Click & Collect shopping. Oh the stupidity.
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Recently I wanted to purchase two similar items. As a lot of people do, I check online who actually stocks them in Wrexham and cost.
Apparently, two shops stocked them. One with a very good offer with 30% off.
Off I trundle down to purchase my items. Yet when I get to the retailer, the shelf price was the original??
I took them too the till and asked the young lady to do a price check.
She confirmed the instore display price was correct.
I then showed her the online offer price.
“But Sir, that’s the click & Collect price. Your in the Store”I replied that the click & Collect was a ‘free’ service and that I would be collecting them from this very store, maybe even from this very same assistant.
“Sorry, I can’t do anything ” she replied apologeticly.
Annoyed with the systems stupidity, not the young ladies, I went too the other local supplier and got a cracking offer / deal.
This is not the first time this has happened in Wrexham, just with other retailers.
Summing up, how is Wrexham town centre retailers supposed to function when they are competing against themselves, albeit with a 30% discount?
I’ve had a similar experience – went into a store in town to buy something, thought it was a bit pricey so checked online when I got home and was 30% cheaper along with free delivery for click and collect.
Unsure how or even why that’s the way it is for some retailers!
We are going through a period of transition – for the last few years internet shopping has mostly been delivered below cost, the point has come where competing low cost carriers have gone out of business and others may follow soon if they don’t increase delivery prices – maybe be left with Royal Mail and one or two others offering a truly nationwide service.
Even Amazon are pushing up their prices, the move to click and collect is similarly under pressure – when customers buy online saving 30% or more the question has to be asked where is the 30% going – if people bought locally this money was fed into local economy generally – rather than to global corps that don’t pay their fair share of taxes into UK PLC.
We can’t expect to pay 30% less for something, have it delivered free by carrier companies making huge losses with staff on low pay propped up by working tax credits.
Same with Click & Collect – the costs are higher than immediately obvious to customers – internet prices collected in store isn’t sustainable – store prices should be paid for items collected in store otherwise the 30% is AWOL – and money isn’t in the pot to pay staff – and taxes – which all goes to keep people in a job – including people employed in local councils and other public sector roles – as we are finding now Wrexham has more empty shops than thriving businesses paying their dues.One solution is to charge customers for click and collect – like John Lewis will soon – so they say – only problem is this means you are paying to go to their store !
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c79789d6-1ff8-11e5-aa5a-398b2169cf79.html#axzz3fKs7jCHb
You obviously have a greater social conscience than me and are more philanthropic in your attitude to purchasing.
Who, in their right mind is going to pay £X for a product when the same thing is available for £X minus 30% with just 2 or 3 clicks on a computer keyboard?
It is an obvious fact that companies that trade on the internet either directly with the consumer or via a ‘click and collect’ facility are there to make a profit and do so with centralised resources, thus eliminating to a great extent, a need for premises to display the goods on offer. The additional mark up ( which is exorbitant in many instances) is created by the end retailer who has wages to pay, business rates etc plus making a profit in the bargain.Even Argos offer a click and collect facility for internet customers who have purchased from other unaffiliated sources. No one can tell me that an organisation like that is offering that service out of the goodness of its heart.
A product I purchase regularly, in town retails at £4. On the Internet, I purchase 5 for £4.95, free of delivery charge. Am I going to change my purchasing habits? I think not!
The demise of town centres is a countrywide phenomenon that is happening because purchasing options are advancing. Markets were the be all and end all at one time, but one only has to look at the Monday market of today compared with yesteryear. A total shadow of itself. The same is happening with town centres and no amount of tinkering with the edges by having fun days or clean up weekends is going to prevent the inevitable march of time.
Except for visiting my bank on odd occasions ( I do most of my transactions on line) I for one, would be quite content and well serviced by the out of town retail eastablishments with which the town is blessed.Golly I’m just like everybody else looking to pay less – nobody “wants” to pay 30% more for something than they have to and as Wishbone Ash once reflected – There’s The Rub. Have a cigar – have a Hamlet.
The challenge for government is to find a way of refreshing town centre shopping for people that won’t pay the 30%, won’t pay for parking, and doesn’t even like paying for carrier bags. The cost of doing business is too high for independent town centre retailers in particular- the days when they could fund local government has gone. Local services have to be funded in a different way – an internet levy – collected centrally, distributed locally.
This may go towards levelling the playing field – if everything bought on Amazon had 30% added – by the time the cost of delivery or click & collect on top – it may even prove attractive to buy from shops – providing shops aren’t saddled with high business rates and prohibitive parking charges.
Imagine how popular this would be – and yet we think nothing of the costs passed onto customers through shops.We shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking businesses are always run by people that know what they are doing !
A few examples…
Halfords.
My uncle recently visited to buy a pair of wiper blades for his VW Golf – not an unusual model. He priced up the items using the in store tablet as no assistant was available – they were £19.99 each or £34.99 for two – they were out of stock. He waited for an assistant and was cheerily told they could be ordered over the counter – or “ if he liked “ he would probably receive them more quickly if he went home and ordered them himself on Halfords.com.
My uncle doesn’t have a computer so he asked me to have a look. We found them on Halfords.com at the same price as in the store + £2.99 delivery.
Found exactly the same Bosch wiper blades on Amazon in a twin pack for £12 – so ordered them along with something else to make up £20 value for free delivery.
Halfords obviously should try harder to ensure their customer orders whilst in store.Jessops ( Wrexham branch now gone ).
I wanted to buy a Canon camera and lens but hoped to look at it in the shop.
It was out of stock – the lens was one they routinely didn’t stock either – but they could order it for me ( to try ).
Fair enough.
When I asked if they would be the same price as their own website I was told no – I would have to order it click & collect to pay the lower price.
Difference being once it was ordered it was a done deal.
I suggested the shop ordered it for me to try and if I was happy I would go home and order it click & collect – yes thats fine.
That makes NO sense.
Once I left the shop I could order it anywhere at the cheapest price.
Jessops should have simply matched their own website in the shop.Halifax
I called into the branch to make a payment and asked for a new cheque book.
I was told sorry I would have to order it online or by phone.
I tried to order it online and was told to contact my branch.
I was given a number by the branch and when I rang I was told I would have to call into my branch for security reasons.
Eventually it was ordered by the branch.
Halifax should have ordered it in the branch in the first place.I’m not blaming the staff in the town at all – somebody is making decisions higher up that make no sense – or more importantly appear to make no sense – what is their true objective ?
Why are Argos placing 10 outlets in Sainsburys for click & collect ?
Why does ASDA in Sealand Road have no checkout staff sometimes but a dozen staff helping old ladies use the self service system ?Why is it that if you ring up needing a new dust filter for a Hoover MaxExtract Pressure Pro Model 160 you are offered a new identity to live in Alaska ?
I’m sure we all have examples.
The things that pass for knowledge I can’t understand.
Katia- I like your examples all of which will result in one action — the customer will vote with their feet or fingers by going to shops or sites that give service and provide the necessary products at the cheapest price. All of which will result in survival of the fittest (best customer experience) business.
It is interesting that the political threads, the parking threads and this as a customer thread all about town centres have some common themes.
An internet levy would be good but hard to apply, and what to do with the cash? Business rates are still paid on empty buildings (after a short period of vacancy) so there is still revenue there, and personally I dont think subsidies should be made for those who are not adapting otherwise we would still have well stocked typewriter shops ;)
So called efficiency and aggregation is happening everywhere, but not all is good. For every time I no longer use VHS, nor write down directions or have to use a telephone directory – there are emails bouncing back, netflix not working and no 3G to load a map.
What can retailers and service providers offer that would make people come in to Wrexham ahead of hitting Amazon?
Likewise is Amazon the thing to be competing against?
Some very interesting views coming through, thanks.
Can Wrexham retailers compete with such silly local high Street trader policies?
Not anymore, customer loyalty has gone. Gone from the high street, insurance company, mortgage provider, utility providers. Customers Penny pinching is king.
I have always given local traders the opportunity to supply me goods, but sadly, when I go into town and a product I request has a markup of 100,200,300% than eBay, Amazon etc. I walk away.
A final note too broaden the debate.
If I require a product & I can predict that I’ll need it in a month, I’ll buy it from China via any of the above aformentioned services for pennies.Just like local retail traders are doing.
Nowadays, the internet allows Joe bloggs to go almost to the supplier.
I wanted to buy a chest freezer for use in my garage. I looked at Curry’s on line and found the one I required with free next day delivery from the Wrexham Store. As I wanted to support my local Curry’s and let a member of Staff earn their commission I went in and started to place my order. The young lady brought it up on the computer and said that it would be £40 to deliver. I cancelled the purchase went home purchased it on line and it was delivered the next morning by the Wrexham van free of charge.
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