Brixton's Woolworth's Gets a Kicking
- Thread starter hendo
- Start date
Donna Ferentes
jubliado
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.
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.
Jenerys
Stormborn
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]
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
Modesty Bag
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 ...
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 ...
Whatever drugs you're on, can I have some?LilJen said:
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
not the only raver in the village
flameacademy said:
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
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
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.
The article sounds like bollocks, still.
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
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..
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...
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!
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..
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...
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!
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
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.Monkeygrinder's Organ 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.
suzee blue cheese
Well-Known Member
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
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
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. 
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
Would agree about Currys. Has to be the biggest waste of space in Brixton.
They know absolutely zilch about their products/delivery services etc.
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
They know absolutely zilch about their products/delivery services etc.
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
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
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.
Same with the Brixton Woolies, pretty much like the Woolies in Streatham, or, for that matter, the last one I went to, in Devon.
Brixton Hatter
Home is south London mate
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.flameacademy said:
Minnie_the_Minx said:Would agree about Currys. Has to be the biggest waste of space in Brixton.
They know absolutely zilch about their products/delivery services etc.
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
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
grosun said:
Well at least that's something. Most of them don't seem to give a shit at all
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
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 said:
Minnie_the_Minx
someinenhhanding menbag and me ah bollox
Brainaddict said:
Yes, I do realise that
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
TeeJay said:
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
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...
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...
AverageJoe
...
rubbershoes said:
Are you Mike Skinner in disguise? Gad! *accidentally outs self*
*puts self back in again*
p.s - I am not him.
Donna Ferentes
jubliado
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!Ms T said:
