an item priced differently on their website than the store and don't honour the web price. Whilst some store have now adapted and are running their store and website hand in hand and more integrated my latest issue with the high street and retail in general dying miserably is that online is so much cheaper. Not just by a small margin either. My two biggest purchases recently : Item 1. Great in store service, superb advice and great to have a tangible item to hold and get a good feel for. £499. In store. £290 online. What I was more annoyed at was the attitude that the one online was in some way less. I wouldn't get any after care or get the 5yr guarantee. That attitude is pushing people away (and not true). Item 2. Researched everything about it online, made a choice to buy, really wanted it. Store 1 didn't have it but were an official seller, store 2 had it and everything went well. £799. My price online (with another high street retailer) £600. Price match offered was £729 Suffice to say I walked out and bought it online. What frustrated me more, as I understand what drove their decision, is that the online company I purchased from, owns that high street store !!

They are driving people to buy online. Granted much of it is price dependent but it is also because the in store experience is detrimental to the consumer.

On the flip side there are other things that have been influencing the demise of the high street and traditional retail; again, not a big secret. Local high street and smaller business' have been complaining about parking costs and the volume of red/yellow lines that have contributed to a sever drop in footfall. Business Rates, rents and numerous overheads are killing small shops and harming larger retailers too. If we want to get provocative... the 'Living Wage' is also harming the industry.

 

[underbank]

I remember taking a pair of headphones back to Game one year because they delivered the wrong item. I was specifically told to take it back to the store but the store refused to change it because the website was a different part of their business.

I had the same at Currys with a camcorder. Website clearly said it could be returned/refunded in store, but the store manager refused. I even went in the next day with a printout of their website and he still wouldn't budge. A few weeks later I went in with a letter from their customer service department in response to my complaint letter, which instructed me to return to the store and show them the letter for a full refund PLUS a £50 credit voucher! You should have seen the look on the manager's face - priceless! - he managed the entire transaction without speaking - he actually reminded me of Basil Fawlty having to do something he didn't want to - lots of huffing and puffing and banging things around. There's no way I felt sorry for him when they closed his store!

Edit: Just remembered similar happened with a particularly stroppy manager in our local Argos - I took a set of pans back for refund because the handle had snapped off one of them. As we were outside the 16 day return period, she wouldn't refund and would only accept a return/replacement of the one that broke. That would have been fine had they had the same item in stock, but they didn't so she tried to fob me off with one from a different set! We refused, so it was a complaint letter to head office. Same result - a letter back telling me to return to store with their letter to pick up a new set of my choice - not even limited to the same price - the letter clearly said I could pick a set of my choice - so I did - top of the range at 4 times the price. The manageress was speechless when she read the letter - didn't say a word, just gave it to the counter staff and walked off in a huff!

Retail is all about face to face customer service - it's the only thing they have compared with online, so the staff need to start making an effort if they want to keep their jobs.

 

[ComUtoR]

Retail is all about face to face customer service - it's the only thing they have compared with online

The retail experience is something that they could really build on. I still prefer to go into a store and browse but I often find myself buying elsewhere. This is a common theme now. Browse in store, buy online. I had a weird experience last year with John Lewis. They have the quality street experience in store. Its kinda cool but a little bit broken. You can choose whatever you want to fill the tin It's over priced for sure but I like the cool factor and the experience is something you can't get online. However, as usual there is a catch. I wanted a whole tin of the blue ones. I was told that I had to have a minimum of three different flavors. Being a little cheeky and wanting to game the system a bit. I asked if I can have a single of the other two and then filled with blue. Still got told no. The picture on the website shows a whole tin of black/gold ones !

Suffice to say I didn't purchase any and will not buy any this year either. What is a little frustrating... You still get an inbalance of flavours left over and at the end of the promotion they had stacks of one colour but still insisted you had to buy a choice of 3.

John Lewis is still a decent store. They price match and their website tends to match whatever is in store. Their customer service is pretty decent and customer orientated. I got free delivery and £50 off a telly this year because the one I wanted was in a different store and the one they had the wrong description. They also have an app that keeps your receipts. They have certainly won me over as a customer.

My local Currys has recently closed down.

 

[underbank]

That's the thing with High Street retail - sometimes their staff/managers are real "jobsworths" and seem to take it personally if you try to exert your legal rights, i.e. returns/refunds, wrongly priced items, BOGOF, 3 for 3 & other offers not working on their tills etc. I can't fathom why they take it as a personal affront and act accordingly. It's not as if the refund/reduction comes out of their wages. I can understand it if the customer is trying it on, but some have an "attitude" even when it's not the customer's fault.

I bought a shirt from our local Mountain Warehouse. As I was putting the receipt in my wallet at the till, i noticed the till slip showed the wrong size - I checked the shirt's tag, and yes, it wasn't my size - it had been put on the wrong hanger which was still on the counter, so obviously a mistake on their part. I pointed it out straight away and asked for the size I wanted. The person behind the till just vaguely pointed towards the racks (very helpful), so I went back, but there wasn't the size I wanted, so I returned to the counter for a refund. Cue lots of sighing and eye-rolling (remember this isn't my fault they put it on the wrong hanger). Then she wouldn't refund the 5p carrier bag - this is a carrier bag I hadn't even picked up from the counter, so I insisted they did. She called the manager who it turned out was a scruffy oaf who had been slouching against a stand in the corner all this time - he came over, cue more eye rolling and sighing, and finally told her to refund the full amount. Why do they have to make it such a hard and unpleasant experience???

 

[anamyd]

I can't fathom why they take it as a personal affront and act accordingly. It's not as if the refund/reduction comes out of their wages.

Exactly what I was thinking!

 

[ComUtoR]

Edit: Just remembered similar happened with a particularly stroppy manager in our local Argos - I took a set of pans back for refund because the handle had snapped off one of them. As we were outside the 16 day return period, she wouldn't refund and would only accept a return/replacement of the one that broke. That would have been fine had they had the same item in stock, but they didn't so she tried to fob me off with one from a different set!

I had the reverse of that in Argos. A few years ago I bought a PS4 on a Christmas special. I ordered it and used the click and collect option. By the time I went to collect it, the offer had expired. The Manager came over and explained that the offer had expired and they were out of stock. BUT she arranged for me to pick it up at another store and at the offer price. I was so pleased that I managed to get the deal I made an additional purchase.

There is a huge disparity in people experiences. I wonder if the online experience has such a disparity or is generally quite consistent. Reports are that online retailer are hitting back and banning customers who abuse their return policies.

 

[Iskra]

I had the reverse of that in Argos. A few years ago I bought a PS4 on a Christmas special. I ordered it and used the click and collect option. By the time I went to collect it, the offer had expired. The Manager came over and explained that the offer had expired and they were out of stock. BUT she arranged for me to pick it up at another store and at the offer price. I was so pleased that I managed to get the deal I made an additional purchase.

There is a huge disparity in people experiences. I wonder if the online experience has such a disparity or is generally quite consistent. Reports are that online retailer are hitting back and banning customers who abuse their return policies.

A lot of it depends on the attitude and manners that you display as a customer. If you're reasonable and polite, they will be more inclined to assist you above and beyond the rules. If you're rude and or threatening, then that's when the rules get adhered to to the letter and nothing more.

It's possible to complain without being rude, something a lot of the general public don't seem to understand.

 

[ComUtoR]

Online doesn't have an 'attitude test' You simply ask for a return slip and return it in the post. The human element has been removed.

When I was a Manager, I used to use an 'honesty test'. Sometimes you had to follow the refund procedures exactly to the letter for legal reasons, tax reasons and sometimes purely because someone else instructed you to do so. I knew where the system had a little flexibility and as long as someone came in with a genuine complaint and were honest about the circumstances or how the product got used/damaged etc I would go a little outside the box and be flexible.

I must admit it is hard to differentiate between honest customers and those who are trying to blag it. If you want even and consistent responses then you have to go down the route of strict adherence to whatever policy you are enforcing. Then you get called a jobsworth :/

When we had issues with photo processing, if, you felt it was warranted or the customer was 'nice' or 'genuine' we could offer the next processing for free. Kodak would let us give away processing if anything went wrong. There was a time where we lost a set of baby pictures of a guys newborn. Having to offer 'free processing' to that guy was one of the most painful experiences I remember. My hands were tied with what I could offer and we were completely restricted from offering anything outside of what Kodak would offer.

Sometimes its easy for someone on a helpdesk phone/email to say no or stick to policy because its totally faceless.

 

[Meerkat]

It's not as if the refund/reduction comes out of their wages

to be pedantic managers might well be on significant sales related bonuses

 

[Kingspanner]

Has anyone else noticed how the tills at B&Q don't always get the price right when your items are scanned? it has been better lately but last summer I had a spate of wrong prices being asked for at the till.
It is hard to think of anything more likely to drive customers away than careless overcharging.

 

[Busaholic]

Has anyone else noticed how the tills at B&Q don't always get the price right when your items are scanned? it has been better lately but last summer I had a spate of wrong prices being asked for at the till.
It is hard to think of anything more likely to drive customers away than careless overcharging.

Yes, used to get this, until our (always busy) B&Q closed!

 

[Busaholic]

to be pedantic managers might well be on significant sales related bonuses

Our local small in-town Co-Op, open 7-11, has always had a shoplifting problem, but never employs a security guard: I asked a member of staff once why this was, and was told that it would impinge on the Manager's salary if they had to employ a guard!

 

[dgl]

Morrisons may not make much (if any) profit on their cafe, but it drives customers into their stores. They're usually pretty full at lunchtimes. That's a lot of people, many of whom will also do some shopping at the same time. The cafes are cheap and cheerful - clearly want the public want. When we holiday in the UK (holiday cottages etc), we'd usually go into Morrisons for our evening meal on the arrival day and get our trolley of shopping for the week afterwards which would usually be £50 or so. That's the entire philosophy of Morrison's cafes - a "loss leader" to get people to choose them for their shopping rather than their competition.

Agreed, the £6 after 3pm meal deal makes it better value than and of the fast food places, plus you get it on a proper plate with proper cutlery, add in the £1.50 dessert and you can get two mains, two deserts and two drinks for £15!

 

[High Dyke]

Our local small in-town Co-Op, open 7-11, has always had a shoplifting problem, but never employs a security guard: I asked a member of staff once why this was, and was told that it would impinge on the Manager's salary if they had to employ a guard!

Perhaps they should adopt this approach? https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/10/co-o...ty-items-shelves-combat-shoplifting-11074678/

A supermarket plagued by shoplifters has resorted to putting empty ‘display packs’ on the shelves to prevent constant thefts. The Bristol store is targeted several times a day – often by the same offenders disguising themselves to avoid detection, according to staff. Now the Redcliffe Co-op is displaying empty coffee jars and detergent packs, with customers having to request full items from workers.

 

[Darandio]

to be pedantic managers might well be on significant sales related bonuses

They also have weekly targets, any refund or reduction has an impact on this. Consistently miss these targets and it's goodbye.

 

[LOL The Irony]

Anyway it's been a long time since I've seen a cafe in a store tbh.

Both of my nearest Tesco's have a cafe. One is a Tesco and one a Costa. My nearest Asda also has a Cafe, as does my second nearest Sainsbury's.

 

[cactustwirly]

Both of my nearest Tesco's have a cafe. One is a Tesco and one a Costa. My nearest Asda also has a Cafe, as does my second nearest Sainsbury's.

My nearest Tesco doesn't have anything, they just got rid of all of the counters (deli, butchers etc)

 

[underbank]

They also have weekly targets, any refund or reduction has an impact on this. Consistently miss these targets and it's goodbye.

Pretty poor management systems that would penalise a manager for a return/replacement arising from a sale in a different store/online. It's simplicity itself to program the management information systems to deduct returns etc from the originating store as the transaction history will hold all relevant data. Fair enough in the old days before fully integrated/powerful management information systems, but these days, I'd hope most big firms would have decent systems to allocate sales/returns etc to the right store/depot etc.

 

[SteveP29]

On the flip side there are other things that have been influencing the demise of the high street and traditional retail; again, not a big secret. Local high street and smaller business' have been complaining about parking costs and the volume of red/yellow lines that have contributed to a sever drop in footfall. Business Rates, rents and numerous overheads are killing small shops and harming larger retailers too. If we want to get provocative... the 'Living Wage' is also harming the industry.

A Facebook page for my hometown constantly has posts about parking charges and the fact that a retail park only 3 miles away has free parking (and a huge Sainsburys), complaints about there only being coffee, betting and charity shops on the main street.
I constantly have to explain, they are the only kinds of shops making the money to enable them to pay business rates and rent. Like it or not, there's many people addicted to caffeine and gambling. Charity shops are so prevalent because they get 80% mandatory relief on business rates and can also apply for up to the rest of them in discretionary relief, leaving just their rent to find

I still prefer to go into a store and browse but I often find myself buying elsewhere.

That's what I tend to do these days too, look at it in a shop, then go home, read up about it online and compare prices there too before deciding whether to order from there or take the chance that they still have stock left and go into town and get it from the shop.

That's the thing with High Street retail - sometimes their staff/managers are real "jobsworths" and seem to take it personally if you try to exert your legal rights, i.e. returns/refunds, wrongly priced items, BOGOF, 3 for 3 & other offers not working on their tills etc. I can't fathom why they take it as a personal affront and act accordingly. It's not as if the refund/reduction comes out of their wages. I can understand it if the customer is trying it on, but some have an "attitude" even when it's not the customer's fault.

Probably to do with what Darandio upthread says, and that they probably don't want the work of actually doing the paperwork and arranging for the uplift of goods back to wherever it needs to go.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Retail is all about face to face customer service - it's the only thing they have compared with online, so the staff need to start making an effort if they want to keep their jobs.

And yet (and this is after a bit of a saga with a succession of faulty fridge freezers) AO I find has superb customer service. This means I'll go back to them again, even though having to have two replacements (and one missed delivery due to their error) was rather a faff. And they're an almost-Ryanair-level budget box shifter, yet they manage to consistently get the customer service right. They don't just fix things, but also offer to compensate without much pushing at all. I suspect by the end of this faff they probably hadn't made a profit out of the transaction given the tight margins that sort of business operates on - but having treated me properly is probably a worthwhile loss leader to them because I'll buy something else in future (and have in the past), hopefully won't have an issue with it, and they'll make their intended profit then.

I've never had that quality of service from Currys/Comet. So good quality personal customer service doesn't require going somewhere in person.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I know lots of people do this. But I will never understand people who pay for anything without looking at the price!

If you don't need it urgently, fair enough, but the difference between £1 and £1.45 for milk, if you need it now, will soon be swallowed by the petrol required to go to the other store or the value of your time. (If retired and on a free bus pass this may be different of course).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Personally, I think Halfords will go the same way as Mothercare.

I'm not sure it will, it seems to do reasonably well at flogging overpriced average-quality pushbikes - the car stuff is almost incidental now - I could actually see it switching to being purely a bike shop - which I think may be how it started, so back to its roots!

People are reluctant to buy pushbikes online because they need to set them up, and while "local bike shops" usually offer better service, people who aren't "proper cyclists" don't want to pay the prices and probably prefer chains.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I agree the high-street branches are probably doomed, but as a retailer I think Halfords offer something which isn’t fully replicated and bettered elsewhere. One possible longer term threat is if course the spread of bespoke car parts which can only be changed at a dealer, like some modern types of headlamp. This is some way into the future though.

More like not needing changed at all (i.e. LED) - and electric cars have far fewer parts to bother about. But as I said I reckon their future is in pushbikes and e-bikes, and I think unlike many large companies they actually know it.

The other advantage in pushbikes is that you can really easily get good (in mechanical skills terms, not necessarily maturity) staff for next to nothing, as a very large number of teenagers are bike enthusiasts and will work in the workshop for next to nothing because they enjoy it and don't have big costs of living as they live with their parents. You then pretty much just need one duty manager to deal with the odd shirty customer.