Supermarkets in Shetland - prices, ethics and experiences

[Roxy71]

A friend went to Co Op on Sunday lunch time only 4 checkouts open. Queues backed up to the freezer section taking 35mins, the reason....staff phoned in to say they were hungover from Foy, and that's the reason for the staff shortage....

[Frances144]

I voted "no, I don't want a Tesco" and was a staunch supporter of all things non-Tesco.

 

But ..... our travelling circus went south last weekend to compete at Royal Highland Show. En route, we stopped at Tescos in Dundee. Four of us walked in to this massive store, easily found a clean working trolley, and wandered about collecting the contents of our shopping list trying very hard not to be diverted by some lovely things.

 

It was a gobsmacking experience. You could buy everything you came in for and it was all beautifully presented, with room to spare, good lighting and lots of choice. The fruit and veg were to dream about. Amazing selection of quality stuff. Not a box of wizened mushrooms only fit for soup.

 

Trying hard to hate the place, we took our stuff to the check-out where a friendly cashier made polite conversation and offered us a free person to pack our bags if we wanted, and was kind and interested in our observations!

 

We shuffled back to the huge carpark with our goods absolutely shell-shocked.

 

A very tiny part of me thinks that if Tesco really want to come up here, best of bloody luck to 'em. If they can achieve that kind of customer service, then you may even see me back in there again! - is that hell freezing over, I see?

[Infiltrator]

Frances, this has been my experience of Tesco and Asda since moving south a few years ago.

As I've said before, what Tesco are good at is making the weekly shop less of a chore. They might have their skeletons but the average family dont shop with their conscience, all they want is a retailer who gives them good value and you don't come out of the shop feeling like you've done 10 rounds with Tyson

Anyone remember the old co-op at Christmas times

[filskadacat]

"Frances144": En route, we stopped at Tescos in Dundee. Four of us walked in to this massive store, easily found a clean working trolley, and wandered about collecting the contents of our shopping list trying very hard not to be diverted by some lovely things.

 

It was a gobsmacking experience. You could buy everything you came in for and it was all beautifully presented, with room to spare, good lighting and lots of choice. The fruit and veg were to dream about. Amazing selection of quality stuff. Not a box of wizened mushrooms only fit for soup.

 

Trying hard to hate the place, we took our stuff to the check-out where a friendly cashier made polite conversation and offered us a free person to pack our bags if we wanted, and was kind and interested in our observations!

 

We shuffled back to the huge carpark with our goods absolutely shell-shocked.

That's my Tesco’s. I have been following this thread with great interest thinking of all the times I have gone shopping when up staying with the family and had to be very careful not to make rude remarks, especially about the Co-op. I have brought up my two enormous sons shopping at Tesco’s. I have a choice of Sainsbury’s (3 minutes away and far too expensive) Asda (fruit and veg poor quality) and whichever of Safeway, Somerfield or Morrison’s has happened to own the local supermarket; Tesco’s wins hands down on price, choice and freshness, plus, as Frances discovered, the assistants are so helpful you can chat away with them and now the boys are grown up some of the cashiers ask how they’re getting on. I have every respect for other people’s desire to shop according to this that and the other principle, but the fact is Tesco’s can feed my family in one shop once a week, at a price I think gives value for money, and as a busy working mother and the wife of a poorly-paid HGV driver I find that accords with my needs.

[Roachmill]

One of the things I like about the CO-OP is the staff. IMO they're a far finer (and friendlier) mix of folk than the Johny Normals Somerfield ever had. It's their customers I cannae stand /jk

[sassermaet]

A friend went to Co Op on Sunday lunch time only 4 checkouts open. Queues backed up to the freezer section taking 35mins, the reason....staff phoned in to say they were hungover from Foy, and that's the reason for the staff shortage....

 

That happened a fair bit when I worked at Somerfield. I shouldn't be blowing the whistle like this, but after nights out such as the rural UHAs then the folk who hadn't been quick enough off the mark to get a day off would phone in sick to catch up on sleep / nurse a hangover.

[JustMe]

I was at the Co-op at the back of 9 this morning and it was obvious that the trolleys had not been brought in from the day before. Sadly it seems to me that serving the customers is not part of the ethos of the Lerwick Co-op.

[sassermaet]

^^^You've evidently never been to the Brae one...

[Salmon]

Any Shetland folk that have shopped on the mainland will have to admit our Lerwick CooP is badly run, it all boils down to the Area Manager, if he can't see the problems and correct them or point them out... the local Branch Manager thinks he is on a soft ride = bad service.

 

 

end of case.

[north]

It is interesting to see this topic driving itself in the direction of Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction.

 

The Customer is the one controlling the entire retail marketplace - not the retailers - although in any area with a captive marketplace, the retailers typically lose sight of this issue!

 

Any retailer, in any sector, can adjust any number of parameters to succeed - or equally fail - to meet market demand. Service, pricing, quality, selection, choice, people, location and value will drive the choice on the Customer.

 

Adjust them in any combination and find the winning and losing combinations.

 

Low price and low quality in a poor location can sometimes result in a booming business. On the other extreme, exceptional quality and high prices with fabulous service can be an equally successful combination.

 

The problem is when the mix is wrong - and I would suggest that high prices, poor selection, mixed quality, and indifferent service (been anywhere like that recently?) - result in an attractive opportunity for all kinds of new retail business.

 

There are plenty of excellent service providers in Shetland and they will take this challenge head on and succeed, no matter what. There are also a number of poor service providers, who are not prepared to change their business practices; nor the importance of their customers priorities in consideration to their own future livelihood.

 

There will be some that disappear, new ones will start - some succeeding, some not; but Customer Satisfaction expectations will be significantly raised and it provides a tremendous opportunity for those that rise to the challenge.

 

I find it very concerning that a large number of businesses do nothing more than run to the council demanding protection from change and competition. Their future lies not in the hands of the council, but entirely with their own business practices and the recognition that the Customer will completely control the marketplace - based on the factors listed above.

 

There are some businesses in Shetland that provide levels of service and response that no large business can match - every retailer in Shetland should be comparing themselves to them and figuring out how they are going to compare to them - before it might be too late.

 

The formula for business success is complex, but it rarely lies in low volumes, poor selection, high prices (through high margins), abyssmal service, indifferent employees and varied quality. Try changing the parts of this equation as applicable to your business and you might see business grow in the face of challenge.

[BigMouth]

Co-op have served us well whilst the other place has been shut, but only deciding now that they need a refurb shows their contempt for us as customers.

 

Bring on Tesco. I would love to be the first through the door.

[JustMe]

This morning I bought things in Don Leslie's. I buy things there several times a week. They sell things I want at a price I am prepared to pay, service is mostly with a smile and I seldom have to queue for more than a minute.

 

This afternoon I shopped in my local shop for exactly the same reasons.

 

Interestingly, although there are products that neither store can compete with the supermarkets on price (bananas being an example) there are plenty of things that are very competitive compared to supermarkets and sometimes substantially cheaper.

 

Yes folks, Don Leslie's can be cheaper than the supermarkets!.

[khitajrah]

service is mostly with a smile

 

I rarely receive eye contact from staff at that shop let alone a smile.

[Salmon]

"The formula for business success is complex, but it rarely lies in low volumes, poor selection, high prices (through high margins), abysmal service, indifferent employees and varied quality. Try changing the parts of this equation as applicable to your business and you might see business grow in the face of challenge".

 

N1 north.....but i think you are batting over their heads, the coop will always be an also ran.

 

I hope TESCO throw a big party on their opening day as it will be the best thing that has happened to Shetland for a long time.

 

I really enjoy the way things have developed....

 

fact #1.. " If TESCO applied to the SIC for planning permission to build a Store in Shetland...IT WOULD BE DENIED

 

fact #2.. " The SIC could not tell Somerfield they could not sell their store in Lerwick to TESCO....ha, ha TESCO have arrived through the back door...WHO WILL BENEFIT?....the GENERAL POPULATION of SHETLAND

[breeksy]

It will be a sad day if a supermarket opening is the 'best thing to happen for a long time'. I think things like the Museum, the Island Games, the Tall Ships Race decision and hopefully Mareel will all be more significant events for Shetland.

 

I can't see it making that much difference to Shetland, to be fair, other than it will be good to have a second operational supermarket again.

 

Has Tesco ever come out and said what their pricing policy is going to be? The last I heard was that they were considering adding on extra to cover the freight costs, but was that even confirmed?