Not shocked to see this after the issues i had with them when i bought a washing machine last year. They tried to say i had not paid for the item, even though i had the information from the bank prooving i had. I wasted an afternoon off work and not as much as a sorry fromm Comet who very reluctently sent my product.
When it was delivered and installed i also had a cocky fitter who muttered cheapskate under his breath as he was leaving as i did not tip him.
Sad for the staff that lose there jobs if this does happen, but if Comet had better customer service they would do a lot better.
If comet goes then that means we only got currys once again as a major electrical chain. If Best buy did come here, which I doubt I would stay well away from them.
I was quite suprised about this especially as my local store is currently having a major refit. Part of the refit though is that they have sold or are renting space to a pets retailer.
The problem find is that it is easy to moan about a sales 'tard' you meet on the high street and thus many prefer to buy online where any advice often comes via a text chat box via India.
Dual VAT rates should have been implemented with on-line purchases costing more.
I really fail to see how much the high street can survive, unless it really receives some sort of financial support.
The problem find is that it is easy to moan about a sales 'tard' you meet on the high street and thus many prefer to buy online where any advice often comes via a text chat box via India.
Dual VAT rates should have been implemented with on-line purchases costing more.
I really fail to see how much the high street can survive, unless it really receives some sort of financial support.
Why? All the major retailers have online stores also. The idea of a dual VAT rate is daft and would only really affect the customer.
The best way for anyone to compete is to give the best customer service in the street. Failure of British business to do this is one of the major causes of it's downfall...
The best way for anyone to compete is to give the best customer service in the street. Failure of British business to do this is one of the major causes of it's downfall...
Damn right!
This is one of the dominant reasons why companies like M&S, John Lewis and its offspring remain so popular and profitable. They aint the cheapest on the market but the difference in customer support and service always shows in comparison to competitors.
This is one of the dominant reasons why companies like M&S, John Lewis and its offspring remain so popular and profitable. They aint the cheapest on the market but the difference in customer support and service always shows in comparison to competitors.
The point you're missing is the bulk of the business for both JLP and M&S comes from higher profit margin ranges.
Electricals have a notoriously low profit margin. If it were a more significant part of their businesses it would show up in their results. As it stands because electricals are a small %age of their business it doesn't affect their profitability.
If you look at the history of electrical retailing over the last 20 years a basic lack of profitability has led to the downfall of at least 5 retailers I can think of (Rumbelows, Powerhouse, Tempo, Norweb, Miller Bros).
Indeed.
In the past Comet were very competitive on their pricing, and usually cheaper than most other places, but that doesn't appear to have been the case for a number of years now.
I've heard that Comet initially rose to nationwide prominence as a more "discount warehouse" type retailer. Is this correct?
It sounds plausible anyway. It'd explain why, when I was growing up in the 1980s, the local Comet was based a bit outside the main city centre in a less obvious location in a slightly run-down semi-industrial area. I suspect that when it originally opened (60s? 70s?), that it was the most cost-effective location for a discount warehouse business.
Its really sad but high street retails really do need fight to stay around now. Internet has become the cheapest place to buy things more places are doing next day delivery's. In past 5 years I've never seen a high street store selling something cheaper than what you would find on the internet.
I've heard that Comet initially rose to nationwide prominence as a more "discount warehouse" type retailer. Is this correct?
It sounds plausible anyway. It'd explain why, when I was growing up in the 1980s, the local Comet was based a bit outside the main city centre in a less obvious location in a slightly run-down semi-industrial area. I suspect that when it originally opened (60s? 70s?), that it was the most cost-effective location for a discount warehouse business.
I think that's correct. Most Comet stores when I was young were large, industrial looking brightly lit places and were usually a lot cheaper than the likes of Currys, Dixons etc. They also tended to be based more in industrial areas than retail parks as you say, the one at Bonnington in Edinburgh was in a small industrial estate. They also sold a lot of their own brand stuff under the Proline name. They changed in the early 90s and became pretty much like the other big electrical retailers, and not as cheap.
I think they've been hit on two sides in recent years. Firstly the move by the big supermarkets into electricals and then by the big online retailers, both of whom now undercut Comet on the vast majority of stuff.
Its really sad but high street retails really do need fight to stay around now. Internet has become the cheapest place to buy things more places are doing next day delivery's. In past 5 years I've never seen a high street store selling something cheaper than what you would find on the internet.
You can't have it both ways - Internet sites are cheap because they have next to no overheads, often not even any premises - commonly you place an order and they then order it to be delivered direct to you from their suppliers.
'Next day delivery' is a nice idea, but how often does it work in practice
Personally I hate ordering stuff to be delivered - they almost always never come when expected, and often aren't even dispatched until days or weeks after the order, even though it was supposed to be in stock. I'd sooner spend a little more, and have in my hands instantly
You can't have it both ways - Internet sites are cheap because they have next to no overheads, often not even any premises - commonly you place an order and they then order it to be delivered direct to you from their suppliers.
'Next day delivery' is a nice idea, but how often does it work in practice
Personally I hate ordering stuff to be delivered - they almost always never come when expected, and often aren't even dispatched until days or weeks after the order, even though it was supposed to be in stock. I'd sooner spend a little more, and have in my hands instantly
And in this post, Nigel, you've nicely encapsulated the dichotomy of the good old UK shopping public.
They want
- the ability to look / feel a product
- perfect service
- cheapest price
The reality is, it is not possible (or profitable) for all 3 to be met, particularly in the electricals field, the margins are too low. So when push comes to shove, most go for the lowest price, which means on-line, and then wonder why there are so many shops closing on the high street. :rolleyes:
You can't have it both ways - Internet sites are cheap because they have next to no overheads, often not even any premises - commonly you place an order and they then order it to be delivered direct to you from their suppliers.
'Next day delivery' is a nice idea, but how often does it work in practice
Personally I hate ordering stuff to be delivered - they almost always never come when expected, and often aren't even dispatched until days or weeks after the order, even though it was supposed to be in stock. I'd sooner spend a little more, and have in my hands instantly
I've never had failed next day delivery before unless there was postage strike.
If the the general public started thinking like you and could afford not cut costs when available just so they could hold something instantly then this would not be happening we would not have so many places getting shut down or company's going busted.
this will continue till they start competing with online prices its not nice thought but it's way things changing.
I've never had failed next day delivery before unless there was postage strike.
The 'post' here is absolutely great, next day every time.
The problem is that the sellers don't dispatch things when they say they will - Internet sites report it in stock when you order, but quite often it's not in stock at all.
Called in to Comet today asked if they were having a closing down sale, no was the reply we have had an email from head office telling us to ignore press speculation. We will wait and see.
And in this post, Nigel, you've nicely encapsulated the dichotomy of the good old UK shopping public.
They want
- the ability to look / feel a product
- perfect service
- cheapest price
The reality is, it is not possible (or profitable) for all 3 to be met, particularly in the electricals field, the margins are too low. So when push comes to shove, most go for the lowest price, which means on-line, and then wonder why there are so many shops closing on the high street. :rolleyes:
That summs it up perfectly.... I used to run an electrical store and got out the business just as the Internet started getting popular. Most people assume TV's and other electricals have 100% mark up like furniture and such like but back in the mid 90's We'd be lucky to get 20% on a Sony and maybe 25% on Ferguson / Tatung equipment and in that price we delivered, setup and demonstrated it.
When people asked for a discount on a £20 radio they'd wonder why we couldn't knock £5 off..... well we could if we wanted to litterally give it away.
The Co-op traded on the high street for many years before disappearing from virtually all high streets.
There's a Co-operative Group store in my village and it's not a very large one. There are co-ops in just about every town near me, plus other Co-operative Group owned businesses dotted around the place too.
They bought Somerfield a couple of years ago, so aren't exactly in financial dire straits.
Maybe they aren't near you but they seem to be doing well down here in the South West.
Other companies have been trading for longer. Works both ways.
Woolies problem was selling all their shops off years ago, and leasing them back - then some branches were running at a nice profit, and others were losing loads of money and dragging everything down.
Presumably they couldn't just close the loss making branches, so could only go bust
Other companies have been trading for longer. Works both ways.
There's a Co-operative Group store in my village and it's not a very large one. There are co-ops in just about every town near me, plus other Co-operative Group owned businesses dotted around the place too.
They bought Somerfield a couple of years ago, so aren't exactly in financial dire straits.
Maybe they aren't near you but they seem to be doing well down here in the South West.
Agreed.
Co-operative stores are all over the place here in Yorkshire too. I know of 5 within a five or ten mile radius, although the nearest one just a couple of miles way was killed by a large new Tesco that opened right next door.
In Central Scotland the Co-Op is known as Scotmid, and seem quite successful there too.
However, I think they operate as more of a buying group than a nationwide chain, with each area running their own co-operative. So Scotmid is actually completely separate from the Co-op stores here for example, but they contribute to the overall groups profits by buying the Co-Op products to sell and taking advantage of the overall groups buying power. So if Scotmid went bust, it wouldn't take down the whole group. Could explain why they are everywhere in some areas of the country, but scarce in others.
And in this post, Nigel, you've nicely encapsulated the dichotomy of the good old UK shopping public.
They want
- the ability to look / feel a product
- perfect service
- cheapest price
The reality is, it is not possible (or profitable) for all 3 to be met, particularly in the electricals field, the margins are too low. So when push comes to shove, most go for the lowest price, which means on-line, and then wonder why there are so many shops closing on the high street.
That summs it up perfectly.... I used to run an electrical store and got out the business just as the Internet started getting popular. Most people assume TV's and other electricals have 100% mark up like furniture and such like but back in the mid 90's We'd be lucky to get 20% on a Sony and maybe 25% on Ferguson / Tatung equipment and in that price we delivered, setup and demonstrated it.
When people asked for a discount on a £20 radio they'd wonder why we couldn't knock £5 off..... well we could if we wanted to litterally give it away.
Both posts illustrate perfectly why electrical retailers are suffering so much at the moment. I'm in the trade, and am driven near to distraction by customers demanding the best price, best service AND a full demonstration (sometimes even a home demo!). I've had members of my staff spend literally hours with a customer, advising, demonstrating, answering questions...only for the customer to pull out his iphone, find the unit at thirty quid cheaper online, and DEMAND (not ask!) that we match the price. When refused, they have then flounced out, calling us all the rip-off merchants under the sun.
No retailer gets their products free - we have to buy them too. Transport and storage is not provided free. Our staff are quite keen on being paid occasionally. The same staff require training, which also costs money, particularly if they are to be trained to a respectable level. We pay rent,rates, electricity, water etc, just so the customer can come in, see/hear/feel the product, and take it away.
If you know precisely what you want - which telly, which cd player, whatever - you've done your research and identified the exact model you require, then buy it online. You'll get it cheaper, if that is what is important to you.
However, should you need advice, guidance, demonstartions etc then be prepared to pay a little extra. It's just the way it works - there is no physical/financial way around it. Sorry...
Other companies have been trading for longer. Works both ways.
There's a Co-operative Group store in my village and it's not a very large one. There are co-ops in just about every town near me, plus other Co-operative Group owned businesses dotted around the place too.
They bought Somerfield a couple of years ago, so aren't exactly in financial dire straits.
Maybe they aren't near you but they seem to be doing well down here in the South West.
I should have been clear (though given we were talking about electrical retailers on this forum I'd have hoped this was undertstood) - the Co op does still exist, but in many parts of the country is down to purely convenience food stores. They have few department stores (indeed they recently sold a number in East Anglia off to a competitor) and where once they were a significant player in the home furnishings and electricals market, they are no longer.
Food retailing is FAR more profitable and the purchase of Somerfield was part of the strategy to re-focus on food retailing and convenience stores at that.
Called in to Comet today asked if they were having a closing down sale, no was the reply we have had an email from head office telling us to ignore press speculation. We will wait and see.
Nice to see the vultures circling and showing such concern.... I'm sure the staff were really pleased to see you :rolleyes:
I've never had failed next day delivery before unless there was postage strike.
If the the general public started thinking like you and could afford not cut costs when available just so they could hold something instantly then this would not be happening we would not have so many places getting shut down or company's going busted.
this will continue till they start competing with online prices its not nice thought but it's way things changing.
You really don't get it do you? Bricks and mortar retailers CANNOT compete with web retailers on price, particularly in the electricals field.
The margins on electricals are poor - see the comments others have made, 20% is exceptional. If you're dealing with PCs, then 10% margins are more the order of the day. And their costs are much higher - the cost of a shop, heat, light, decor for display of the products, stock, staff costs, training etc etc. the list goes on.
An out of town superstore is far cheaper to operate than a high street store and a warehouse which simply despatches direct to a customer is cheaper still.
But - a pure web seller cannot offer you the ability to touch and feel the product. The pure web seller cannot offer you somebody to talk to and show you the product. And the pure web seller cannot offer you the option of getting the product that day (without a big add-on cost for delivery).
Comments
When it was delivered and installed i also had a cocky fitter who muttered cheapskate under his breath as he was leaving as i did not tip him.
If comet goes then that means we only got currys once again as a major electrical chain. If Best buy did come here, which I doubt I would stay well away from them.
Dual VAT rates should have been implemented with on-line purchases costing more.
I really fail to see how much the high street can survive, unless it really receives some sort of financial support.
Why? All the major retailers have online stores also. The idea of a dual VAT rate is daft and would only really affect the customer.
The best way for anyone to compete is to give the best customer service in the street. Failure of British business to do this is one of the major causes of it's downfall...
Damn right!
This is one of the dominant reasons why companies like M&S, John Lewis and its offspring remain so popular and profitable. They aint the cheapest on the market but the difference in customer support and service always shows in comparison to competitors.
The point you're missing is the bulk of the business for both JLP and M&S comes from higher profit margin ranges.
Electricals have a notoriously low profit margin. If it were a more significant part of their businesses it would show up in their results. As it stands because electricals are a small %age of their business it doesn't affect their profitability.
If you look at the history of electrical retailing over the last 20 years a basic lack of profitability has led to the downfall of at least 5 retailers I can think of (Rumbelows, Powerhouse, Tempo, Norweb, Miller Bros).
I've heard that Comet initially rose to nationwide prominence as a more "discount warehouse" type retailer. Is this correct?
It sounds plausible anyway. It'd explain why, when I was growing up in the 1980s, the local Comet was based a bit outside the main city centre in a less obvious location in a slightly run-down semi-industrial area. I suspect that when it originally opened (60s? 70s?), that it was the most cost-effective location for a discount warehouse business.
IF this continues many more will follow.
I think that's correct. Most Comet stores when I was young were large, industrial looking brightly lit places and were usually a lot cheaper than the likes of Currys, Dixons etc. They also tended to be based more in industrial areas than retail parks as you say, the one at Bonnington in Edinburgh was in a small industrial estate. They also sold a lot of their own brand stuff under the Proline name. They changed in the early 90s and became pretty much like the other big electrical retailers, and not as cheap.
I think they've been hit on two sides in recent years. Firstly the move by the big supermarkets into electricals and then by the big online retailers, both of whom now undercut Comet on the vast majority of stuff.
You can't have it both ways - Internet sites are cheap because they have next to no overheads, often not even any premises - commonly you place an order and they then order it to be delivered direct to you from their suppliers.
'Next day delivery' is a nice idea, but how often does it work in practice
Personally I hate ordering stuff to be delivered - they almost always never come when expected, and often aren't even dispatched until days or weeks after the order, even though it was supposed to be in stock. I'd sooner spend a little more, and have in my hands instantly
And in this post, Nigel, you've nicely encapsulated the dichotomy of the good old UK shopping public.
They want
- the ability to look / feel a product
- perfect service
- cheapest price
The reality is, it is not possible (or profitable) for all 3 to be met, particularly in the electricals field, the margins are too low. So when push comes to shove, most go for the lowest price, which means on-line, and then wonder why there are so many shops closing on the high street. :rolleyes:
I've never had failed next day delivery before unless there was postage strike.
If the the general public started thinking like you and could afford not cut costs when available just so they could hold something instantly then this would not be happening we would not have so many places getting shut down or company's going busted.
this will continue till they start competing with online prices its not nice thought but it's way things changing.
The 'post' here is absolutely great, next day every time.
The problem is that the sellers don't dispatch things when they say they will - Internet sites report it in stock when you order, but quite often it's not in stock at all.
That summs it up perfectly.... I used to run an electrical store and got out the business just as the Internet started getting popular. Most people assume TV's and other electricals have 100% mark up like furniture and such like but back in the mid 90's We'd be lucky to get 20% on a Sony and maybe 25% on Ferguson / Tatung equipment and in that price we delivered, setup and demonstrated it.
When people asked for a discount on a £20 radio they'd wonder why we couldn't knock £5 off..... well we could if we wanted to litterally give it away.
Other companies have been trading for longer. Works both ways.
There's a Co-operative Group store in my village and it's not a very large one. There are co-ops in just about every town near me, plus other Co-operative Group owned businesses dotted around the place too.
They bought Somerfield a couple of years ago, so aren't exactly in financial dire straits.
Maybe they aren't near you but they seem to be doing well down here in the South West.
Woolies problem was selling all their shops off years ago, and leasing them back - then some branches were running at a nice profit, and others were losing loads of money and dragging everything down.
Presumably they couldn't just close the loss making branches, so could only go bust
Agreed.
Co-operative stores are all over the place here in Yorkshire too. I know of 5 within a five or ten mile radius, although the nearest one just a couple of miles way was killed by a large new Tesco that opened right next door.
In Central Scotland the Co-Op is known as Scotmid, and seem quite successful there too.
However, I think they operate as more of a buying group than a nationwide chain, with each area running their own co-operative. So Scotmid is actually completely separate from the Co-op stores here for example, but they contribute to the overall groups profits by buying the Co-Op products to sell and taking advantage of the overall groups buying power. So if Scotmid went bust, it wouldn't take down the whole group. Could explain why they are everywhere in some areas of the country, but scarce in others.
Both posts illustrate perfectly why electrical retailers are suffering so much at the moment. I'm in the trade, and am driven near to distraction by customers demanding the best price, best service AND a full demonstration (sometimes even a home demo!). I've had members of my staff spend literally hours with a customer, advising, demonstrating, answering questions...only for the customer to pull out his iphone, find the unit at thirty quid cheaper online, and DEMAND (not ask!) that we match the price. When refused, they have then flounced out, calling us all the rip-off merchants under the sun.
No retailer gets their products free - we have to buy them too. Transport and storage is not provided free. Our staff are quite keen on being paid occasionally. The same staff require training, which also costs money, particularly if they are to be trained to a respectable level. We pay rent,rates, electricity, water etc, just so the customer can come in, see/hear/feel the product, and take it away.
If you know precisely what you want - which telly, which cd player, whatever - you've done your research and identified the exact model you require, then buy it online. You'll get it cheaper, if that is what is important to you.
However, should you need advice, guidance, demonstartions etc then be prepared to pay a little extra. It's just the way it works - there is no physical/financial way around it. Sorry...
I should have been clear (though given we were talking about electrical retailers on this forum I'd have hoped this was undertstood) - the Co op does still exist, but in many parts of the country is down to purely convenience food stores. They have few department stores (indeed they recently sold a number in East Anglia off to a competitor) and where once they were a significant player in the home furnishings and electricals market, they are no longer.
Food retailing is FAR more profitable and the purchase of Somerfield was part of the strategy to re-focus on food retailing and convenience stores at that.
Nice to see the vultures circling and showing such concern.... I'm sure the staff were really pleased to see you :rolleyes:
You really don't get it do you? Bricks and mortar retailers CANNOT compete with web retailers on price, particularly in the electricals field.
The margins on electricals are poor - see the comments others have made, 20% is exceptional. If you're dealing with PCs, then 10% margins are more the order of the day. And their costs are much higher - the cost of a shop, heat, light, decor for display of the products, stock, staff costs, training etc etc. the list goes on.
An out of town superstore is far cheaper to operate than a high street store and a warehouse which simply despatches direct to a customer is cheaper still.
But - a pure web seller cannot offer you the ability to touch and feel the product. The pure web seller cannot offer you somebody to talk to and show you the product. And the pure web seller cannot offer you the option of getting the product that day (without a big add-on cost for delivery).
But hate the hard sell on warranties and the fact you just cant have a stroll around in peace and quiet to make your own mind up
and some 17 year old trying to tell you what to buy .......................... must be getting old !