I'm slightly behind - "Jenny's helping out in the Kabin" then Peter went to get a drink and Erica was behind the bar - I know she's Liz's mate but it was a bit odd.
Plus you never know where Eva works - the factreh or the Rovers. Sarah seems to work when she feels like.

They need to bring the feeling of the Rovers being a business back - Steve having it and the Cab office. Michelle runs around doing her wedding planning. Sean managing to work in the Rovers, the factory (full time) and also find time to make vats of hotpot in his spare time......

What has happened with Bethany looking for a job or has that been forgotten about?

Completely agree with you VC (as usual)

I've written at length on this topic in the past as it's one of my biggest frustrations with Corrie.

I remember an episode a few months back where in one scene Mary was working in the Kabin and in the next scene she was working in the cafe, yet she didn't officially work in either business.

In the past, the job a character had was a major defining feature. Today, characters can be moved interchangeably from place to place without the writers even bothering to explain.

The Rovers, as you say, is the location in the biggest need of having a strong core of staff who work there and nowhere else. Staff currently are too interchangeable and the likes of Sean, Eva and Sarah rarely seem to share a shift together.

It seems a bit weird. I know they used to cover for each other in the old days if there was a serious reason to do so, but they'd always check with their own boss first. The idea that an employer would just allow people to flit around all their rival businesses during their working hours is bizarre, and the idea that anyone would be willing to offer free labour on a recurring basis is even more absurd. If you think of the classic characters you think of their job.

Yes! I remember that too! If my memory serves me correctly, after that she had time cook a Lasagne for Fiz and Tyrone and bring it round! Poor cow must've been rushed off her feet!

Yes!!! Completely forgot about the lasagne but you're definitely right about that too Ben!

The Rovers needs a clear out. The worst thing to have ever happened was bringing the McDonalds back. It never worked first time, and Steve in the cab office was a much better fit.

Keep Liz and Eva by all means, but give characters designated roles. I'd love to see a new potman and a chef who actually does the cooking, not Sean randomly whipping up hotpots.

Even though I hate the factory, the management side of things has potential. Alya and Johnny have that Mike and Angie Freeman dynamic in the 90s. She's proved that she can be ruthless and I hope they explore her in more detail.

Totally agree about the Rovers Belli.

Firstly, for me, the whole pub needs a massive makeover with proper catering facilities. Then, as you say, they could have someone whose solely responsible for preparing the food like Betty used to be back in the day.

As for staffing, I think that it's time that the pub was taken over by a chain and a manager installed instead of having it owned privately. For the first 35 years, the interplay between the landlady who ran the pub (Annie and then Bet) and the brewery who actually owned it was the basis of many storylines, and also much of the focus of the two characters themselves. Working hard to ultimately line someone else's pockets. Have the pub taken over by a chain, retaining the 'Rovers' identity, but the staff then becoming slaves to a bigger force. Liz could be kept on as Bar Manager and have her get rubbed up the wrong way by a meddling area manager - something which Corrie has a long tradition of doing.

Also, I tend to agree with you regarding Johnny and Alya. There's a good dynamic there.

While neither character is on a par with Mike or Angie, I do agree with your sentiment.

However, it doesn't alter the fact that the factory's ongoing presence in the show stretches believability at every point. Alya's development of the new range is the closest thing that the factory has got to producing an economically viable range - a high-end, hand finished product that would probably garner a high price tag in the shops. There has never been any suggestion that the knickers that the factory produces as its general output are anything other than basic. If the factory was producing high-quality, expensive lingerie that was promoted as being 'Made in Britain' I could find its presence on the show much more believable.

I've felt similarly for a while, KK.

I'll admit, I've always enjoyed the factory scenes; it allows scenes between characters who probably wouldn't interact that much otherwise and power plays between "the girls" and the bosses are nearly always fun.

However, nowadays I think it would be far more believable if they were the sole suppliers for a range of exclusive upscale lingerie boutiques trading on their products be traditionally, hand-made in Britain to the highest quality. The factory and boutiques would be owned by the same people and have an in-house designer, much like Angie Freeman was and Alya wants to be. I'd probably give them a "outlet" type storefront nearby where they could sell the "seconds" and perhaps even run a service to make bespoke, luxury underwear - it could be a really desirable position in the factory to make up the bespoke stuff and the girls would all jockey for the role (or the slight pay increase which is probably more likely).

These are such great ideas Nefersitra!

I am fully with you on the factory taking things from the bespoke, hand-made angle. It could really work and provide an answer to the question of why the factory does so well when it's up against far cheaper competition in the Far East.

Also love the idea of an 'outlet', which would provide another location for some characters to more work. For instance, I could believe in someone like Eva working in a lingerie shop rather than in a factory. The clothing shop was, for a long time, a staple of Coronation Street from Gamma Garments and Miami Modes in the 60s to Sylvia's Separates and the Western Front in the 70s. It's a shame that that element of the show was lost.