View Full Version : Brixton's Woolworth's Gets a Kicking
From Sam Leith in the Telegraph, who is clearly a local.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2005/12/05/do0504.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2005/12/05/ixop.html
Well it was always shit and overcrowded when I went.
Ever since they did that refit I've felt really claustrophobic in there.
and as for this bit
Quick in, quick out, I thought, as I have thought so many times before while forcing my way through the crowd of loonies, drug dealers and security guards sheltering from the grim grey drizzle in its recessed doorway.
that of course just confirms the stereotype people have of Brixton :rolleyes:
the stereotype people have of Brixton :rolleyes:
"Do you want the Collector's Edition instead?" she asked. "It comes in a tin."
"Gad! A tin?" I thought. "And only a fiver extra? I'll have some of that. It may stop a bullet."
staff it with an educationally subnormal teenager
As aposed to someone doing a fuck boring job in order to earn some money and having to deal with pricks like this Sam Leith tosser.
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
From Sam Leith in the Telegraph, who is clearly a local.
The writer sounds like an arrogant shithead.
So a busy Woolies is out of stock of a few items, the store's packed with pre-Christmas shoppers and the (no doubt poorly paid and over worked) assistant wasn't able to serve him/her to his/her satisfaction. Big fucking deal.
Donna Ferentes
05-12-2005, 12:23
The writer sounds like an arrogant shithead. Very likely (http://www.canongate.net/Sam-Leith).
i dont like woolies in brixton cos when i was a kid everytime i went in there with my mum i'd get static shocks off the shelves. which stopped me touching the toys and thats traumatic to a child :(
Wonder if this guy has ever been shopping in Selfridges on a weekend. Mens shoes perhaps? Or even worse.. during a sale on a weekend....
Brainaddict
05-12-2005, 12:37
wanker though he may be, don't you think he has a point that you often get a higher level of service in chain stories in wealthier areas, as though they know people have more money to spend so they do more to keep them happy?
I've often wondered why the Brixton Argos has such a shit level of service compared to others I've been in - it's always packed and they never up the staff levels to deal with it - is this because they think they have a captive market in poorer customers in the Brixton area?
the brixton argos is amazing, it is always completely full whenever i try and go in, the service isnt bad in any way its just not great .
a girl i went to primary school with works there and tbh she just looks worn down most of the time.
Minnie_the_Minx
05-12-2005, 12:40
wanker though he may be, don't you think he has a point that you often get a higher level of service in chain stories in wealthier areas, as though they know people have more money to spend so they do more to keep them happy?
I've often wondered why the Brixton Argos has such a shit level of service compared to others I've been in - it's always packed and they never up the staff levels to deal with it - is this because they think they have a captive market in poorer customers in the Brixton area?
Noticed that myself. NEVER use the Brixton Argos now, always go to Victoria.
Something strange I've also noticed. M&S in Brixton is a lot more civilised than most of the other shops in Brixton (despite the mixed clientele).
Brainaddict
05-12-2005, 12:42
the brixton argos is amazing, it is always completely full whenever i try and go in, the service isnt bad in any way its just not great .
a girl i went to primary school with works there and tbh she just looks worn down most of the time.
what pisses me off is that they often have empty tills with no staff at them, while the queue is half a mile long and the staff who are working look horribly harrassed - and it's almost always like that :mad:
argos arrived whilst i was away at uni, and you'd think by now people of brixton would have bough everything they could ever want from there.
but its still crowded.
Donna Ferentes
05-12-2005, 12:52
Spoiled brat. Thirty-one, already Literary Editor of the Telegraph. Has not-particularly-dreadful shopping experience - well, clear some space in the national newspaper!
Minnie_the_Minx
05-12-2005, 12:53
argos arrived whilst i was away at uni, and you'd think by now people of brixton would have bough everything they could ever want from there.
but its still crowded.
The Streatham one is slight better, but only slightly
Minnie_the_Minx
05-12-2005, 12:56
Spoiled brat. Thirty-one, already Literary Editor of the Telegraph. Has not-particularly-dreadful shopping experience - well, clear some space in the national newspaper!
Surprised he even dared venture in there. Wouldn't have thought it was upmarket enough for him :rolleyes:
The Streatham one is slight better, but only slightly
there's one in streatham too? :o
i'd always imagined the brixton one is so busy because it was the only one near here.
wanker though he may be, don't you think he has a point that you often get a higher level of service in chain stories in wealthier areas, as though they know people have more money to spend so they do more to keep them happy?
I've often wondered why the Brixton Argos has such a shit level of service compared to others I've been in - it's always packed and they never up the staff levels to deal with it - is this because they think they have a captive market in poorer customers in the Brixton area?
I think he does have a point.
The banks in Brixton are the same -- massive queues, and if you're not an HSBC customer you're not even allowed to use it between certain hours. When I worked on Marylebone High St, a very wealthy area, if there was more than one or two customers in the bank queue, a member of staff would come out and ask if they could help you.
Donna Ferentes
05-12-2005, 13:01
I certainly think it's the case. Indeed it would be surprising if it were otherwise - businesses are going to send their staff where the money's being spent.
I certainly think it's the case. Indeed it would be surprising if it were otherwise - businesses are going to send their staff where the money's being spent.Actually as each store already has large fixed costs it makes no sense to then not have enough staff to through-put customers. These stores are not empty - large queues indicate people who want to spend money. Crap service, lack of stock and keeping people waiting will just mean people go elsewhere next time to do their shopping. Either shops should do a proper job and service the demand or they should not bother having a (loss-making) branch there at all. It is not understandable at all, even in pure business terms.
IntoStella
05-12-2005, 13:24
The writer sounds like an arrogant shithead. He sounds like an urban75 poster who lives not unadjacent to me. Unless torygraph hacks have shifted en masse to Brixton. Oh deary deary me. :eek:
Having thought long and hard about this, I think banks are always busier in less well-off areas because people are more likely to be making cash transactions, and also because people may not have the skills or the access to phone or internet banking. Shops on the other hand is a different kettle of fish and I think Brainaddict has hit the nail on the head (although if he thinks Brixton Argos is bad he has obviously never been to the branch in Peckham... you can never get out in under an hour... makes Brixton Argos look like the promised land)
Minnie_the_Minx
05-12-2005, 13:28
:D there's one in streatham too? :o
i'd always imagined the brixton one is so busy because it was the only one near here.
:rolleyes: Yes :D
How long you lived in the area?
PS: If you've got a bus pass/travelcard you're better off going to the one in Victoria. Normally empty compared to the one in Brixton (just don't go lunchtimes when all the office workers are on their break)
a girl i went to primary school with works there and tbh she just looks worn down most of the time.
I went to school with a couple of people who work there too, and from what I can tell, most of the problems in that shop are caused by the management.
I got static shocks off the Woolworths shelves when I was a kid too :(
Stobart Stopper
05-12-2005, 14:25
Just read the article, he sounds like a toff cunt who needs a slap. He should go and live in a posh Suffolk village, he'd be far happier.
:rolleyes: Yes :D
How long you lived in the area?
ummmmmmmmmmm 20 years and a bit :p argos is a new shop afaic :D
but the natwest in brixton is a phenomenon as well - where do all these people come from to stand in natwest and for a queue to the door from 9am to 5pm 7 days a week?!
Minnie_the_Minx
05-12-2005, 14:32
ummmmmmmmmmm 20 years and a bit :p argos is a new shop afaic :D
but the natwest in brixton is a phenomenon as well - where do all these people come from to stand in natwest and for a queue to the door from 9am to 5pm 7 days a week?!
well I'm here 20 years and a bit as well. As for the Natwest, that could be because there's not one in Streatham (I don't think) :confused:
It's not open on a Sunday - is it? :confused:
flameacademy
05-12-2005, 14:40
Woolworth's is pretty shit though - lots of cheap plasticy things that will fall apart in seconds - and I've never seen so many aisles full of chocolate in all my life.....
memespring
05-12-2005, 14:44
He sounds like an urban75 poster who lives not unadjacent to me. Unless torygraph hacks have shifted en masse to Brixton. Oh deary deary me. :eek:
Should be pretty simple to spot. Just keep an eye out for someone wearing tin body armour muttering "Gad!" and "Cripes!" to themselves ;)
Seriously though, why do people waste no opertunity to associate Brixton with guns? (didnt the owner of Harlem make a simular comment?)
It's not open on a Sunday - is it? :confused:
dont be daft its not even open on saturdays is it?
Minnie_the_Minx
05-12-2005, 14:56
dont be daft its not even open on saturdays is it?
I wouldn't know. I avoid Brixton as much as I can, especially on weekends :D
Thirty-one, already Literary Editor of the Telegraph
Oooh, that touched a nerve has it, Donna?
Donna Ferentes
05-12-2005, 16:03
Not really.
Barney Ronay, though, he does touch a nerve. Mediocre bastard,
Mind you, the phrase "touched a nerve" touches a nerve today after having had an adventure at the dentist this morning.
Mind you, the phrase "touched a nerve" touches a nerve today after having had an adventure at the dentist this morning.
:D
I was shopping in Brixton Woolies meself last week and found everyone absolutely lovely. And I went to Argos too and they were really lovely in there also.
In fact, my mid-morning-mid-week shop in Brixton will go into my top ten shopping experiences - EVER! Couldnt believe how helpful everyone was and how happy they were to help out someone new to the area and have been telling anyone who'll listen ever since.
[writes to Telegraph]
[stabs Leith voodoo doll with pencil]
trabuquera
05-12-2005, 17:10
If Leith thinks Woolie's is just too too unbearable he should have a go at attempting to buy anything from Curry's - where they are not just a bit dim (as at Woolie's) but actually go out of their way to positively ignore you.
Overall I think the central point (chain stores understaff and understock their branches in poorer areas) is actually true. You won't find Barclay's customers in swanker neighbourhoods being subjected to the bearpit environment that holds in Brixton. (tho I agree that the staff and ambience at M&S is EXCELLENT - better than other branches funnily enough.)
But -even if some Brixton chain shops are staffed by apparent halfwits - so what? In Brixton you MORE than gain enough in variety, character, and some very very helpful/friendly people in some shops, than you lose from the time-wasting in the shoddier chain branches.
and anyway - even if you have the crappest shopping experience in the world, ever, this is still no reason to write a whiny "our man in the ghetto" despatch for the daily torygraph, perpetuating the idea that Brixton is a nasty, dangerous place. Traitor ! let's string 'em up! If Mr Leith don't like it, he should go back to where he came from...etc ...
IntoStella
05-12-2005, 17:22
I was shopping in Brixton Woolies meself last week and found everyone absolutely lovely. And I went to Argos too and they were really lovely in there also.
In fact, my mid-morning-mid-week shop in Brixton will go into my top ten shopping experiences - EVER! Couldnt believe how helpful everyone was and how happy they were to help out someone new to the area and have been telling anyone who'll listen ever since.Whatever drugs you're on, can I have some? :D :D
But sirriuzly, the staff in Woolworth's are, for the most part, extremely nice. I have often come away with a warm, fuzzy feeling. If you are friendly and polite, they will be friendly and polite right back. They may have been on some sort of training day but who cares? Good manners are oil on the rusty cogs of life. I really don't get the feeling that they are insincere. It's not like "have a nice day y'all". They are just generally friendly and considerate in my experience, and Sam Leith is talking out of his arse. I bet he was rude and arrogant.
rubbershoes
05-12-2005, 17:30
Woolworth's is pretty shit though - lots of cheap plasticy things that will fall apart in seconds - and I've never seen so many aisles full of chocolate in all my life.....
that's the whole point of woolies though isn't it
don't go there for Louis XVI clocks . do go there for plastic tat and chocs
Whatever drugs you're on, can I have some? :D :D
You mean Brixton isnt a place full of sunshine and happy people :eek: :(
You mean Brixton isnt a place full of sunshine and happy people :eek: :(
of course it is, and nothing bad ever ever happens.... :)
So Mr Sam Heith doesn't like "educationally subnormal teenagers who haven't been taught to use the till."
I wonder what he makes of 31-year-old newspaper literary editors who can't even write in proper English:
Nah," she said. "We have to keep the shelves stocked. Someone should of put an out-of-stock sign, but we've been too busy."
:rolleyes:
Monkeygrinder's Organ
05-12-2005, 19:15
Er, if that's what she said then it would make sense for him to repeat it, not correct it.
The article sounds like bollocks, still.
gaijingirl
05-12-2005, 19:25
By far the worst shopping experiences I have had in Brixton have been Currys... who appear to not actually stock anything they have on display... :( and no one seems to have any knowledge about their stock whatsoever.
Woolies I actually quite like. I have a bit of a thing for shiny houseware type stuff and cheap tupperware.. :o Although I don't like it half as much since they revamped it.
Argos I find to be pretty rubbish wherever you go.. and I haven't found Brixton to be particularly worse than any of the others tbh... plus I like the security guard there - he's always so friendly.
The M&S in Brixton is just wierd.... it's not like any other M&S but it's also not like any other shop in Brixton... it's sort of like Morley's - caught in some wierd "Are you being served" meets the Inner City timewarp... :confused: :eek:
Anyway, the upshot is that if I can possibly avoid going shopping anywhere else I'll get it here.... shopping on the whole is a nightmare anyway, so I'm not going to travel any further than I have to to do it!
Er, if that's what she said then it would make sense for him to repeat it, not correct it. Only it's nearly impossible to hear the difference between should of and should've, or at least to be certain of what was actually said.
My guess is that he can't write or he was assuming she had said 'should of'- because perhaps he saw her as uneducated too (how could she be otherwise, working for Woolworths). But if the latter was the case he should have included (sic) at the end of the word. Which goes to reinforce my belief his command of English grammar and basic journalistic skills are surprisingly poor for someone who is a literary editor for Britain's best selling broadsheet, and someone who likes to describe others as 'educationally subnormal'.
Either way he comes across as a prize cunt.
Do people still use the phrase 'educationally subnormal' - perhaps just in Cirencester?
suzee blue cheese
05-12-2005, 23:54
By far the worst shopping experiences I have had in Brixton have been Currys... who appear to not actually stock anything they have on display... and no one seems to have any knowledge about their stock whatsoever.
Heart attack central - to be avoided like the plague by those with high blood pressure. Only place I've ever been in where despite it being empty took 45 minutes at the till.
Whatever you do, don't ask anyone anything.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
05-12-2005, 23:57
Oh god, Currys is absolutely awful. The last time I was there there was one poor bastard on the tills, getting shouted at by his manager for the fact that a big queue had built up, thus letting the queue get even bigger. Didn't seem to occur to the twat to open a second till and help. :rolleyes:
My friend's 4 year old daughter says "daddy, that's the bad shop" when they go past it [Currys] :D
[makes note of where to avoid - currys - and where to buy tupperware - woolies] :)
Minnie_the_Minx
06-12-2005, 10:38
Would agree about Currys. Has to be the biggest waste of space in Brixton.
They know absolutely zilch about their products/delivery services etc. :mad:
Even tried to order a cab who wanted to charge £10 to take me and my television home to Brixton Hill. Stood in Effra Road and got a black cab for £5 :D
FridgeMagnet
06-12-2005, 10:49
That just sounds like Currys anywhere to me.
Same with the Brixton Woolies, pretty much like the Woolies in Streatham, or, for that matter, the last one I went to, in Devon.
i like Morley's! I use the Topshop bit fairly regularly.
Brixton Hatter
06-12-2005, 14:07
Woolworth's is pretty shit though - lots of cheap plasticy things that will fall apart in seconds - and I've never seen so many aisles full of chocolate in all my life.....I think Woolworths is brilliant - and always has been. You can buy almost anything in there. And it's dead cheap. IMO Woolies is the unsung hero for normal working mums and dads all over the country.
Would agree about Currys. Has to be the biggest waste of space in Brixton.
They know absolutely zilch about their products/delivery services etc. :mad:
Argh, definitely. I've had to return a few things there & it's usually taken over an hour to sort out. Strong candidate for worst shop ever. At least the guy who served me last time was pretty apologetic about it all; had the impression he was just caught up in wheels of inefficiency & couldn't do shit about it.
Minnie_the_Minx
06-12-2005, 15:59
At least the guy who served me last time was pretty apologetic about it all; had the impression he was just caught up in wheels of inefficiency & couldn't do shit about it.
Well at least that's something. Most of them don't seem to give a shit at all
Brainaddict
06-12-2005, 16:01
Well at least that's something. Most of them don't seem to give a shit at all
hardly their fault is it? I'm sure you wouldn't give a shit if you got paid minimum wage, weren't trained to be able to answer frustrated customers questions and got treated like shit by the management - which I'm sure is standard for a shop like currys.
Minnie_the_Minx
06-12-2005, 16:07
hardly their fault is it? I'm sure you wouldn't give a shit if you got paid minimum wage, weren't trained to be able to answer frustrated customers questions and got treated like shit by the management - which I'm sure is standard for a shop like currys.
Yes, I do realise that :p I'm not exactly on minimum wage but I'm not rolling in it either, but whatever job I've had, I try to be polite to customers however pissed off I'm feeling
William of Walworth
06-12-2005, 16:46
Actually as each store already has large fixed costs it makes no sense to then not have enough staff to through-put customers. These stores are not empty - large queues indicate people who want to spend money. Crap service, lack of stock and keeping people waiting will just mean people go elsewhere next time to do their shopping. Either shops should do a proper job and service the demand or they should not bother having a (loss-making) branch there at all. It is not understandable at all, even in pure business terms.
That's what puzzles me too.
Tip : if you absolutely need stuff from Woolies and are passing the Elephant, the one in the shopping centre there is generally not crowded.
Possibly the Camberwell one is less frantic too, but I'm not so sure about that.
All the same, Sam Leith is clearly a snobbish wanker (I spotted that quoting 'should of' without any evidence that the person had actually said that), and he's encouraging his readers to react like snobbish wankers. Admittedly not that difficult, given most of the Telegraph readership's starting point -- in Cirencester and similar :mad:
tarannau
06-12-2005, 17:00
Look, Woolies isn't that bad in my experience. I was in and out of the shop (carrrying a mop head, cheap tea towels and 3 for 2 haribo) within 10 minutes this w/e
There's no real secret to it. Simply go the checkouts at the back of the store and/or do your shopping before midday. For whatever reason - call it West Indian slackness - the market and surrounds never really seem to get busy before that at weekends. Everyone just seems to descend on the shops at the same time ime.
I quite like the fact that we have the laziest market in miles around. I used to leave for work before many of the traders had started setting up ... and I'm a blinking desk jockey...
:p
AverageJoe
06-12-2005, 18:00
that's the whole point of woolies though isn't it
don't go there for Louis XVI clocks . do go there for plastic tat and chocs
Are you Mike Skinner in disguise? Gad! *accidentally outs self*
*puts self back in again*
p.s - I am not him. :D
Donna Ferentes
08-12-2005, 11:45
I think he does have a point.
The banks in Brixton are the same -- massive queues, and if you're not an HSBC customer you're not even allowed to use it between certain hours. When I worked on Marylebone High St, a very wealthy area, if there was more than one or two customers in the bank queue, a member of staff would come out and ask if they could help you.Curiously enough I was in South Kensington earlier, or Gloucester Road to be more precise, and the Nat West was fully staffed (although empty of customers) as was Waitrose. Can't keep the wealthy customers waiting!
every other natwest in the country gets at least 5mins a day where there's nobody wanting anything. but not brixton. the natwest workers must cry when they get posted to brixton (which is a shame cos most of them are really lovely).
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